Print Spooler

What does Print Spooler mean?

A printer spooler is a small application that manages the paper printing jobs sent from a computer to a printer or print server. It enables storing multiple print jobs within a print queue or a buffer where it’s retrieved by the printer or print server.

Techopedia explains Print Spooler

A print spooler primarily enables assigning multiple jobs to a printer without affecting the application or the underlying system performance. A printer spooler eliminates the need for an application to be kept engaged, until its printing process is complete.

A printer spooler works when multiple print jobs are sent to a printer. Computer printers typically take time in printing, therefore other print jobs are stored in a buffer or print queue. When the printer is available for the next job or document, it retrieves pending print jobs from the print queue until all documents are printed.

The printer spooler also enables users to view current jobs within the print queue, their status, size, time received and the ability to suspend and delete them.