Chapter 12
Printing in Linux
Guide to Linux Installation and Administration, 2e
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Objectives
In this chapter, you will:
• Configure and use the traditional Linux printing
architecture
• Understand the Common UNIX Printing System
(CUPS)
• Print files from different applications
• Locate and relieve system bottlenecks
• Manage networked printing resources
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Using Traditional Linux Printing
• The traditional Linux printing architecture is
called LPRng and is based on the system
developed for BSD UNIX
• LPRng printing allows multiple users to print files
at the same time to either local or networked
printers
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The Printing Process
• Printer definitions, or print queues describe the
type of printer and the features to be used when
something is printed on it
• The file submitted for printing is called a print job
• The print job is processed by a print filter
• After sending the print job through a print filter,
the printing utility stores the print job in a print
spool directory
• The print server program, lpd, keeps track of all
the print jobs in all the print queues on the
system
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A Single Print Queue Can Refer to
Multiple Physical Printers
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Many Print Queues Can Refer to a
Single Physical Printer
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Understanding Print Filters and Drivers
• Linux uses special programs called print filters
• A Linux print filter converts documents or images
into a format that the printer can use
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Printer Languages
• A page description language is a special set of
codes that determine the graphics elements, text
font, and everything else about what appears on a
printed page
• The most widely used page description
languages are PostScript and Printer Control
Language (PCL)
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The Magic Filter
• Most Linux distributions use a “magic filter” that
can convert documents into formats for many
different printers
• The “magic filter” doesn’t generally allow Linux
to use the specialized features of each printer
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Configuring Local Printer Definitions
• A local printer is a printer directly attached to
your computer
• Define one or more printers before you can print
documents
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Reviewing printcap
• Each LPRng printer definition is created as a print
queue entry in the /etc/printcap configuration file
• To use a local printer, you must provide the
appropriate Linux device name when you
configure the printer
• The format of a printcap entry consists of a print
queue name, followed by a series of twocharacter option codes that apply to that printer
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Configuring printcap Graphically
• Several graphical tools can create basic printcap
entries:
– Printer Configuration Tool printconf-gui in Red Hat
Linux
– YAST utility in SuSE Linux
– Webmin in Caldera OpenLinux
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Defining the Printer Name and Type in
the printconf-gui Utility
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Selecting a Printer Driver
in printconf-gui
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The Main Window of printconf-gui
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Selecting the Print System to
Configure within the KDE Control
Center
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Selecting a Printer in the KDE Printer
Manager Wizard
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Reviewing Printer Driver Settings
in KDE
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Managing Printers in the KDE Control
Center
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Printing Remotely Using lpd
• Define a printer on your system that refers to the
remote computer and a print queue on the remote
system
• The lpd daemon on your computer communicates
with the lpd program on the remote computer,
transferring the print job
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Printing to a Remote Printer Using lpd
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Defining a Remote lpd-based Printer in
printconf-gui
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Defining a Remote lpd-based
Printer in KDE
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Understanding the Common Unix
Printing System
• The Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS)
provides a new architecture for Linux and UNIX
printing
• CUPS lets users and system administrators
browse the network to find and print to networked
printers and other devices
• CUPS lets system administrators manage printer
definitions and print jobs across the network
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Configuring Printers within CUPS
• The cupsd print server daemon uses HTTP
protocol and accepts requests and processes
print jobs sent over the network
• The cupsd print server daemon manages printers
using a Web browser interface
• The CUPS architecture uses network port 631 to
communicate between CUPS-enabled print
servers
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The Main Page of the CUPS BrowserBased Interface
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The Printers Page in the CUPS Web
Interface
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Configuring an Existing Printer
in CUPS
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Setting up CUPS Classes
• CUPS class is a group of printers to which a user
can submit a print job
• Whichever printer within the class is first
available will be used to print the job
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The Classes Page within the CUPS
Configuration
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Printing Files
• You can print files
– from a command line
– from a specialized graphical tool
– from any graphical application
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Printing from a Command Line
• The basic printing command is lpr
• The lpr command is used for printing to both
LPRng and CUPS-based printers
• Command options for lpr apply to a specific print
job, not to all print jobs sent to the printer
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Command Options for lpr
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lpr Options Supported by CUPS
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lpr Options Supported by CUPS
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Printing from Graphical Applications
• You typically print from a graphical application by
choosing Print from the File menu
• Graphical applications rely on the lpr utility
• You can print to a file
• Gnome and KDE applications build upon a
standard dialog box
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The Print Dialog Box in Gnumeric
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The Print Dialog Box in KWord
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The Print Dialog Box in Netscape
Communicator
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Managing the Printing Environment
• A system administrator manages printing
• The system administrator takes care about
printer supplies and solves printer-related
problems
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Deciding on Printing Policies
• A printing policy is a brief statement of rules
describing how printing resources can be used
and how printers will be managed
• A printing policy is a helpful document for any
organization with more than two or three users
who rely on the same printer
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Using the lpc Utility
• The lpc utility is the printer control utility
• The lpc command-line utility lets you control
LPRng or CUPS printing, specifying how print
jobs are accepted and processed
• You must be root to use lpc
• You can include an lpc command as a parameter
on the command line
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lpc Commands
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Using lpc to Control the Printing
Process
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Tracking Print Jobs
• To view the print jobs in the default print queue,
the lpq command is used
• The lprm command deletes a print job from a
queue
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Using Graphical Print Management
Utilities
• You can use two KDE graphical utilities to
manage printing:
– KDE Print Job Viewer
– KLpq program
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The KDE Print Job Viewer
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The KLpq Printing Manager
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Managing CUPS Print Jobs in a
Browser
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Summary
• The traditional Linux printing architecture is called
LPRng and is based on the system developed for
BSD UNIX
• Printers are typically connected locally to either a
parallel or serial port
• A system administrator creates printer definitions,
which act as print queues
• Printer definitions are stored in /etc/printcap and
can be created using printconf-gui or other textmode or graphical tools
• Users submit print jobs to a named print queue
using either the lpr command or a graphical dialog
box
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Summary
• The data that a user submits as a print job is
processed using a print filter, which converts raw
document data into a format a printer can
understand, such as PCL or PostScript
• A printing policy informs users of how they can
use printing resources and what they can expect
from the system administrator who manages the
printers
• The Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS)
provides a new architecture for Linux and UNIX
printing
• Print jobs waiting to be printed on a system using
CUPS can be managed using the CUPS browserbased interface
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