Ubuntu Linux For Dummies (2007)

In This Chapter

· Connecting your printer to your Ubuntu computer

· Connecting remote network printers

Ubuntu and GNOME provide a printer configuration utility that's easy to use. This chapter describes how to configure your Ubuntu computer to use a printer.

I tell you about using both

· Local printers that plug directly into your Ubuntu computer

· Network printers that are connected through your LAN

Connecting Printers

The steps for connecting a printer in Ubuntu depend on whether you're using a local printer that's directly connected through a dedicated cable or a networked printer that's accessed through your network connection.

Setting up local printers

Locally connected printers connect directly to your Ubuntu computer using a dedicated cable. After you connect the cable, you set up the printer through Ubuntu.

Cables

Two types of cables (parallel and USB) are used to connect a computer to a printer. Ubuntu is compatible with either type, if your computer and printer have the necessary connectors.

Parallel

These bulky cables have been used for decades. They're called parallel because within the outer cable housing, they contain over two dozen wires. Each wire provides a data signal to the printer. Parallel cables are limited in length to not much more than 10 to 13 feet (3 or 4 meters) because the electrical signals interfere with each other and degrade quickly with distance.

USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables are slim, fast, and used for many different applications. Printers started switching from parallel to USB cables around the turn of the century. (I love saying that.) They've quickly become the industry standard.

Setup

Connecting your computer to a local printer is a simple process. Follow these steps:

1. Plug your parallel or USB cable into your Ubuntu computer and printer.

2. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

3. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog (Figure 13-1 ) opens. The printer configuration utility shows your printer if it recognizes it.

Figure 13-1: The utility tries to find your printer.

If your printer is detected, click the Forward button and skip to Step 5.

· If your printer isn't detected, follow these steps to help Ubuntu find the printer:

1. Click the Use Another Printer by Specifying a Port radio button.

2. From the Printer Port drop-down menu, select the printer port that you connected your printer to in Step 1.

Select the USB option if using a USB cable. Otherwise, select the appropriate parallel port when using a parallel cable.

3. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

· Select a manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver, if necessary.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens, displaying a default printer name.

This dialog lets you

· Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

· Add a description and location.

· After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

You can print to your new printer now from any GNOME application.

After you install your printers, you should select a default printer for Ubuntu (even if you only have one printer). The last section of this chapter shows you how.

Setting up network printers

Network printer setup requires some essential information about your printer (and a working network connection, of course).

After you install your printers, you should select a default printer for Ubuntu. The end of this chapter shows you how to select a default and use the printer.

Network printer setup usually requires a little information about the specific printer you're accessing. The information you need depends on how your network operates. Modern network printers usually display this information. Consult your printer manual and either print the network information or, if available, display it on the printer console. The following instructions in this chapter list the information you need to find for your printer.

The steps to set up your network printer with the GNOME printer utility depend upon its network protocol: LPD, CUPS, SMB, or HP JetDirect.

Samba printers use the SMB protocol.

The following sections provide setup instructions for each of these protocols.

LPD

The Line Printer Daemon protocol is as old as dirt. LPD is used by UNIX and Linux computers and works quite well.

LPD is rapidly being replaced by CUPS.

Information

Before you begin configuring an LPD printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The printer's queue name (essentially, the printer name)

· The printer's hostname (like myprinter.mydomain) or numeric IP address (like 192.168.1.10)

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a printer using the LPD interface:

1. Choose SystemAdministrationPrinting from the GNOME menu bar.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens. Figure 13-1 shows the window.

Figure 13-1: Adding a network printer.

· From the Network Printer drop-down menu, select Unix Printer (LPD).

The Properties dialog opens.

· Type the hostname or numeric IP address in the Host text box.

· Type the name of the printer queue.

The queue name is effectively the printer name.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

· Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

· Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

· Add a description and location.

· After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

CUPS

The Common UNIX Printer System (CUPS) is widely used by Linux and UNIX computers to communicate with printers.

Information

Before you begin configuring a CUPS printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The Universal Resource Identifier (URI)

URIs take the following form: ipp://hostname/printername. The hostname can be either a hostname or a numeric IP address.

For instance, if your printer's network hostname is myprinter.mydomain and you want to name the printer Gutenberg, the URI is ipp://myprinter.mydomain/Gutenberg.

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a printer using the CUPS protocol:

1. Choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printer dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, choose CUPS Printer (IPP).

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's Universal Resource Identifier (URI) address in the URI text box.

6. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

7. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

9. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

SMB (Windows and Samba)

Windows network file sharing uses the Service Message Block (SMB) protocol to transmit information. If a printer uses Microsoft-style printing, you can use SMB to print to it from your Ubuntu computer.

