You can not select more than 25 topics
Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
66 lines
3.4 KiB
66 lines
3.4 KiB
<HTML>
|
|
<!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
|
|
<HEAD>
|
|
<TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
|
|
<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../cups-printable.css">
|
|
</HEAD>
|
|
<BODY>
|
|
|
|
<H1 CLASS="title">Overview of CUPS</H1>
|
|
|
|
<P>CUPS is the software you use to print from applications like the web browser
|
|
you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em>
|
|
produced by your application (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so
|
|
forth) into something your printer can understand and then sends the information
|
|
to the printer for printing.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can
|
|
be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your
|
|
application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to
|
|
print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is
|
|
when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
|
|
out on its own.</P>
|
|
|
|
<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>
|
|
|
|
<P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep
|
|
track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.)
|
|
and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer
|
|
connected directly to your computer via a USB port, however it can
|
|
also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple
|
|
printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue
|
|
points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains
|
|
the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are
|
|
printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so
|
|
forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a
|
|
mistake. When CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs
|
|
(<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port monitors</em>, and
|
|
<em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a printable format and then runs
|
|
them to actually print the job.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue
|
|
and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when
|
|
the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several
|
|
different ways.</P>
|
|
|
|
<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>
|
|
|
|
<P>Click on the <var>Administration</var> tab. Click on the <var>Add Printer</var> button and follow the prompts.</P>
|
|
|
|
<BLOCKQUOTE>When you are asked for a username and password, enter your login username and password or the "root" username and password. On macOS<sup>®</sup>, the login username (or "short name") is typically your first and last name in lowercase.</BLOCKQUOTE>
|
|
|
|
<P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer
|
|
options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as
|
|
needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save
|
|
them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query
|
|
Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automatically.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application.
|
|
You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print
|
|
a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P>
|
|
|
|
</BODY>
|
|
</HTML>
|