Print Geeks of PaperCut

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

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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
      • ...more
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