Linux provides access to SMB file and printer shares through Samba. Samba is a suite of programs that allows Linux to use the SMB protocols and communicate with SMB file and printer shares; Samba also allows Linux to provide SMB-based services.

Information

Before you begin configuring an SMB printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· SMB network printers combine the hostname and printer name into a share name. (It's a Microsoft thing.)

· A printer share name takes the form //hostname/printername, where hostname and printer are provided by the printer's system administrator.

· Authentication information, if required (a username and password). If needed, you must acquire that information from the printer's system administrator.

Most consumer-level printers don't require authentication.

· The printer manufacturer and model.

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a Windows (or Samba) share-based printer with SMB:

1. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, choose Windows Printer (SMB).

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's share name in the Host text box.

6. Type the printer's name in the Printer text box.

7. Type your username and password in the appropriate text boxes, if required.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

9. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

10. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

11. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

HP JetDirect

The JetDirect protocol is used by Hewlett Packard (HP) printers. HP computers are plentiful, so JetDirect is widely used.

Information

Before you begin configuring an HP JetDirect printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The printer's hostname (like myprinter.mydomain) or numeric IP address (like 192.168.1.10)

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure an HP JetDirect printer:

1. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, select HP JetDirect.

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's network hostname in the Host text box.

The default JetDirect network port is 9100 and should not be changed.

6. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

7. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

You need to consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

9. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

Chapter 13. Printing with GNOME

In This Chapter

· Connecting your printer to your Ubuntu computer

· Connecting remote network printers

Ubuntu and GNOME provide a printer configuration utility that's easy to use. This chapter describes how to configure your Ubuntu computer to use a printer.

I tell you about using both

· Local printers that plug directly into your Ubuntu computer

· Network printers that are connected through your LAN

Connecting Printers

The steps for connecting a printer in Ubuntu depend on whether you're using a local printer that's directly connected through a dedicated cable or a networked printer that's accessed through your network connection.

Setting up local printers

Locally connected printers connect directly to your Ubuntu computer using a dedicated cable. After you connect the cable, you set up the printer through Ubuntu.

Cables

Two types of cables (parallel and USB) are used to connect a computer to a printer. Ubuntu is compatible with either type, if your computer and printer have the necessary connectors.

Parallel

These bulky cables have been used for decades. They're called parallel because within the outer cable housing, they contain over two dozen wires. Each wire provides a data signal to the printer. Parallel cables are limited in length to not much more than 10 to 13 feet (3 or 4 meters) because the electrical signals interfere with each other and degrade quickly with distance.

USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables are slim, fast, and used for many different applications. Printers started switching from parallel to USB cables around the turn of the century. (I love saying that.) They've quickly become the industry standard.

Setup

Connecting your computer to a local printer is a simple process. Follow these steps:

1. Plug your parallel or USB cable into your Ubuntu computer and printer.

2. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

3. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog (Figure 13-1 ) opens. The printer configuration utility shows your printer if it recognizes it.

Figure 13-1: The utility tries to find your printer.

If your printer is detected, click the Forward button and skip to Step 5.

· If your printer isn't detected, follow these steps to help Ubuntu find the printer:

1. Click the Use Another Printer by Specifying a Port radio button.

2. From the Printer Port drop-down menu, select the printer port that you connected your printer to in Step 1.

Select the USB option if using a USB cable. Otherwise, select the appropriate parallel port when using a parallel cable.

3. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

· Select a manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver, if necessary.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens, displaying a default printer name.

This dialog lets you

· Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

· Add a description and location.

· After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

You can print to your new printer now from any GNOME application.

After you install your printers, you should select a default printer for Ubuntu (even if you only have one printer). The last section of this chapter shows you how.

Setting up network printers

Network printer setup requires some essential information about your printer (and a working network connection, of course).

After you install your printers, you should select a default printer for Ubuntu. The end of this chapter shows you how to select a default and use the printer.

Network printer setup usually requires a little information about the specific printer you're accessing. The information you need depends on how your network operates. Modern network printers usually display this information. Consult your printer manual and either print the network information or, if available, display it on the printer console. The following instructions in this chapter list the information you need to find for your printer.

The steps to set up your network printer with the GNOME printer utility depend upon its network protocol: LPD, CUPS, SMB, or HP JetDirect.

Samba printers use the SMB protocol.

The following sections provide setup instructions for each of these protocols.

LPD

The Line Printer Daemon protocol is as old as dirt. LPD is used by UNIX and Linux computers and works quite well.

LPD is rapidly being replaced by CUPS.

Information

Before you begin configuring an LPD printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The printer's queue name (essentially, the printer name)

· The printer's hostname (like myprinter.mydomain) or numeric IP address (like 192.168.1.10)

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a printer using the LPD interface:

1. Choose SystemAdministrationPrinting from the GNOME menu bar.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens. Figure 13-1 shows the window.

