What is a Print Server?
You will probably be familiar with connecting a printer to your computer so that you can print a document you have created. You may also be familiar with printer sharing, where a printer is attached to a PC thats attached to a networ and you can use that printer, even if it's not your PC to which it is attached.
To use printer sharing, you have to have permission from the user of the PC to which the printer is attached and that PC has to be on and booted into Windows.
There is a better way. With a print server, you can to attach the printer direct to the network so that everyone can use each printer, regardless of whether a particular PC is turned on. If you have a variety of printers, every user can select the right printer for each print job.
Print servers allow you to attach a printer direct to a network even though the printer offers only a parallel or USB connection. Not many printers come from the factory with an Ethernet adapter built-in, and those that do are relatively expensive.
With a print server, print jobs are sent from PCs to the print server, where the jobs are stored, queued, and printed in the order received.
Print servers are no longer bulky, complex or costly. Today, you can purchase a NetComm print server for a couple of hundred dollars, install it yourself, and be sharing your printer with anyone on the network in a matter of minutes.
What else do I need to share a printer?
Besides a printer and a Print Server, you'll need a Local Area Network, which is a network in one location, such as an office or home. A network in more than one location is a Wide Area Network or WAN. You can find out more about networking in our Networking Section.
Wired and Wireless Print Servers
Some Print Severs are wired in that you plug in an RJ-45 Ethernet cable to attach them to your network.
Other Print Servers are wireless and communicate with your wireless network without the need for cables.
Which one you choose depends on the sort of network you have.
Find out more
Want to find out more or need to know something specific? Send an enquiry to NetComm about Print Servers now.
