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print server vs jetdirect card

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6 replies

by thewrightman

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I have a large format HP printer and I am wondering which the the better option: hang it off W2K server or workstation and spool print jobs there or use the installed JetDirect network card and spool the jobs on the client workstations. Would the clients take a performance hit by spooling and sending their own print jobs?

6 replies

by raffi_

Hello: I would go with the Jetdirect card. The clients would take a small performance hit but not as much as the server would (and if it is a typical office scenario the jobs are small anyway). Offloading onto the Jetdirect card gives you one less thing to worry about server-side. I have never had any trouble with one yet - even with Macs on the LAN.

Use your server resources for other things.

Regards

by thewrightman

I guess I should add that typically our print jobs would be small but will from time to time be quite large (50 to 100 meg). Also, the print server will not be used for anything else but printing. Sorry I failed to mention that.

by computechie

For normal printing jobs, the Jetdirect setups are nice, we use them here for a lot of printers, but the large jobs you mention, might make it a better setup if you use a print server. The clients would take a performance hit if they try to print 50-100MB jobs, as printing usually is somewhat resource intensive, and the server would be better suited to take that load. If they send that job to the server, they can go on about their work faster, and Win2K server would be more reliable for spooling and printing than their workstations, assuming they are running Win95/98. Just make sure that the server will have plenty of RAM and hard disk space for spooling to take place, especially with Win2K being more of a resource hog. Hope this helps youmake a decision.

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