• A powerful processor – Since the print server uses its processor to manage and route printing information, it needs to be fast enough to handle all incoming requests.
• Adequate hard disk space – Print servers capture print jobs from clients, place them in a print queue, and feed them to the printer in a timely fashion. This requires the computer to have enough storage space to hold these jobs until completed.
• Adequate memory – The server processor and Random Access Memory (RAM) handle feeding print jobs to a printer. If the server memory is not large enough to handle an entire print job, the job must be fed from the hard drive, which is much slower.

The role of a print server is to provide client access to print resources and to provide feedback to the users. When using printers that connect directly to the network , the print server "routes" print jobs to the proper printer. With host-based printing technology, the print server acts as the interpreter between the client and the printer to which it is directly connected. If configured properly, the print server can also send clients the printer driver software needed to access the printer. Since print servers manage print jobs through a print queue, they can also provide feedback about the printers to the users on the network. This feedback can include a confirmation message that a print job has been completed and an estimated time of print job completion. It can also include any errors that may have been encountered in the printing process such as printer out of paper, wrong paper type, paper jam, out of toner/ink, and so on.