Chapter 34. Printer Configuration
The Printer Configuration Tool allows users to configure a
printer. This tool helps maintain the printer configuration file, print
spool directories, and print filters.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 uses the CUPS printing system. If a system was upgraded
from a previous Red Hat Enterprise Linux version that used CUPS, the upgrade process preserved
the configured queues.
Using the Printer Configuration Tool requires root
privileges. To start the application, select
(the main menu on the
panel) => => , or type the
command system-config-printer. This command automatically
determines whether to run the graphical or text-based version depending on
whether the command is executed in the graphical desktop environment or from
a text-based console.
To force the Printer Configuration Tool to run as a
text-based application, execute the command
system-config-printer-tui from a shell prompt.
 | Important |
|---|
| | Do not edit the /etc/printcap file or the files in
the /etc/cups/ directory. Each time the printer
daemon (cups) is started or restarted, new
configuration files are dynamically created. The files are dynamically
created when changes are applied with the
Printer Configuration Tool as well.
|
The following types of print queues can be configured:
— a
printer attached directly to the computer through a parallel or USB
port.
— a printer
that can be accessed over a TCP/IP network via the Internet Printing
Protocol, also known as IPP (for example, a printer attached to another
Red Hat Enterprise Linux system running CUPS on the network).
— a
printer attached to a different UNIX system that can be accessed
over a TCP/IP network (for example, a printer attached to another
Red Hat Enterprise Linux system running LPD on the network).
— a printer attached to a different system which is sharing a
printer over an SMB network (for example, a printer attached to a
Microsoft Windows™ machine).
— a
printer attached to a different system which uses Novell's NetWare
network technology.
— a printer
connected directly to the network through HP JetDirect instead of to a
computer.
| Important |
|---|
| | If you add a new print queue or modify an existing one, you must apply
the changes for them to take effect.
|
Clicking the Apply button saves any changes that you
have made and restarts the printer daemon. The changes are not written to
the configuration file until the printer daemon is restarted.
Alternatively, you can choose =>
.
To add a local printer, such as one attached through a parallel port or USB port
on your computer, click the New button in the main
Printer Configuration Tool window to display the window in
Figure 34-2. Click Forward to
proceed.
In the window shown in Figure 34-3, enter a
unique name for the printer in the Name text field. The
printer name cannot contain spaces and must begin with a letter. The printer
name may contain letters, numbers, dashes (-), and underscores
(_). Optionally, enter a short description for the printer, which can
contain spaces.
After clicking Forward, Figure 34-4 appears. Select
from the menu, and select the device. The device is usually
/dev/lp0 for a parallel printer or
/dev/usb/lp0 for a USB printer. If no devices appear
in the list, click Rescan devices to rescan the
computer or click Custom device to specify it
manually. Click Forward to continue.
Next, select the printer type. Refer to Section 34.7 Selecting the Printer Model and Finishing for details.
