The Common UNIX Print System ( CUPS) has become quite popular. All major Linux distributions now ship it as their default printing system. To many, it is still a mystical tool. Mostly, it just works. People tend to regard it as a “black box” that they do not want to look into as long as it works. But once there is a little problem, they have trouble finding out where to start debugging it. Refer to Classical Printing, which contains much information that is also relevant to CUPS.

CUPS sports quite a few unique and powerful features. While its basic functions may be grasped quite easily, they are also new. Because it is different from other, more traditional printing systems, it is best not to try to apply any prior knowledge about printing to this new system. Rather, try to understand CUPS from the beginning. This documentation will lead you to a complete understanding of CUPS. Let's start with the most basic things first.