7.2.3.10 load printers

The load printers option tells Samba to create shares for all known printer names and load those shares into the browse list. Samba will create and list a printer share for each printer name in /etc/printcap (or system equivalent). For example, if your printcap file looks like this:[ 2]

[2] We have placed annotated comments off to the side in case you've never dealt with this file before.

lp:\
  :sd=/var/spool/lpd/lp:\            

# spool directory
  :mx#0:\                            

# maximum file size (none)
  :sh:\                              

# surpress burst header (no)
  :lp=/dev/lp1:\                     

# device name for output
  :if=/var/spool/lpd/lp/filter:      

# text filter

laser:\
  :sd=/var/spool/lpd/laser:\         

# spool directory
  :mx#0:\                            

# maximum file size (none)
  :sh:\                              

# surpress burst header (no)
  :lp=/dev/laser:\                   

# device name for output
  :if=/var/spool/lpd/lp/filter:      

# text filter

and you specify:

load printers = yes

the shares [lp] and [laser] will automatically be created as valid print shares when Samba is started. Both shares will borrow the configuration options specified in the [printers] section to configure themselves, and will be available in the browse list for the Samba server.