[thirdparty/cups.git] / doc / help / overview.html

<HTML>
<!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
<HEAD>
	<TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
	<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../cups-printable.css">
</HEAD>
<BODY>

<H1 CLASS="title">Overview of CUPS</H1>

<P>CUPS is the software you use to print from applications like the web browser
you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em>
produced by your application (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so
forth) into something your printer can understand and then sends the information
to the printer for printing.</P>

<P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can
be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your
application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to
print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is
when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
out on its own.</P>

<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>

<P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep
track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.)
and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer
connected directly to your computer via a USB port, however it can
also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple
printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue
points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P>

<P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains
the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are
printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so
forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a
mistake. When CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs
(<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port monitors</em>, and
<em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a printable format and then runs
them to actually print the job.</P>

<P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue
and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when
the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several
different ways.</P>

<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>

<P>Click on the <var>Administration</var> tab. Click on the <var>Add Printer</var> button and follow the prompts.</P>

<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>&reg;</sup>, the login username (or "short name") is typically your first and last name in lowercase.</BLOCKQUOTE>

<P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer
options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as
needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save
them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query
Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automatically.</P>

<P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application.
You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print
a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P>

</BODY>
</HTML>
Commit	Line	Data
ef416fc2	1	<HTML>
	2	<!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
	3	<HEAD>
	4	<TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
178cb736	5	<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../cups-printable.css">
ef416fc2	6	</HEAD>
	7	<BODY>
	8
178cb736 MS	9	<H1 CLASS="title">Overview of CUPS</H1>
178cb736 MS	10
9aff70cc MS	11	<P>CUPS is the software you use to print from applications like the web browser
	12	you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em>
	13	produced by your application (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so
	14	forth) into something your printer can understand and then sends the information
	15	to the printer for printing.</P>
4744bd90	16
58dc1933 MS	17	<P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can
	18	be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your
	19	application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to
	20	print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is
	21	when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
4744bd90	22	out on its own.</P>
	23
	24	<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>
	25
58dc1933 MS	26	<P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep
	27	track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.)
	28	and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer
37e7e6e0	29	connected directly to your computer via a USB port, however it can
58dc1933 MS	30	also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple
	31	printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue
	32	points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P>
4744bd90	33
58dc1933 MS	34	<P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains
	35	the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are
	36	printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so
	37	forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a
	38	mistake. 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
	41	them to actually print the job.</P>
4744bd90	42
58dc1933 MS	43	<P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue
	44	and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when
	45	the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several
	46	different ways.</P>
4744bd90	47
	48	<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>
	49
270f2d42	50	<P>Click on the <var>Administration</var> tab. Click on the <var>Add Printer</var> button and follow the prompts.</P>
4744bd90	51
8072030b	52	<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>
4744bd90	53
58dc1933 MS	54	<P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer
	55	options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as
	56	needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save
	57	them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query
178cb736	58	Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automatically.</P>
4744bd90	59
58dc1933 MS	60	<P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application.
	61	You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print
	62	a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P>
ef416fc2	63
	64	</BODY>
	65	</HTML>