1<HTML> 2<!-- SECTION: Getting Started --> 3<HEAD> 4 <TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE> 5 <LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="/cups-printable.css"> 6</HEAD> 7<BODY> 8 9<H1 CLASS="title">Overview of CUPS</H1> 10 11<P>CUPS is the software you use to print from applications like the web browser 12you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em> 13produced by your application (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so 14forth) into something your printer can understand and then sends the information 15to the printer for printing.</P> 16 17<P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can 18be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your 19application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to 20print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is 21when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things 22out on its own.</P> 23 24<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2> 25 26<P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep 27track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.) 28and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer 29connected directly to your computer via a USB port, however it can 30also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple 31printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue 32points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P> 33 34<P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains 35the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are 36printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so 37forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a 38mistake. When CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs 39(<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port monitors</em>, and 40<em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a printable format and then runs 41them to actually print the job.</P> 42 43<P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue 44and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when 45the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several 46different ways.</P> 47 48<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2> 49 50<P>Click on the <var>Administration</var> tab at the top of this page. Click on the <var>Add Printer</var> button and follow the prompts.</P> 51 52<BLOCKQUOTE>When you are asked for a username and password, enter your login username and password or the "root" username and password. On OS X<sup>®</sup>, the login username (or "short name") is typically your first and last name in lowercase.</BLOCKQUOTE> 53 54<P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer 55options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as 56needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save 57them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query 58Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automatically.</P> 59 60<P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application. 61You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print 62a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P> 63 64</BODY> 65</HTML> 66