Having trouble implementing the newest version of Printix with Intune? This might be why!

Printix is one of the many good solutions to the dreaded problem – how do we solve print management when moving to Intune? In essence you install the agent on your existing print server, or a client with line of sight to the printers, and use Printix’s discover function. By doing this Printix automatically creates a network, brings over the printqueues and adds the printers to the Printix-portal. Then if your printserver doesn’t have any other functions, you can essentially phase out the print server.

To make this even better Printix provides you with a .MSI (and .msi-argument) and .DMG file and a step-by-step documentation on how to easily deploy the Printix-client to your users via Intune. You might be thinking – this sounds great! But there is a problem… if you’re following their documentation it won’t work!

In their step-by-step guide, they fail to mention that for the newest Printix version requires .NET 8 to be installed on the clients for it to work. It also states that you should create it as a LOB (Line of business) app in Intune. Which would work, but if you intend to deploy or have deployed any Win32 apps you will experience issues with Autopilot enrollment – Microsoft even states this.

So what should you do? Package it with PowerShell AppDeploymentToolkit instead! By doing this you can deploy Printix as a Win32 app, and make sure you won’t have problems with Autopilot (atleast not this specific problem..).

The execute-process for the .MSI file is as follows:

Execute-MSI -Action 'Install' -Path "CLIENT_{XXXXXXX.printix.net}_{XXXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXX}.MSI" -Parameters "/quiet WRAPPED_ARGUMENTS=/id:XXXXX-XXX-XXXXX-XXXXXX"

Change the client filename to the one you download from the Printix-portal, and also change the wrapped arguments to the one provided on the software page.

If you wanna take it a step further you can add .NET 8 install as a pre-installation task in the PSADT-script. As a result of this, you won’t have to add .NET 8 as a seperate app in Intune and create a depedency between the Printix-app and .NET 8.

You can do this by downloading .NET 8, add it to Files (with the Printix-client.msi) in the PSADT, and input this into the pre-installation task in the script:

## <Perform Installation tasks here>

Execute-Process -Path "$dirfiles\windowsdesktop-runtime-8.0.10-win-x64.exe" -Arguments "/install /quiet /norestart"

Remember to edit the version so it matches the .NET version you download!

Please check out our other guides and posts on Agderinthe.cloud!

Co-author Glenn Isberg – LinkedIn