Cups

Links for drivers

You can use windows drivers for real PostScript printers (not PostScript compatible).

Cups was purchased by Apple on July 2007

You can test PPDs here

The cupstestppd utility is included with Cups.

Command line equivalent to using the Cups http interface:
# lpadmin -p hp6L -L room-202 -D bw-laser -E -v parallel:/dev/lp0 -m HP-LaserJet_6-hpijs.ppd

PPD files are in /usr/share/cups/model/

Additional PPD files are in
/usr/share/cups/model/gimp-print/
/usr/share/cups/model/foomatic/

Uncompress with gunzip and move to /usr/share/cups/model/

To print from a Linux box to a Cups printer attached to a Linux box couldn't be easier

Set up cups on the computer that has the printer attached to it

aptitude install cups
Browse to http://localhost:631
Set up your printer and get it working locally
What you enter in the "Add New Printer" Name text box will be the queue name
When asked, enter root and root's password
Go to the web based administration page
Check the box "Share published printers connected to this system"
Check the box "Allow printing from the Internet"
This cups server will broadcast it's available printers every 30 seconds

Set up cups on all the other computers that don't have printers attached. NOTE: cups is a daemon that functions as both a client and a server. It needs to run on every computer that you want to print from; regardless of where in the world the printer is located.

aptitude install cups
Nothing more needs to be done. These cups clients will listen via lpstat -p for the broadcasts and set themselves up for those printers.
As soon as 30 seconds pass, you're good to go.
lpr my.file
If it doesn't work, make sure your cups client computer can reach the place shown with lpstat -s If that address is ipp//my.host.com:631/printers/HPLJ then you should be able to browse to http://my.host.com:631/printers/HPLJ. If you can't, then your box can't reach the server. This probably means you need to put the server computer in the client's host file.
192.168.1.15 my.host.com

To print from a Linux box to a network printer attached directly to the LAN

To print from a Linux box to a network printer attached to the LAN via Jet-Direct

To print from a Linux box to a network printer attached to a print server such as Linksys SCCB4702 3-Port Print Server

To print from a MS-Windows box to a Cups printer attached to a Linux box:

Get cups up and working
Start the Add Printer wizard in MS-Windows
Select "Connect to a printer on the internet, or Home..."
Enter "http://IP.address.of.cups.server:631/printer/<printer name>"

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	Warning: This is a Debian centric site
	Many thanks to Debra and Ian Murdock for making Debian possible
	First created Apr 22, 2008 ~ Last revised September 21, 2009