Windows 2008R2 x64 Print and Document Services vs. Normal Printer install
I inherited a network with a 3 DC's and some other member servers and one DC(DC01) that has printers installed via Devices and Printers. This server is not taking advantage of Print and Document Services and I was wondering what the difference of the 2 are and should I migrate to Print and Document Services?
500 goes to the best possible reason to migrate.
Thanks!
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Actually, Print Services might have also disadvantages versus printing directly to printer. Having queue on heavy-duty office multifunctional printer makes it easy for end-users to manage print jobs.
For example, sales manager is printing 700 color A3 pages duplex, which takes up to 3 hours. In the meanwhile others are printing, too, so each user can pause long-lasting print job and put his own print job on top to get his/her 3 pages printed without waiting for them for 3 hours. This is done on control panel on printer, since every bigger ptinter includes print server inside.
In this case installing of Printing Services on server is pointless.
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from my point of view you may gain some important details if your company utilizes printing quite a lot. Using Print & document Services vs. normal printer sharing is better for many reasons, but I suggest you go into it only if you have centralised printers.
If your company mainly uses local printers, then Printing Services is just one complication more for sys admin.
If you use Print Services on 2008 (R2?) platform, you use XPSDrv, which is compatible with all OS from XP and up, printing is faster due to XPS document standard. Also Print Services MMC console will give you more insight in what's printing, printing queues, installing drivers etc.
Maybe if you use GPO extensivelly you may deploy printers via Group Policy, which is also nice for better organisation.
My oppinion - if you have enough RAM and CPU spare on wanna-be Print Server, and your organisation utilizes many centralised printers, then you go for it.
On the other hand if your future Print Server is starving on resources, and/or you have majority of local printers, then forget it.