A print server allows computer workstations to connect with printers on a network. It can be a small computer or loaded onto the main server. Workstations can connect to the server for printing, and having access to multiple printers saves time and money. A home environment can also benefit from a print server.
Anyone who works in an office these days, even a virtual office, will often be working with a print server. It is simply a device that allows computer workstations to interface with one or more printers shared on the network. Each station has the option of designating one of the networked printers as the default printer, but can always choose to send a print job to any of the other printers recognized by the server.
The print server itself can be in the form of a small computer acting in conjunction with the main office servers, assuming there is a backup server in addition to the primary server, to allow for printing capability or actually be loaded onto the main server. In many situations, one of the computers in the network group is designated as the print server. The software essential to enable this function is loaded onto the hard drive of the computer which will serve this purpose.
Once the hardware is loaded and installed, the software can be configured to recognize all printers in the office, as well as all workstations that are permitted access to server functions. Once credentials are established, each workstation can be configured to connect to the server for printing functionality, including granting or restricting rights to any of the printers recognized by the server.
What this arrangement does is ensure that there is always a printer available for any member of the office team who needs to process a print job. If a printer is temporarily out of service for some reason, it’s easy to send the print job to another printer on the network. Having a server that allows access to multiple printers saves time, money, and a lot of frustration.
Even a home environment can benefit from having a print server. Instead of printers attached to every single computer in the house, users can simply buy a good printer and place it in a central location in the house. Adults can use the central printer for home work projects, while children can use it to print homework assignments.
One advantage of using a computer workstation as a print server is that if something goes wrong with the hard drive, it’s easy to load the print server software onto another workstation and set the configurations. Without waiting for a new device to be installed, work projects can progress with little to no lost time.
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