Fix Printer Error 0X000D1519 on Windows

Quick answer: Delete the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\PublishingPoints, restart the Print Spooler, and re-share the printer.

Why This Happens

You're trying to share a printer across your network, and Windows throws up error code 0X000D1519 with the message NS_S_PUBLISHING_POINT_STARTED_WITH_FAILED_SINKS. I know this error is infuriating — it appears out of nowhere, usually after a Windows Update or a printer driver upgrade. The translation? Windows can't update the Active Directory publishing point for your printer. The registry entry that tells the system where to publish that printer is stuck or corrupted.

This tripped me up the first time too, back when I ran help desk for a mid-size law firm. A partner's HP LaserJet M404dn suddenly stopped sharing after a cumulative update. The fix? Nuke the publishing point and let Windows recreate it.

Fix Steps

Open Regedit as admin. Press Win + R, type regedit, right-click it, choose "Run as administrator." You'll need those elevated rights to touch the System hive.
Navigate to the key. Go to:
```
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\PublishingPoints
```
This key holds all printer publishing entries. If it's missing entirely, skip to the alternative fix.
Delete the whole key. Right-click PublishingPoints and choose "Delete." Yes, the entire folder. Windows will rebuild it from scratch. I've never seen this cause a problem — it's safer than trying to pick individual values.
Restart the Print Spooler. Open an admin Command Prompt and run:
```
net stop spooler && net start spooler
```
Or use Services.msc if you prefer clicking.
Re-share the printer. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & scanners. Click your printer, choose "Printer properties," go to the Sharing tab, check "Share this printer," give it a name (no spaces or special chars), click Apply.

If the error still shows up, reboot the machine. The registry change doesn't take full effect until after a restart in some Windows builds (looking at you, Windows 11 22H2).

Alternative Fixes If the Main One Fails

Kill the publishing point via PowerShell

Sometimes Regedit refuses to delete the key because of permissions or a locked handle. Open PowerShell as admin and run:

Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\PublishingPoints" -Recurse -Force

The -Force flag bypasses most permission issues. If you get an access denied, you'll need to take ownership first — but that's rare.

Remove printer drivers completely

If the publishing point keeps reappearing, a corrupted driver is respawning it. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & scanners. Click your printer, choose "Remove device." Then go to Print Server Properties (search for it in the Start menu), Driver tab, remove every version of the driver. Reinstall fresh drivers from the manufacturer's site — don't use Windows Update drivers, they're often stripped down.

Check the Print Spooler dependencies

Open Services.msc. Find Print Spooler, double-click, go to the Dependencies tab. Make sure HTTP Service is running (if it's needed). Also check that the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is not paused. I've seen aggressive group policies stop RPC during updates, which kills printer publishing.

Manually create a fresh publishing point

If deleting the key doesn't recreate it, or you still get the error on a client machine, create the key manually. In Regedit, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print. Right-click the Print folder, choose New > Key, name it PublishingPoints. Don't add any values — leave it empty. Restart the Spooler. This forces Windows to treat it as a blank slate.

Prevention Tip

This error loves to reappear after Windows cumulative updates, especially on Windows 10 22H2 and 11 23H2. The prevention is boring but reliable: before you install a monthly update, unshare the printer first. Go to Printer Properties > Sharing tab, uncheck "Share this printer," apply, install updates, reboot, re-share. You're basically resetting the publishing point before the update can corrupt it.

Also, if you're running a print server on Server 2022, keep the Print Services role up to date. Microsoft released a hotfix in KB5034129 that specifically addressed this error for shared printers. Desktop Windows doesn't get a separate patch — it's rolled into the cumulative update, but only if you're on the latest build.

One last thing: avoid using special characters in the share name. No underscores, hyphens, or periods. Stick to letters and numbers. I've seen a hyphen in "Office-Printer" cause this exact error on a domain-joined Windows 11 box. Windows is weird that way.