What is a Windows Print Spooler?

The print spooler service is a Windows subsystem designed to manage print jobs sent from computer to local and network printers. It helps to free the application that sends a document for print and the fast operating system from handling a relatively slow printing process. So, you can work while your documents sent for print are handled by the print spooler subsystem used as an intermediary component between your application and printers.

Print spooler components


Logical structure of the print spooler subsystem includes print queue, that hold documents sent to printers, print manager, that uses some predefined business logic to manage the printing process and let you correct the rules if needed.

Other parts, that print spooler subsystem depends on, include printer drivers, that translate the uniform data format used to transfer documents sent for print to printer specific one. Print spooler also depends or RPC (Remote Procedure Call) server used for the transfer. If your printer is installed as a network printer, it uses some network IP address on the TCP/IP port, and this process is handled by the TCP/IP monitoring service.

Physical component base of the print spooler consists of files located in C:\Windows\System32 or similar folder:
  • spoolsv.exe 
  • winspool.drv 
  • spoolss.dll 
  • localspl.dll 
  • win32spl.dll 
  • tcpmon.dll 
  • tcpmib.dll 
  • usbmon.dll 

Note: If you found files with the same names located somewhere else, they might belong to malicious program that uses these file names for a disguise.

Print spooler queue


Files sent to print are saved in C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\PRINTERS folder. If printing process stops due to a corrupted file in the print queue and freezes the print manager process, then you need to open this folder and delete files for cleaning print queue and fixing your print spooler service.

Printer drivers


Printer drivers are located in C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers folder. If a used driver is corrupted for some reason, then you need to reinstall this printer driver from the local storage, where the operating system holds initial, correct copies of the printer drivers installed. You night need to contact your printer manufacturer for the driver that you need to reinstall if there is no compatible drivers in the Windows local repository.

Print spooler malfunctions


With many different components and services involved in a printing process, the print spooler subsystem is prone to different types of failures. If such a failure occurs, then the operating system stops the service process to prevent more serious problems. Usually, operating system displays an error message that informs a user about the problem and gives some information on the possible cause. If some minor interruption caused the print spooler problem, them you can restart print spooler and try to print. If this doesn't help to fix the problem, then you need to look for possible causes and fixing solutions.

This blog will help you to understanding error messages, related to the print spooler subsystem app, and fix print spooler problems.


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