Queue (printing)
|
In computing, especially printing terminology, queuing refers to lining up jobs for a computer or device. For example, if you want to print a number of documents, the operating system (or a special print spooler) queues the documents by placing them in a special area called a print buffer or print queue. The printer then pulls the documents off the queue one at a time. Another term for this is print spooling.
The order in which a system executes jobs on a queue depends on the priority system being used. Most commonly, jobs are executed in the same order that they were placed on the queue (FIFO), but in some schemes certain jobs are given higher priority.