A system becomes a print client when you install the Solaris print software and enable access to remote printers on the system.
The Solaris print software checks the following resources to locate printers and printer configuration information:
The command-line interface using the lp -d command (atomic or POSIX format)
A user's LPDEST or PRINTER variables
The _default variable in the sources configured for the printers database in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file
The $HOME/.printers file for users
The local /etc/printers.conf file for the NIS name service
The printers.org_dir table for the NIS+ name service
FNS printing contexts for the NIS+ (xfn) name service
The print client sends its requests to the print server's queue; the client does not have a local queue. The client writes the print request to a temporary spooling area only if the print server is not available or if an error occurs. This streamlined path to the server decreases the print client's use of resources, reduces the chances for printing problems, and improves performance.