Figure 13-1: Adding a network printer.

· From the Network Printer drop-down menu, select Unix Printer (LPD).

The Properties dialog opens.

· Type the hostname or numeric IP address in the Host text box.

· Type the name of the printer queue.

The queue name is effectively the printer name.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

· Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

· Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

· Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

· Add a description and location.

· After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

CUPS

The Common UNIX Printer System (CUPS) is widely used by Linux and UNIX computers to communicate with printers.

Information

Before you begin configuring a CUPS printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The Universal Resource Identifier (URI)

URIs take the following form: ipp://hostname/printername. The hostname can be either a hostname or a numeric IP address.

For instance, if your printer's network hostname is myprinter.mydomain and you want to name the printer Gutenberg, the URI is ipp://myprinter.mydomain/Gutenberg.

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a printer using the CUPS protocol:

1. Choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printer dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, choose CUPS Printer (IPP).

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's Universal Resource Identifier (URI) address in the URI text box.

6. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

7. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

9. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

SMB (Windows and Samba)

Windows network file sharing uses the Service Message Block (SMB) protocol to transmit information. If a printer uses Microsoft-style printing, you can use SMB to print to it from your Ubuntu computer.

Linux provides access to SMB file and printer shares through Samba. Samba is a suite of programs that allows Linux to use the SMB protocols and communicate with SMB file and printer shares; Samba also allows Linux to provide SMB-based services.

Information

Before you begin configuring an SMB printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· SMB network printers combine the hostname and printer name into a share name. (It's a Microsoft thing.)

· A printer share name takes the form //hostname/printername, where hostname and printer are provided by the printer's system administrator.

· Authentication information, if required (a username and password). If needed, you must acquire that information from the printer's system administrator.

Most consumer-level printers don't require authentication.

· The printer manufacturer and model.

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure a Windows (or Samba) share-based printer with SMB:

1. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, choose Windows Printer (SMB).

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's share name in the Host text box.

6. Type the printer's name in the Printer text box.

7. Type your username and password in the appropriate text boxes, if required.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

9. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

Consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

10. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

11. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

HP JetDirect

The JetDirect protocol is used by Hewlett Packard (HP) printers. HP computers are plentiful, so JetDirect is widely used.

Information

Before you begin configuring an HP JetDirect printer, obtain the information you need about it:

· The printer's hostname (like myprinter.mydomain) or numeric IP address (like 192.168.1.10)

· The printer manufacturer and model

Configuration

Follow these steps to configure an HP JetDirect printer:

1. From the GNOME menu bar, choose SystemAdministrationPrinting.

The Printers dialog opens.

2. Double-click New Printer.

The Add a Printer dialog opens.

3. Click the Network Printer radio button.

The Add a Printer (Step 1 of 3: Printer Connection) dialog opens.

4. From the Network Printer drop-down menu, select HP JetDirect.

The Properties dialog opens.

5. Type the printer's network hostname in the Host text box.

The default JetDirect network port is 9100 and should not be changed.

6. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 2 of 3: Printer Driver) dialog opens and displays the manufacturer, model, and driver for your printer.

7. Select the printer manufacturer, model, and the recommended printer driver.

You need to consult your printer manufacturer's Web site for support if your printer isn't listed here. Many manufacturers let you download Linux printer drivers from their Web sites. If that's the case, follow their instructions.

8. Click the Forward button.

The Add a Printer (Step 3 of 3: Printer Information) dialog opens.

This dialog lets you

o Customize the printer name that appears on your system.

o Add a description and location.

9. After you've edited the printer information to your satisfaction, click the Apply button.

You're finished! Control returns to the Printers dialog, where your new printer icon is displayed.

Using Your Printer

After you configure GNOME for your local or network printer, you can print from any application. Most applications recognize printers you configure with GNOME, and you can choose FilePrint to print to the printer.

It's useful to select a default printer (even if you have only one printer). Otherwise, you'll have to specify what printer you want to use each time you print. To set a default printer, follow these steps:

1. Right-click your printer icon in the Printers dialog.

A menu opens, showing the following options:

o Jobs: Show the documents — jobs — that are waiting to be printed (pending) and those that are currently printing.

o Pause: Temporarily stop a job from printing.

o Resume: Restart a waiting job.

o Make Default: Select the printer as your default printer.

o Remove: Stop and remove a print job from the queue.

o Properties: Display the printer's configuration information.

2. Select the Make Default option.

This makes the printer you selected the default printer.

To test your printer, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the printer's icon in the Printers dialog and select Properties.

The Properties dialog opens.

2. Click the Print a Test Page button.

An Information dialog opens.

3. Click OK.

A test page prints.