Do Network printer need servers?

[reply]

What happens with most printers if more than one computer tries to print to
the network printer directly, not through a printer server?

Is it necessary that one of the computers on a P2P network be designated as a
server and other computers print through it?

 

[Edwin Pawlowski]

What happens with most printers if more than one computer tries to print
to
the network printer directly, not through a printer server?

Is it necessary that one of the computers on a P2P network be designated
as a
server and other computers print through it?

No. Our old setup used to be that you had to have the computer with the
printer turned on to use the printer. Our new HP1320 is just on a hub and
accessible at all times from every computer on the network.

This may vary with certain printers and network protocols.

 

[Fred McKenzie]

What happens with most printers if more than one computer tries to print to
the network printer directly, not through a printer server?

Is it necessary that one of the computers on a P2P network be designated as a
server and other computers print through it?

Reply-

By definition, a "network printer" either has its own server capability
included in the network interface electronics, or is actually connected to
a separate server computer. One job prints at a time, first-come
first-serve.

Some installations prefer to use a computer as a server in addition to the
printer's built-in capability. Such a server computer can spool print
files from several sources, and send them to the printer when the previous
job has been completed. If your system includes a large number of users,
it makes sense to use such a setup.

A small number of users may not notice any difference other than a slight
delay for the print job to be transmitted a second time to get from the
server to the printer.

Fred