A printer queue is a temporary holding area for print jobs that are fed to the printer when it is ready for the next job. This queue is an area of memory that is set aside on the print server for managing print jobs. When a user decides to print a document, it is immediately sent to the printer queue. If there are no other jobs in the queue, it is processed at once. Printer queues, by default, use the first in, first out (FIFO) rule. This means that the print job that reaches the queue first receives the highest priority and is output before other jobs.

Setup (Configuring)
The print queue is automatically set up and configured when the printer is installed. When the printer is installed, a queue is created so the files being sent to the printer will be held temporarily until the printer is ready to print the document. Configure the print queue in the properties page of the printer. The size of the queue can be specified. Printing priorities can also be set so specific user files with priority will be printed before other user files.

Clearing Print Jobs
The print queue is also a management tool that can be used to view and manipulate print jobs. The queue can show information about each print job and the progress of the job as it is being fed to the printer. This information includes the user's identification, job start time, and the current status of the print job. Several print job manipulation tasks can be performed in the printer queue:

• Deleting print jobs – The print queue can be used to delete single, multiple, or all of the print jobs currently being held in the queue. This is useful if an error occurs or multiple copies of a document are accidentally sent to the printer.
• Rearranging print jobs – Even though the printer queue uses FIFO, the order in which jobs are processed can be changed. Higher priority print jobs can be placed closer to the top of the queue while lower priority jobs can be taken to the bottom of the list.
• Pause the printer – Sometimes it is beneficial to temporarily pause the entire printing process. Choosing to pause printing puts the queue in a "wait state". During this pause time, changes can be made within the queue (such as deletions or rearrangements) and changes can be made to the printer (such as changing the media type, ink, or toner). It is then possible to "un-pause" the printer queue to resume processing the print jobs.

Redirecting (may be from one printer to the other)
Print documents can be redirected to a different printer. For example, if a printer is connected to a faulty print device, the documents can be redirected so that users do not need to resubmit them. All print jobs for a printer can be redirected, but specific documents cannot. The new printer must use the same printer driver as the current printer.

Redirect documents to a different printer as follows. Open the Printers window, right-click the printer, and then click Properties. In the Properties dialog box, click the Ports tab and then click Add Port. In the Available Port Types list, click Local Port, and then click the New Port button. Next, in the Port Name dialog box, in the Enter A Port Name box, type the UNC name for the printer to which the documents are being redirected (for example, \\prntsrv9\HPLaser4XL) and then click OK to close the Port Name dialog box. Close the Printer Ports dialog box and the printer Properties dialog box.