66 lines
3.4 KiB
HTML
66 lines
3.4 KiB
HTML
<HTML>
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<!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
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<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../cups-printable.css">
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</HEAD>
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<BODY>
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<H1 CLASS="title">Overview of CUPS</H1>
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<P>CUPS is the software you use to print from applications like the web browser
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you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em>
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produced by your application (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so
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forth) into something your printer can understand and then sends the information
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to the printer for printing.</P>
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<P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can
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be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your
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application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to
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print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is
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when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
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out on its own.</P>
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<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>
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<P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep
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track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.)
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and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer
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connected directly to your computer via a USB port, however it can
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also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple
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printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue
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points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P>
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<P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains
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the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are
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printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so
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forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a
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mistake. When CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs
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(<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port monitors</em>, and
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<em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a printable format and then runs
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them to actually print the job.</P>
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<P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue
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and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when
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the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several
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different ways.</P>
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<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>
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<P>Click on the <var>Administration</var> tab. Click on the <var>Add Printer</var> button and follow the prompts.</P>
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<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>
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<P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer
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options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as
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needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save
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them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query
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Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automatically.</P>
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<P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application.
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You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print
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a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P>
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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