Editing Print server (section)

{{Short description|Server that connects printers to client computers over a network}}
In [[computer network]]ing, a '''print server''', or '''printer server''', is a type of [[Server (computing)|server]] that connects [[Computer printer|printers]] to [[Client (computing)|client computer]]s over a network.<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of: print server|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49686/print-server|website=PCMag Encyclopedia|access-date=18 May 2017}}</ref> It accepts [[print job]]s from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers, [[Network scheduler|queuing]] the jobs locally to accommodate the fact that work may arrive more quickly than the printer can actually handle. Ancillary functions include the ability to inspect the queue of jobs to be processed, the ability to reorder or delete waiting print jobs, or the ability to do various kinds of accounting (such as counting pages, which may involve reading data generated by the printer(s)). Print servers may be used to enforce administration policies, such as [[color printing]] quotas, user/department [[Authentication server|authentication]], or [[watermark]]ing printed documents.

Print servers may support a variety of industry-standard or proprietary [[printing protocols]] including [[Internet Printing Protocol]], [[Line Printer Daemon protocol]], [[NetWare]], [[NetBIOS|NetBIOS/NetBEUI]], or [[JetDirect]].

A print server may be a networked computer with one or more shared printers. Alternatively, a print server may be a dedicated device on the network, with connections to the [[Local area network|LAN]] and one or more printers. Dedicated server appliances tend to be fairly simple in both configuration and features.  Print server functionality may be integrated with other devices such as a [[wireless router]], a [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]], or both. A printer may have a built-in print server.

All printers with the right type of [[Electrical connector|connector]] are compatible with all print servers{{cn|date=April 2024}}; manufacturers of servers make available lists of compatible printers because a server may not implement all the communications functionality of a printer (e.g. low ink signal).

{{Gallery
|title=Network printer servers
|width=175
|File:LogiLink wireless print server.jpg|A wireless print server
|File:Brother HL-2070N Network Laser Printer ports.jpg|Brother HL-2070N network laser printer with built-in print server
|File:Dell Color Laser Network Printer 1320cn ports.jpg|Dell 1320cn color laser network printer with network connection
|File:Hewlett-Packard JetDirect 170X-0491-2.jpg|External print server [[Hewlett-Packard|HP]] [[JetDirect]] 170X with [[local area network|LAN]] and [[IEEE 1284|parallel]] printer ports
|File:Network printing.jpg|An example of network printing
}}