I'm looking to transition a client's printing setup from a Windows Server 2016 to Windows 11 Pro. They have around 20 users and approximately 10 network printers. Currently, they use a software connector on their server to print jobs from a cloud-based application. I'd like to avoid solutions like Printer Logic or Printix, and I'm hoping to sidestep the need for Server 2025 just to handle printing jobs. Are there any potential issues (or 'gotchas') I should be aware of when running Windows 11 Pro as a printer server? I understand there's a limit of 20 SMB sessions, but I don't think that will be a concern because I doubt they'll have 20 concurrent sessions for printing.
2 Answers
Are they utilizing any other Microsoft Server features? If not, it might simplify your transition to just go fully with Windows 11 and decommission the Server 2016 setup. Just keep in mind that managing the print server might take a bit of reconfiguration since you're moving away from a dedicated server.
Have you considered using a Raspberry Pi with CUPS? It’s a solid option. Microsoft is phasing out traditional drivers and moving towards something similar to Apple AirPrint in the near future. If your printers don’t support AirPrint directly, a CUPS server on a Raspberry Pi can manage the printing just fine. It’s low power, cheap, and reliable for centralizing print queues. If you're comfortable with the setup, it could be a great long-term solution.
I actually did something similar for a vinyl cutter using a nanoPi, and it worked perfectly. CUPS is definitely a viable route!