- CUPS provides a portable printing layer for UNIX(r)-based
- operating systems. It has been developed by Easy Software
- Products to promote a standard printing solution for all UNIX
- vendors and users. CUPS provides the System V and Berkeley
- command-line interfaces.
-
- CUPS uses the Internet Printing Protocol ("IPP") as the basis
- for managing print jobs and queues. The Line Printer Daemon
- ("LPD") Server Message Block ("SMB"), and AppSocket (a.k.a.
- JetDirect) protocols are also supported with reduced
- functionality. CUPS adds network printer browsing and
- PostScript Printer Description ("PPD") based printing options
- to support real-world printing under UNIX.
-
- CUPS includes an image file RIP that supports printing of
- image files to non-PostScript printers. A customized version
- of GPL Ghostscript for CUPS called ESP Ghostscript is
- available separately to support printing of PostScript files
- within the CUPS driver framework. Sample drivers for Dymo,
- EPSON, HP, OKIDATA, and Zebra printers are included that use
- these filters.
-
- Drivers for thousands of printers are provided with our ESP
- Print Pro software, available at:
-
- http://www.easysw.com/printpro/
-
- CUPS is licensed under the GNU General Public License and GNU
- Library General Public License. Please contact Easy Software
- Products for commercial support and "binary distribution"
- rights.
+ CUPS is a standards-based, open source printing system developed by Apple
+ Inc. for OS® X and other UNIX®-like operating systems. CUPS uses the
+ Internet Printing Protocol ("IPP") and provides System V and Berkeley
+ command-line interfaces, a web interface, and a C API to manage printers and
+ print jobs. It supports printing to both local (parallel, serial, USB) and
+ networked printers, and printers can be shared from one computer to another,
+ even over the Internet!
+
+ Internally, CUPS uses PostScript Printer Description ("PPD") files to
+ describe printer capabilities and features and a wide variety of generic
+ and device-specific programs to convert and print many types of files.
+ Sample drivers are included with CUPS to support many Dymo, EPSON, HP,
+ Intellitech, OKIDATA, and Zebra printers. Many more drivers are available
+ online and (in some cases) on the driver CD-ROM that came with your printer.
+
+ CUPS is licensed under the GNU General Public License and GNU Library
+ General Public License versions 2. See the file "LICENSE.txt" for more
+ information.