CUPS
Credit: https://openprinting.github.io
OUR EXPERT
QUICK TIP
You can administer certain aspects of CUPS from your web browser (go to localhost:631 to do so). It’s not as comprehensive as the options built into your distro and is best used on servers where no desktop interface is available for use. When prompted for access to certain areas, enter your Linux username and password.
Printers and Linux have never been the most comfortable of bedfellows. For decades, we’ve relied on the CUPS print server to manage printers (and printing), and there have been times when getting your printer set up has been a real struggle. Even now, despite the huge changes going on under the hood of CUPS, there are times when your printer doesn’t do what you want.
We’re going to explore how CUPS works – including the various ways to get your printer successfully set up – as well as look at ways in which you can exert more control over your printer to produce better looking and more consistent printouts. But first, a quick refresher.
CUPS – not the devil incarnate
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System, and has long been used to manage print jobs, queues and even provide support for network printing. In the early days, it relied on PPD (Postscript Printer Definition) files to communicate with printers, which meant having access to the right PPD for your specific printer model.
The emergence of the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) has – in theory – simplified this task. IPP is an agreed standard that underpins various driverless technologies, such as AirPrint, and Wi-Fi Direct, and is found in 98% of printers sold today.
If your printers are relatively new – say 2010 or later – there’s a very good chance they support IPP, which means that as soon
