Guide: Print Servers - Understanding and Answering Exam Questions

What is a Print Server?
A print server is a device that connects printers to client computers over a network. It accepts print jobs from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers, queuing the jobs locally to accommodate the fact that work may arrive more quickly than the printer can actually handle it.

Importance of Print Servers
Print servers play a significant role in managing printing tasks within a networked environment. By intervening between the printer and the users, print servers enhance efficiency, provide cost control, enable better management, and offer enhanced functionality.

How Print Servers Work
In a simple form, when a user prints a document, the print job is sent to the print server, which then forwards it to the targeted printer when it's ready. The server manages the printing process and allows multiple users to utilize the same printer in an orderly manner.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Print Servers
For exam questions, recall the functions and benefits of print servers. It's also important to understand how they fit into the CompTIA A+ standard. Questions on print servers are largely theoretical, so focus on understanding how they work and are implemented. Also, be prepared to answer situational questions where the print server might be a solution to a problem scenario.

Key points to remember:
• Print servers connect printers to client computers over a network.
• They handle job queuing and order of printing.
• Print servers enhance efficiency, provide cost control, enable better management, and offer enhanced functionality.
• Print servers are crucial in a networked printing setup.