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The best print servers for 2026

A print server puts a printer that has no network of its own onto the network, and it is the one family here where compatibility is settled by a list rather than by a standard. The maker publishes which printers are supported, and that list is the specification: a USB printer that works perfectly on a cable can be absent from it, and multifunction machines are the usual casualties, because sending a scan back over the network needs software support that printing does not. Read the list before anything else, and read it for the exact model rather than for its family. After that the questions are ordinary. The connection to the printer is normally USB, occasionally a parallel port on units aimed at older machines. The connection to the network is either copper — 1000BASE-T or 100BASE-TX — or wireless, and a wireless print server earns its keep in exactly the spot a cable cannot reach. Then the protocols, which decide what will find it at all: IPP, LPR and raw port 9100 are the common ones, AirPrint and Bonjour matter for phones and tablets, and a unit naming none of them will want its own driver on every machine in the house. Some models drive more than one printer, some pass a scanner through, and some serve an attached storage device as well. Power is normally an external supply, and the box is small enough to hide behind the printer. We compare printer connection type, network port type and speed, wireless support, protocols published, number of printers served, scanner support, stated operating system support and the published printer compatibility list.

The ones worth installing

  1. Linksys PSUS4, a print server with a four-port switch inside it

    USB to the printer · four-port 10/100 switch built in · auto-negotiating with MDI/MDI-X · one printer · no protocols published · browser or supplied utility

    The only print server on this shelf with a network switch inside it — four 10/100 ports, auto-negotiating — on a listing that names no printing protocol and no compatibility list.

    Best for: A room with one network socket, a USB printer and two or three other things that need wiring, where the switch is half the reason to buy it.

    ≈ $64

  2. StarTech PM1115U2, one-port USB 2.0 print server with auto-sensing Ethernet

    one USB 2.0 printer · 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX auto-sensing · LPR and Bonjour named · Mac and Windows, no versions · network lead supplied · no model list

    A one-printer wired server whose Amazon.com listing names its Ethernet designations, its two protocols and its LPR queue, and lists the printers it will not drive.

    Best for: A home or small office with one USB printer and a mixture of Mac and Windows machines, where Bonjour is what those machines already use to find things.

    7.8/10

    ≈ $44

  3. LOYALTY-SECU Three USB printers on one wireless server, Windows and Android only

    three USB 2.0 printer sockets · wireless, no standard named · no wired socket described · Windows and Android only · Android printing through named third-party apps · no protocols published · no manufacturer reference

    The only print server on this shelf that takes three printers at once, and the only one whose route to a phone is a third-party application named on the page.

    Best for: An office with three printers nobody will replace, running Windows, where a paid Android application is an acceptable route from a phone.

    ≈ $134

  4. StarTech.com PM1115P3, twelve protocols named and a Centronics port

    parallel Centronics 36-pin · RJ45 10/100 · one printer · IPP, TCP/IP, LPR, RAW 9100, AppleTalk, NetWare, SMB, IPX, NetBEUI and SNMP v1 and v2 · Windows, macOS and Linux · TAA compliant

    Twelve network protocols named on one page — more than the rest of this shelf names put together — on a server that puts a parallel printer from the 1990s onto a modern network.

    Best for: A parallel printer on a network that still speaks more than one protocol, in an office where the queue has to be visible from a browser.

    ≈ $83

  5. StarTech.com PM1115UW, wireless and wired both — and AirPrint ruled out in writing

    USB 2.0 to the printer · RJ45 10/100 and 802.11b/g/n wireless · one printer · SNMP named, nothing else · iOS, iPadOS and AirPrint excluded in writing · two years and lifetime support

    One of two print servers here with both a wireless and a wired route to the same printer, and with the PM1115U2 one of two that rule out iPhone and iPad printing in writing.

    Best for: A printer where no cable reaches, in a household with no iPhones expecting to print to it.

    ≈ $76

  6. X-MEDIA XM-PS110P, a Centronics parallel port with a self test and an email alert

    parallel Centronics to the printer · RJ45 10/100 Fast Ethernet · one printer · up to 230 printer models with a compatibility PDF named · power-on self test · email alert, the only one here

    A parallel print server that publishes a power-on self test and an email alert for printing problems — the only warning of any kind on this shelf — with a named compatibility document behind it.

