SPOOL has various meanings in the Computing category. Discover the full forms, definitions, and usage contexts of SPOOL in Computing.
To spool a computer document or task list is to read it in and store it, usually on a hard disk or larger storage medium so that it can be printed or otherwise processed at a more convenient time. One can envision spooling as reeling a document or task list onto a spool of thread so that it can be unreeled at a more convenient time. The idea of spooling originated in early computer days when input was read in on punched cards for immediate printing. Since the computer operates at a much faster rate than input/output devices such as printers, it was more effective to store the read-in lines on a magnetic disk until they could be conveniently printed when the printer was free and the computer was less busy working on other tasks. Actually, a printer has a buffer but frequently the buffer isn't large enough to hold the entire document, requiring multiple I/O operations with the printer.
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