Understanding Your Print Queue and Starting a Job

Once your object is ready to print, the Print Queue is where everything comes together. Whether you're using a shared school printer or managing your own fleet, the queue gives you visibility and control over what’s happening next.

Here’s how to understand your queue—and how to start a job with confidence.

🔄 What Is the Print Queue?

The Print Queue is a list of upcoming print jobs waiting to be started on a particular printer. If multiple users are sharing the same printer, this helps keep things organized and fair.

Each queued job includes:

• The object name

• The user who submitted it

• The estimated print time

• The submission date

• The job status (Pending, Printing, Completed, etc.)

This helps you track your own prints and see where things stand in the order.

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🧠 Who Can Start Jobs?

This depends on your role and the printer settings:

• If you’re using a personal printer, you can start jobs directly.

• If you’re part of a school group or classroom, the teacher or admin might need to approve your job.

• Some setups allow students to submit jobs but require approval before printing—this keeps things safe and supervised.

✅ Starting a Job

To start a print job:

1. Go to the Printers tab and click on the printer you want to use.

2. You’ll see a list of queued jobs for that printer.

3. If you have permission to start a job, you’ll see a “Start Print” or “Approve and Start” button.

4. Click it—and your printer will begin printing!

If you’re seeing a job in the queue but can’t start it, you may not have permission—or another job may already be running. Talk to your group’s admin if needed.

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📌 Tips for Managing Your Queue

• Check the estimated time before starting a long print—some schools block out printers for the day if one job runs too long.

• You can cancel your own jobs if you change your mind (before they start printing).

• Admins and teachers can reorder, approve, reject, or prioritize jobs as needed.

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🧰 Pro Tip: Use Job Descriptions

When submitting a print, you’ll see a place to write a short job description. Use this to say:

• What the object is

• Why you’re printing it (e.g., “Science project” or “Art class prototype”)

• Any notes for the teacher or approver

This helps teachers and admins understand your intent and keeps things running smoothly.

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🚦Status Definitions

• Pending: Submitted but not yet approved

• Approved: Ready to print

• Printing: Currently running

• Completed: Finished successfully

• Rejected: Not approved (you may see a comment explaining why)

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🎯 Summary

Understanding how the print queue works helps you make the most of your 3D printing time. Whether you’re managing a whole class or just your own projects, knowing how to start a job and what the queue is showing you will keep things smooth—and your prints rolling out on time.