    Best for: A parallel printer that must be reachable and must say when a job has failed, by somebody who will not be standing next to it.

    ≈ $75

  7. X-MEDIA XM-PS110U, 320 printer models and a compatibility document to check them in

    USB 2.0 to the printer · RJ45 10/100 Fast Ethernet · one printer · more than 320 printer models claimed · a compatibility PDF named on the page · multi-protocol and multi-OS, neither listed

    One of two listings here to point at an actual compatibility document — a PDF named on the page, behind a claim of more than 320 printer models — and it names not one protocol or operating system.

    Best for: A USB printer beside a network socket, bought after opening the compatibility guide and finding the exact model in it.

    ≈ $52

  8. CSL-Computer LAN print server, one USB printer on a wired network

    USB 2.0 to the printer · RJ45 to the network · Fast Ethernet, unrated · web management · protocol list printed with HDCP in it · no model list

    A wired print server with a web page for setup, whose protocol list includes a video acronym and whose compatibility is described in words rather than published as a list.

    Best for: A small office with an ordinary USB printer and Windows machines, where the printer should stand where it is convenient rather than beside one desk.

    7.2/10

    No Amazon.com offer on October 26, 2026

  9. SatcOp wireless print server with a Type-C power socket and a network cable interface

    USB 2.0 to the printer · a network cable interface, undescribed · wireless named without a standard · 95 per cent of brands claimed · memory card up to 256 GB · half the bullets empty

    A wireless print server whose compatibility is given as a percentage, whose largest figure is measured in gigabytes, and half of whose bullet slots contain nothing at all.

    Best for: A buyer who needs a printer somewhere no cable reaches and is prepared to establish everything about compatibility with the seller before ordering.

    7.8/10

    No Amazon.com offer on October 26, 2026

  10. DYMO S0929080, network adapter for LabelWriter printers of the 450 series

    USB to the printer · Ethernet to the network, unrated · one printer · software in five languages · limited to LabelWriter 450-series machines · no protocols published

    A print server sold for one range of label printers, which makes it the only unit here whose compatibility is bounded in writing rather than described.

    Best for: An office already running a LabelWriter of the 450 series on one desk, where everyone else needs to print to it without moving the printer.

    8.4/10

    No Amazon.com offer on October 26, 2026

Who buys what, across print servers

Printer far from the router
Published wireless support saves running a cable. That is often the whole reason the device exists.
A multifunction machine
Published scanner support is far from universal. Many servers share printing only.
Mixed estate
Published stated operating system support decides what works without improvisation.

Nothing is free: the trade-offs of print servers

Print server against network printer
The server gives a second life to a printer with no network. A natively networked printer removes the middleman.
Wireless against wired
Wireless frees the placement and depends on coverage. The published network port type says what exists on the wired side.
Protocols against simplicity
More published protocols means more systems served and more that can be configured.

Buyers’ questions on print servers

What is a print server for?

For putting a printer that has no network of its own onto the network.

Which printer connection?

The published printer connection type says what the box accepts. It is the first thing to check.

Does the scanner work too?

Scanner support is published. Many servers share printing only.

Which protocols are available?

Published protocols appear on every entry. They decide what the systems can use.

Can several printers be connected?

Number of printers served is published. It varies from model to model.

Does software have to be installed?

That depends on the protocols and the system. Stated operating system support is published on every entry.

Is wireless always included?

No. Wireless support is published separately from the network port type.

What speed on the network port?

Network port speed is published. For printing it is rarely the limit.

What to take away from print servers

Everything turns on two published compatibilities: the printer connection on one side, the protocols on the other. The scanner is almost never included — and that is written down.

The gist of print servers, at a glance

  • On Amazon.com on October 26, 2026: 7 of the 10 models had an offer, from $44 to $134.
  • Lowest Amazon.com price on October 26, 2026: StarTech PM1115U2, at $44.
  • Highest figure for number of printers served: LOYALTY-SECU Three-port WiFi network print server (Three — stated in the title and in the first bullet as up to three USB printers used simultaneously across multiple devices. Every other listing on this shelf serves one, or does not say).

A comparison of print servers

The table shows only the data published by four devices in five. Under that threshold, a column compares empty fields.

