Many print utilities allow any PC on the network to act as a print server. When any PC can act as a print server, printers may be placed conveniently throughout the office. Such a print server can be dedicated to its purpose, or it may double as a workstation. While a nondedicated print server allows you to place printers easily and inexpensively around the network, it has some drawbacks. Besides user distractions, the user may reboot or turn off the PC, thereby killing all print jobs in the queue.
Some print servers are dedicated boxes, which sit on the network.
While printing on a network should be easy, it's not. Most problems arise because printing in general is not as easy as it should be. Pinouts, cables, and ports on the printers themselves create an endless stream of problems. Add the network, and printers become even more of a hassle. Fortunately, many network operating system vendors now recognize the need for easier network printing and have incorporated features into the NOS that once could only be obtained through a third-party utility.