In
computing
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...
, a print job is a file or set of files that has been submitted to be printed with a
printer.
Jobs are typically identified by a unique number, and are assigned to a particular destination, usually a
printer. Jobs can also have options associated with them such as media size, number of copies and priority.
A Print Job is a single queueable print system object that represents a document that needs to be rendered and transferred to a printer. Printer jobs are created on specific print queues and can not be transferred between print queues.
Components
Job Id: Uniquely identifies the print job for the given print queue.
Spool file: It is responsible for the on-disk representation of data.
Shadow File: It is responsible for the on-disk representation of the job configuration.
Status: We can describe this in three parts:
* Spooling: It represents the message that the printing application is still working.
* Printing: It represents the message that spool file is being read by the print processor.
* Printed: It represents the message that the job has been fully written to the port.
Data Type: It Identifies the format of the data in the spool file like EMF, RAW.
Other configuration: Name, set of named properties, etc
Route
In larger environments, print jobs may go through a centralized
print server
In computer networking, a print server, or printer server, is a type of server that connects printers to client computers over a network. It accepts print jobs from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers, queuing the jobs ...
, before reaching the printing destination. Some
(multifunction) printers have local storage (like a
hard disk drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...
) to process and queue the jobs before printing.
Security
When getting rid of old printers with local storage, one should keep in mind that confidential print jobs (documents) are potentially still locally
unencrypted on the hard disk drive and can be
undeleted.
'Copy Machines, a Security Risk?' on CBSnews.com (movie)
/ref>
See also
*print (command)
In computing, the print command
provides single-user print spooling capability in a number of operating systems. It is roughly similar to that provided by the UNIX System V lp and BSD lpr print spooler systems.
Implementations
The command ...
References
Computer printing
Printing technology
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