Print Me Faster

Written on by Kay

Many people don’t know that there is a way that you can actually speed up the time required to complete a print job from your PC.

Normally, your computer uses a method called “spooling” to complete a print job. Basically, the Print Spooler is a small program that runs in the background of your computer processing print jobs, but allows you to continue working on other items while this processing is tabulated.

Although it is sometimes nice to be able to do some other items during the 1-10 seconds it usually takes your computer to process a print job (not completing it, but just putting it into memory), this “spooling” process also slows down printing.

The alternative to this is printing directly to the printer. You accomplish this by turning “off” the spooling feature. Here’s how:

Go to the <START> menu, choose <SETTINGS> and then <PRINTERS>. You should see your default printer there with a small black checkmark beside it. Right-click on the printer icon and select <PROPERTIES> from the menu that appears.

In the dialogue box that appears make sure to select the “Details” tab at the top and then click on the <SPOOL SETTINGS> button at the bottom of the box.

Select the “Print Directly To The Printer” option at the top of the next dialogue box that appears and make sure to click OK.

That should do it – you will be able to print directly to your printer now without the “spooling” in the background and it should increase your print speed!