Network printing: best practices

[mufka]

What is the current consensus for the best method for network printing? Is it better to share printers from a server, or have the clients print directly via IP? Is it dependent on what users are printing? Does 2008 (SBS included) provide better printer management and deployment than previous versions? Does sharing from a server really provide a reliable queuing mechanism?

 

[baddos]

Network sharing is best because you can easily deploy/assign printers with GPOs, but alot of network printers drivers are becoming more and more a requirement to do manual installs.

 

[58sniper]

I haven't had a network printer yet require a manual install, but I'm with baddos - network sharing is where it's at. You can also limit access/configure settings based on time (like printing large jobs after business hours), as well as auditing to show printer use.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[baddos]

If you use departmental printers you are fine, but if you use large printers shared amoung departments with cost accounting, they can have horrible drivers that require manual installs.