SpoolSmith documentation
Printer setup you can repeat.
SpoolSmith copies a working Windows printer into a file, driver included, and sets it up on the next PC after you've reviewed exactly what will change. Double-click the file, check the plan, confirm once.
Start with what you have#
Copy a printer →
Save the working printer, or every printer on the PC, and apply it on the next one.
You know the IPSet up by address →
Let Windows set up an IPP printer, or pick an installed driver yourself.
You need to find itDiscover printers →
Scan a subnet for printer candidates and see what each one reports.
Many managed PCsPackage for Intune →
Turn a printer file into a reviewable Win32 app. Local only; no tenant sign-in.
New here?#
Install and first run covers the portable ZIP and the MSI, how to check the signature, and which steps need administrator rights.
SpoolSmith is two signed programs: spoolsmith-gui.exe, the desktop app, and spoolsmith.exe, the command-line tool. They run the same checks, so use whichever suits the job.
Two kinds of file#
Everything SpoolSmith remembers is in a file you control. It needs no account, server or agent.
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
.ssb printer file | One printer: its Windows settings, the evidence the printer reported, and its driver whenever it could be exported. Copies, saved setups and Intune packages all use it. USB printers use .usb.ssb. |
.zip printer set | Several printers: a plain zip with .ssb files at its root. Explorer's Compress to ZIP file makes a valid one. |
Neither contains commands. Both are ordinary zips you can open and read.
What SpoolSmith will and won't do#
- It shows you the plan before changing Windows. Every change to printers, ports, drivers or trusted publishers is listed step by step and then confirmed. Running the same setup again reuses what's already there.
- It stops when the evidence disagrees. If the printer at an address now reports a different model, setup stops. If the printer simply doesn't answer, setup falls back to the saved settings and tells you before you confirm.
- It downloads nothing itself and never asks for credentials. Drivers come from the printer file, from what's installed, or from Windows' own driver search.
The details, and what has and hasn't been verified on real hardware, are in Safety and limits.
Something wrong or unclear? Open an issue or edit this page.