040 | Print Spooler: (almost) everything you need to know

06/07/23 • 39 min

Print Spoolers. You might not know what they are, or why they are, but chances are you've come across many a "Paused - Printer Spooling" message while printing. In this installment of Print Geeks, we explain what print spoolers are, why they exist, why print spooling issues occur, and how to fix them. To do so, our host PaperCutter Kieron is joined by his semi-regular co-host, PaperCutter Jamie. Together the duo is joined by PaperCut legend and former Microsoft employee, PaperCutter Alan Morris. He taps into his experience of building the Windows print system to provide all the must-know basics and tips on the Windows Print Spooler, as well as alternatives like CUPS for macOS and Linux. Want to know (almost) everything you need to know about Print Spoolers and print spooling? Start here!

For more on Print Spoolers, check out these other pieces of content:

Printer spooling: what it is and how to fix it: https://www.papercut.com/blog/print_basics/printer-spooling-what-is-it-and-how-to-fix-it/
Print Bits: Let's chat about Print Spoolers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1hE5Ih6pcE

Chapters:

Introduction 0:13
Meet the Alan, the Original Geek 2:31
Why are Print Spooler issues so common? 5:11
What is a Print Spooler? 7:11
Print spooling v Print Spooler v CUPS 8:46
Why do you need a print spooler? 9:42
The baseball analogy... 10:56
Print Drivers and causes of print spooler problems 12:41
How do Print Spooler problems occur? 16:35
The canary analogy... 19:00
Alan's troubleshooting tips 19:49
Print service logs 20:59
Dump files 25:13
Remote desktop redirected printers 27:20
What to do: end-user and IT admin guide 30:08
Bringing it home... 36:21

For more on Print Spoolers, check out these other pieces of content:

Printer spooling: what it is and how to fix it: https://www.papercut.com/blog/print_basics/printer-spooling-what-is-it-and-how-to-fix-it/
Print Bits: Let's chat about Print Spoolers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1hE5Ih6pcE

Chapters:

Introduction 0:13
Meet the Alan, the Original Geek 2:31
Why are Print Spooler issues so common? 5:11
What is a Print Spooler? 7:11
Print spooling v Print Spooler v CUPS 8:46
Why do you need a print spooler? 9:42
The baseball analogy... 10:56
Print Drivers and causes of print spooler problems 12:41
How do Print Spooler problems occur? 16:35
The canary analogy... 19:00
Alan's troubleshooting tips 19:49
Print service logs 20:59
Dump files 25:13
Remote desktop redirected printers 27:20
What to do: end-user and IT admin guide 30:08
Bringing it home... 36:21

Previous Episode

039 | Why all schools need print management software

Schools print a lot. Specifically, schools, from K-12 to higher education, spend approximately 10% of their annual budget on printing. Assignments, worksheets, letterheads, records, essays, study guides, study notes, readings, tests - all of that is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various document types printed by students and staff in schools. It is therefore vital that schools have print management software to control and administer their printing environments. On this deep dive episode, Print Geeks founding member PaperCutter Al drops by the pod booth to discuss in-depth with PaperCutter Kieron why all schools need print management software.

Chapters:

Welcome to Print Geeks 0:00:15
Today's guest: PaperCutter Al 1:31
School famous: the kids know PaperCut! 3:12
Why print management is essential in education 5:20
BYOD printing: anytime, anywhere 12:41
A note on print enablement 15:19
Visibility: print data and insights 17:22
Ease of use: making printing simple 20:43
Cost savings: control consumables 27:03
Cost recovery: payment kiosks 29:17
Data and document security 31:02
Waste reduction 38:13
Freeing up IT time 41:36
Summary 45:39

Next Episode

041 | The Doctor's July 2023 check-up

PaperCut's resident print management specialist is back for his patented check-up on all the latest and greatest features and enhancements for PaperCut products. In today's episode, the Doctor provides a dose of updates including direct print jobs, integrated scanning, Fujifilm MFD embeddeds, data centers for PaperCut Hive and PaperCut Pocket, and more. Missing anything from the Doctor's check-up, drop him an email at [email protected] with all your prescription needs.