The Complete Handbook of Print Servers
For IT professionals, business decision-makers, and serious users who need to understand, specify, deploy, and maintain print infrastructure at scale
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Understand, specify, deploy, and maintain print servers the right way. A vendor-neutral reference for professionals who manage or advise on print infrastructure.
About this book
Print servers are often treated as invisible infrastructure until they fail—or until a business outgrows its current setup. Yet most IT professionals, office managers, and integrators lack a clear mental model of what print servers do, how they differ, or how to choose the right one for a given environment.
This handbook provides that foundation. Written for professionals and serious users rather than casual readers, it covers the essential knowledge: what print servers actually are and why they matter, how different types and specifications affect real-world performance, how to match a print server to your specific infrastructure and workload, how to deploy and maintain it correctly, and how the category is evolving as cloud services, mobile printing, and workplace flexibility reshape print demand.
Whether you're evaluating hardware, planning a refresh, troubleshooting a failing deployment, or considering print infrastructure as a business opportunity, this reference provides concrete guidance grounded in technical reality rather than vendor marketing.
Reader Reviews
Nancy Hernandez
★★★★★This handbook covers the basics well and I appreciated the real-world examples in Chapter 1—finally someone explains why print servers aren't just legacy junk. That said, the specification chapter got dense for me pretty fast, and I wish there were more step-by-step walkthroughs for actual deployment scenarios. Still useful as a reference, especially if you're new to managing print infrastructure.
Melissa Miller
★★★★★Exactly what I needed. Our office was using an old print server we didn't really understand, and this book gave me the framework to evaluate whether we should upgrade or consolidate to cloud printing instead. The decision chapter is practical and doesn't push you toward expensive hardware. My only wish: a bit more detail on cloud-based alternatives and when they actually make sense versus traditional servers.
Matthew Baker
★★★★★The early chapters are solid—good explanation of what a print server does and why it matters. But once I got to the troubleshooting section, I felt like it assumed more hands-on networking experience than I have. Would have benefited from more beginner-friendly diagnostics. Useful overall but not a complete solution if you're just starting out in IT.
Melissa Scott
★★★★★Good reference material if you're already in the space. Chapter 1 sets the context well, and the chapter on choosing the right server is practical. My issue: it's very neutral on vendor selection, which I get, but it left me doing a lot of my own research on actual products. I wanted more real-world comparison or at least guidance on how to weight specs in practice.
Matthew King
★★★★★This is exactly the kind of handbook every IT department should have. Clear, no fluff, grounded in actual use cases rather than marketing. The explanation of why print servers still matter despite 20 years of 'printing is dead' predictions is alone worth the cost. I've already recommended it to three colleagues and used Chapter 3 to make a purchasing decision we're confident in.
David Jackson
★★★★★Finally—a straightforward, vendor-neutral explanation of print infrastructure for people who actually have to maintain it. The author clearly understands that print servers aren't exciting but they're necessary, and the book treats them with appropriate seriousness. Chapters 1 through 4 are required reading for anyone managing office or enterprise networks. Excellent resource.