Chapter Summary

In this chapter, we looked at printer management. The various printer management tasks range from changing print server configurations to manipulating active print jobs in a queue.

Large print jobs can generate a significant impact on the network and print-server loads. The print spooler files on a Windows Server 2003 print server can be relocated to a dedicated hard disk if these loads are going to be high. You can perform this procedure for all printers on the server or on a printer-by-printer basis.

As you know, the Windows Server 2003 print system allows multiple logical printers to serve a single printer. Likewise, multiple logical printers can serve a printer pool. This enables you to create logical printers with different printing priorities, varied availability time frames, or different paper trays.

Printer pooling is a Windows Server 2003 print system function that enables a single logical printer to serve multiple physical printers. Print pooling is often used in offices in which many documents are printed on a continuous basis and a single printer is inadequate. As print jobs are sent to the logical printer, the print server sends each print job to the next available printer. This results in an overall faster time and more efficient use of multiple printers.

It is important to note that all the printers in a print pool must be operated by the same print driver. In most cases, it is best to use identical printers, but this is not strictly necessary. Working with printers from the same manufacturer within a generation or so of each other provides adequate similarity for printer pooling.

Last, but certainly not least, the Print Management console allows you to manage all printers and print servers in your organization from a single console. This allows faster, more efficient management of all your print devices.

Key Terms

• Printer Priority

• Spool file

• Print Management Console (PMC)

• Printer pooling

• Print queue

• Printer filters