ModelPricePrinter connection typeNetwork port typeNumber of printers served
StarTech PM1115U2$44USB 2.0 — stated in the title as a one-port USB 2.0 print server and in the fourth bullet as USB 2.0 compliantCopper Ethernet (RJ45) — stated in the first bullet as 10Base-T and 100Base-TX auto-sensing; the PM1115UW is the only other listing here to print the designationsOne — stated in the title as a one-port print server and in the first bullet as sharing one USB printer across a network
X-MEDIA XM-PS110U$52USB 2.0 — stated in the title and in the third bullet as a USB 2.0 compliant printing port, with one socketRJ45 copper — stated in the title as a Fast Ethernet print server, and the description describes connecting the unit to the local networkOne — the title gives a one-port print server with a single USB socket
Linksys PSUS4 PrintServer for USB with 4-Port Switch$64USB — stated in the title and in the second bullet, which describes connecting the printer directly to the network. No USB generation is publishedRJ45 copper, as part of a built-in four-port switch — stated in the third bullet. The description adds automatic MDI/MDI-X crossover detection on all four ports, so the cable type does not matter. It is the only listing on this shelf with a switch inside itOne — the title and the second bullet describe a USB printer in the singular. The four switch ports are for other network devices and not for printers
X-MEDIA XM-PS110P$75Parallel, on a Centronics port — stated in the title. Two listings on this shelf take a parallel printer and the other eight are USBRJ45 copper — stated in the title as a Fast Ethernet print server, with the description describing the connection to the local networkOne — the title gives a one-port print server with a single parallel socket
StarTech.com PM1115UW$76USB 2.0 — stated in the title as a one-port USB 2.0 print server and in the fourth bullet as USB 2.0 compliant, with the description adding compatibility with most USB printers on the marketBoth — an RJ45 copper socket and 802.11b/g/n wireless, stated in the first bullet. The description gives the wired port as a primary or backup interface. The SatcOp is the only other listing here to name both routes, and it gives no standard for eitherOne — stated in the title as a one-port print server, with the description adding that multiple users can share it simultaneously
StarTech.com PM1115P3$83Parallel, on a Centronics 36-pin port — stated in the title and named precisely in the second bullet, which says the unit connects directly to that socket on the printer. No USB printer socket existsRJ45 copper — stated in the title as Ethernet, with the first bullet giving support for 10/100 Mbit/s local networksOne — the title and the first bullet describe converting a parallel printer, in the singular, into a network printer
LOYALTY-SECU Three-port WiFi network print server$134USB 2.0, on three sockets — stated in the title and in the first bullet as up to three USB printers, and the fifth names a standard USB 2.0 interfaceNot described — the title and the first bullet give wireless, and the fifth refers to a LAN network without naming a socket. Whether a wired connector exists is not publishedThree — stated in the title and in the first bullet as up to three USB printers used simultaneously across multiple devices. Every other listing on this shelf serves one, or does not say
CSL-Computer—USB 2.0, compatible with USB 1.1 — stated in the title and in the fifth bullet, which describes the printer or data side of the unit. The first bullet adds that the USB lead from the printer goes into one side while the RJ45 lead from the router goes into the otherRJ45 copper — stated in the title and in the fifth bullet as the server side of the connectionNot published on the listing as a count — the page describes putting a printer, in the singular, onto the network, and no figure appears in any bullet
DYMO S0929080—USB — stated in the second bullet, which describes joining the unit to a LabelWriter label printer over USB and to the network over EthernetEthernet — named in the second bullet and described no further. No connector type and no designation appears in the title or in any of the four bulletsOne — stated in the fourth bullet, which joins every workstation of the network to a single LabelWriter printer
SatcOp—USB — stated in the third bullet, which names a USB socket for the printer alongside a Type-C socket for power and a network cable interfaceA network cable interface — named in the third bullet and described no further. No connector type, no RJ45 and no designation appears in the title or in any bulletNot published on the listing as a count — the fourth bullet says the adapter can be shared by several users, which counts people rather than printers, and no figure for printers appears

What each budget connects here

Where the numbers are read

Specifications: manufacturer sheets for network and storage gear and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.

Most recent revision in this category: October 26, 2026.

What we look at on print servers

Every price named in a summary was read on the date that review carries. What a shop asks today is shown beside the product, and it moves.