Print Server (PSERVER)

A print server may either be a host computer in a computer network with one of more shared printers, or a computer in a computer network that implements printing protocols like Microsoft Network Printing protocol, Internet Printing protocol or Line Printer Daemon protocol. In either case, the printer server accepts printing jobs and sends them to the appropriate printer in the network. The advantages of using a print server include: No restrictions regarding the number of client systems in a computer network It is easy to add new client systems and printers to a network Promotes efficiency by allowing users to print from their own workstations without having to move the files to a file server Effectively manages print queuing through print spooling Allows for job prioritization, unlike a typical shared printer, which does not allow for alteration of the print queue Some of the disadvantages of using a print server include: Lack of support for the features of multifunction printers Printers’ proprietary commands are not usable Restricts users’ ability to confirm job status with the printers that are designed to return the status of the print job Port compatibility issues and other port-related limitations