A print server is mainly used so that a single printer can be shared among numerous computers. Suppose, you have 3 computers at your home, thanks to print server, now it’s not required to buy a printer for each of the system or buy one and connect manually it to the system you want to use with. You can avoid all those wire swapping or switching printer connection between the machines you have.
Why not use Windows Printer Sharing Functionality?
Well, you can still share the printer among multiple computers without using print server. Remember the Windows printer sharing technology? But, in that case, one of your systems will be the server and hence that has to be kept switched on all the time, so that the other systems can access the printer. It is obvious that print server is a power saving alternative to Windows printer sharing technology.
What is a print server?
A tiny electronic device which can be connected to computer system with a USB, Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, that’s print server for you. Certain print servers can also be used as routers.
Different Print Servers
The different kind of print servers and how they connect to the computer are explained below:
Ethernet based print server: This works best if you have intranet at the zone where you would like to share the printer among your computers. The computers should all be connected with the print server through some Ethernet cables; however, the print server itself uses a USB cable to connect with the printer. These print servers are more suitable for office, as one can connect around 100 users, depending on the actual formation.
Wireless print server: No need of wiring at all, thanks to wireless print servers. These are definitely the most cost-effective solution and you can even connect remotely to the print server. The set up process is easy; you often have a complete installation guide and when you buy the print server, you get software with the package as well.
USB Print server: Most suitable for home users, you need USB cable to connect the systems to the print server. The printer and print server are also connected via USB cable and you don’t need to keep any of your systems turned on to print something that you require to. Well, now that’s a cost-effective solution for home users and when you buy inks from reputed companies such as 4inkjets or 123inkjet, you are ought to save more. Not only the ink quality is of the highest level, there are plenty [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]
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Some points to keep in mind
- You cannot photocopy or fax with help of print servers, these are just for printing and don’t support these modern printer functions.
- Certain printers (For an instance, the GDI printers), are not compatible with print servers. So, before you buy one, make sure that the printer works with a print server. At certain cases, even if your printer is compatible, you may see noticeable time lag between hitting the print button and actual print starting. In such cases, reaching out to a technician is the best possible thing to do.
Before buying your print server, make sure to check the compatibility. For installing the print server, may be, you should take help of a technician. After starting to use it, if you face any problem, again, asking a professional should be a better idea rather than trying to take things on your own hand. Once you invest your money for a print server, know it will save you from a lot of headache and effort in the longer run; provided you act sensibly.
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Guest article written by: Costea is a blogger with diverse interests, including technology and fitness. Read his review of 4inkjets and click here to save on 123inkjets. 4inkjets and 123 inkjets are known for their printer ink supplies for virtually any inkjet and laser printer in the market.
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Guest article written by: Costea is a blogger with diverse interests, including technology and fitness. Read his review of 4inkjets and click here to save on 123inkjets. 4inkjets and 123 inkjets are known for their printer ink supplies for virtually any inkjet and laser printer in the market.
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Hello Costea,
I didn’t know how print servers work. I read your article and remembered that in my previous job, the computers in our office were all connected to a print server and we were able to use one printer–all employees.