README.txt
1README - CUPS v2.0rc1 - 2014-08-28
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8******** THIS IS BETA-RELEASE SOFTWARE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED ON ********
9******** PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. ********
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14
15
16
17Looking for compile instructions? Read the file "INSTALL.txt" instead...
18
19
20INTRODUCTION
21
22 CUPS is a standards-based, open source printing system developed by Apple
23 Inc. for OS® X and other UNIX®-like operating systems. CUPS uses the
24 Internet Printing Protocol ("IPP") and provides System V and Berkeley
25 command-line interfaces, a web interface, and a C API to manage printers and
26 print jobs. It supports printing to both local (parallel, serial, USB) and
27 networked printers, and printers can be shared from one computer to another,
28 even over the Internet!
29
30 Internally, CUPS uses PostScript Printer Description ("PPD") files to
31 describe printer capabilities and features and a wide variety of generic
32 and device-specific programs to convert and print many types of files.
33 Sample drivers are included with CUPS to support many Dymo, EPSON, HP,
34 Intellitech, OKIDATA, and Zebra printers. Many more drivers are available
35 online and (in some cases) on the driver CD-ROM that came with your printer.
36
37 CUPS is licensed under the GNU General Public License and GNU Library
38 General Public License versions 2. See the file "LICENSE.txt" for more
39 information.
40
41
42READING THE DOCUMENTATION
43
44 Once you have installed the software you can access the documentation (and
45 a bunch of other stuff) online at:
46
47 http://localhost:631/
48
49 If you're having trouble getting that far, the documentation is located
50 under the "doc/help" directory.
51
52 Please read the documentation before asking questions.
53
54
55GETTING SUPPORT AND OTHER RESOURCES
56
57 If you have problems, READ THE DOCUMENTATION FIRST! We also provide two
58 mailing lists which are available at:
59
60 http://www.cups.org/lists.php
61
62 See the CUPS web site at "http://www.cups.org/" for other resources.
63
64
65SETTING UP PRINTER QUEUES USING YOUR WEB BROWSER
66
67 CUPS includes a web-based administration tool that allows you to manage
68 printers, classes, and jobs on your server. Open the following URL in your
69 browser to access the printer administration tools:
70
71 http://localhost:631/admin/
72
73 DO NOT use the hostname for your machine - it will not work with the default
74 CUPS configuration. To enable administration access on other addresses,
75 check the "Allow Remote Administration" box and click on the "Change
76 Settings" button.
77
78 You will be asked for the administration password (root or any other user in
79 the sys/system/root/admin/lpadmin group on your system) when performing any
80 administrative function.
81
82
83SETTING UP PRINTER QUEUES FROM THE COMMAND-LINE
84
85 CUPS works best with PPD (PostScript Printer Description) files. In a pinch
86 you can also use System V style printer interface scripts.
87
88 CUPS includes several sample PPD files you can use:
89
90 Driver PPD Name
91 ----------------------------- ------------------------------
92 Dymo Label Printers drv:///sample.drv/dymo.ppd
93 Intellitech Intellibar drv:///sample.drv/intelbar.ppd
94 EPSON 9-pin Series drv:///sample.drv/epson9.ppd
95 EPSON 24-pin Series drv:///sample.drv/epson24.ppd
96 Generic PCL Laser Printer drv:///sample.drv/generpcl.ppd
97 Generic PostScript Printer drv:///sample.drv/generic.ppd
98 HP DeskJet Series drv:///sample.drv/deskjet.ppd
99 HP LaserJet Series drv:///sample.drv/laserjet.ppd
100 OKIDATA 9-Pin Series drv:///sample.drv/okidata9.ppd
101 OKIDATA 24-Pin Series drv:///sample.drv/okidat24.ppd
102 Zebra CPCL Label Printer drv:///sample.drv/zebracpl.ppd
103 Zebra EPL1 Label Printer drv:///sample.drv/zebraep1.ppd
104 Zebra EPL2 Label Printer drv:///sample.drv/zebraep2.ppd
105 Zebra ZPL Label Printer drv:///sample.drv/zebra.ppd
106
107 Run the "lpinfo -m" command to list the available drivers:
108
109 lpinfo -m
110
111 Run the "lpinfo -v" command to list the available printers:
112
113 lpinfo -v
114
115 Then use the correct URI to add the printer using the "lpadmin" command:
116
117 lpadmin -p printername -E -v device-uri -m ppd-name
118
119 Network printers typically use "socket" or "lpd" URIs:
120
121 lpadmin -p printername -E -v socket://11.22.33.44 -m ppd-name
122 lpadmin -p printername -E -v lpd://11.22.33.44/ -m ppd-name
123
124 The sample drivers provide basic printing capabilities, but generally do not
125 exercise the full potential of the printers or CUPS.
126
127
128PRINTING FILES
129
130 CUPS provides both the System V "lp" and Berkeley "lpr" commands for
131 printing:
132
133 lp filename
134 lpr filename
135
136 Both the "lp" and "lpr" commands support printing options for the driver:
137
138 lp -o media=A4 -o resolution=600dpi filename
139 lpr -o media=A4 -o resolution=600dpi filename
140
141 CUPS recognizes many types of images files as well as PDF, PostScript,
142 and text files, so you can print those files directly rather than through
143 an application.
144
145 If you have an application that generates output specifically for your
146 printer then you need to use the "-oraw" or "-l" options:
147
148 lp -o raw filename
149 lpr -l filename
150
151 This will prevent the filters from misinterpreting your print file.
152
153
154LEGAL STUFF
155
156 CUPS is Copyright 2007-2014 by Apple Inc. CUPS and the CUPS logo are
157 trademarks of Apple Inc.
158
159 The MD5 Digest code is Copyright 1999 Aladdin Enterprises.
160
161 CUPS is provided under the terms of version 2 of the GNU General Public
162 License and GNU Library General Public License. This program is distributed
163 in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
164 the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
165 See the "doc/help/license.html" or "LICENSE.txt" files for more information.
166