This chapter provides information on configuring, testing, and
modifying a local printer with printconf. For
information on configuring other types of printers, creating printer
aliases, and more, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide or click
on the Help button once you open the
printconf application.
Red Hat Linux comes with two different printing systems: LPRng and CUPS. LPRng is
the default printing system. It is recommended that new users use the
default printing system as described in this chapter. For information on
the CUPS printing system, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide.
To use printconf, you must have root
privileges. To start printconf, use one of the
following methods:
On the GNOME desktop, select
(on the Panel) => =>
=> to start the graphical version.
On the KDE desktop, select
(on the Panel) =>
=> to start the graphical version.
Type the command printconf-gui at a shell prompt
(for example, in an XTerm or a GNOME terminal) to start the
graphical version.
[1]
You can also run printconf as a
text-based application if you do not have the X Window System
installed, or you just prefer the text-based interface. To run it,
log in as root (or use the command su to
temporarily change to the root user), and type the command
/usr/sbin/printconf-tui from a shell prompt.
 | Important |
|---|
| | Do not edit the /etc/printcap file. Each time the
printer daemon (lpd) is started or restarted, a new
/etc/printcap file is dynamically created.
|
If you want to add a printer without using
printconf, edit the
/etc/printcap.local file. The entries in
/etc/printcap.local are not displayed in
printconf but are read by the printer daemon.
If you upgrade your system from a previous version of Red Hat Linux, your existing
configuration file is converted to the new format used by
printconf. Each time a new configuration file
is generated by printconf, the old file is
saved as /etc/printcap.old.
This chapter explains local printer configuration only, but five types of
print queues can be configured with printconf:
— a printer attached
directly to your computer through a parallel or USB port. In the
main printer list as shown in Figure 8-1, the
Queue Type for a local printer is set to
LOCAL.
— a
printer attached to a different UNIX system that can be accessed
over a TCP/IP network (or example, a printer attached to another
Red Hat Linux system on your network). In the main printer list as shown in
Figure 8-1, the Queue Type
for a remote UNIX printer is set to LPD.
— a
printer attached to a different system which is sharing a printer
over a SMB network (for example, a printer attached to a Microsoft
Windows machine). In the main printer list as shown in Figure 8-1, the Queue Type for a
remote Windows printer is set to SMB.
— a
printer attached to a different system which uses Novell's NetWare
network technology. In the main printer list as shown in Figure 8-1, the Queue Type for a
remote Novell printer is set to NCP.
— a printer
connected directly to the network instead of to a computer. In the
main printer list as shown in Figure 8-1, the
Queue Type for a JetDirect printer is set to
JETDIRECT.
See the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide or click on the
printconf Help button for
information on configuring printers other than local.
| Important |
|---|
| | If you add a new print queue or modify an existing one, you need to
restart the printer daemon (lpd) for the changes to
take effect.
|
Clicking the Apply button saves any changes
that you have made and restarts the printer daemon. The changes are not
written to the /etc/printcap configuration file until
the printer daemon (lpd) is restarted. Alternatively,
you can choose => and then choose =>
to save your changes and then
restart the printer daemon.
If a printer appears in the main printer list with the Queue
Type set to INVALID, the printer
configuration is missing options that are required for the printer to
function properly. To remove this printer from the list, select it from
the list and click the Delete button.
To add a local printer such as one attached to the parallel port or
USB port of your computer, click the New button
in the main printconf window. The window
shown in Figure 8-2 will appear. Click
Next to proceed.
You will then see the screen shown in Figure 8-3. Enter a unique name for the printer in the
Queue Name text field. This can be any descriptive
name for your printer. The printer name cannot contain spaces and must
begin with a letter a through z or A through Z. The valid characters are
a through z, A through Z, 0 through 9, -, and _.
Select from the menu, and click Next.
printconf attempts to detect your printer
device and display it as shown in Figure 8-4. If your printer device is not shown,
click Custom Device. Type the name of your
printer device and click OK to add it to the
printer device list. After selecting your printer device, click
Next.
Next, printconf will try to detect which
printer is attached to the printer device you selected as shown in Figure 8-5. If it detects the wrong printer or
does not detect any printer, you can manually select one. The printers
are divided by manufacturers. Click the arrow beside the manufacturer
for your printer. Find your printer from the expanded list, and click
the arrow beside the printer name. A list of drivers for your printer
will appear. Select one. If you do not know which one to use, select the
first one in the list. If you are having problems using that driver,
edit the printer in printconf and select a
different driver.
The last step is to confirm your printer. Click
Finish if this is the printer that you want to
add. Click Back to modify your printer
configuration.
The new printer will appear in the printer list in the main window.
Click the Apply button in the main window to save
your changes to the /etc/printcap configuration
file and restart the printer daemon (lpd). After
applying the changes, print a test page to ensure the configuration is
correct. Refer to the Section called Printing a Test Page for details.
After you have configured your printer, you should print a test
page to make sure the printer is functioning properly. To print a test
page, select the printer that you want to test from the printer list,
and choose => , , or from the pulldown menu. If your printer does not
support PostScript printing, choose to print the ASCII test page.
