doc/help/overview.html

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   2 <!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
   3 <HEAD>
   4         <TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
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   6 <BODY>
   7
   8 <P>The Common UNIX Printing System<sup>TM</sup>, or CUPS, is the
   9 software you use to print from applications like the web browser
  10 you are using to read this page. It converts the <em>page
  11 descriptions</em> produced by your application (put a paragraph
  12 here, draw a line there, and so forth) into something your
  13 printer can understand and then sends the information to the
  14 printer for printing.</P>
  15
  16 <P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently,
  17 printing can be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this
  18 from you and your application so that you can concentrate on
  19 printing and less on <em>how</em> to print. Generally, the only
  20 time you need to know anything about your printer is when you use
  21 it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
  22 out on its own.</P>
  23
  24 <H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>
  25
  26 <P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a
  27 <em>queue</em> to keep track of the current status of the printer
  28 (everything OK, out of paper, etc.) and any pages you have
  29 printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer connected
  30 directly to your computer via a USB or parallel port, however it
  31 can also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the
  32 Internet, or multiple printers depending on the configuration.
  33 Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue points, it will look like
  34 any other printer to you and your applications.</P>
  35
  36 <P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em>
  37 which contains the queue you are sending the print to, the name
  38 of the document you are printing, and the page descriptions. Job
  39 are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so forth) so you can monitor
  40 the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a mistake. When
  41 CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs
  42 (<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port
  43 monitors</em>, and <em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a
  44 printable format and then runs them to actually print the
  45 job.</P>
  46
  47 <P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job
  48 from the queue and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted.
  49 You can also be notified when the job is finished, or if there
  50 are any errors during printing, in several different ways.</P>
  51
  52 <H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>
  53
  54 <P>Click on the <A HREF="/admin">Administration</A> tab at the
  55 top of this page. If you have a printer connected to a USB or
  56 parallel port, you will see it listed as a new printer - click on
  57 the <VAR>Add This Printer</VAR> button, verify the printer driver
  58 CUPS has chosen for you, and click on the <VAR>Add Printer</VAR>
  59 button. If you do not see your printer listed, or if you have a
  60 network printer, click on the <VAR>Add Printer</VAR> button and
  61 follow the prompts.</P>
  62
  63 <BLOCKQUOTE>If you are asked for a username and password, enter
  64 your login username and password or the "root" username and
  65 password. On MacOS X, the login username (or "short name") is
  66 typically your first name in lowercase.</BLOCKQUOTE>
  67
  68 <P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the
  69 default printer options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the
  70 printer. Make any changes as needed and then click on the
  71 <VAR>Set Printer Options</VAR> button to save them.</P>
  72
  73 <P>Finally, click on the <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> button to
  74 print a simple test page and verify that everything is working
  75 properly.</P>
  76
  77 <P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any
  78 application.</P>
  79
  80 <TABLE ALIGN="CENTER" CELLPADDING="10" SUMMARY="Screenshots">
  81 <TR VALIGN="TOP">
  82 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-add-this-printer.gif"
  83 WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Administration Web Page"><BR>
  84 <I>Figure 1: The CUPS Administration Web Page</I></TD>
  85 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-printer-driver.gif"
  86 WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Driver Selection Web Page"><BR>
  87 <I>Figure 2: The CUPS Driver Selection Web Page</I></TD>
  88 </TR>
  89 <TR VALIGN="TOP">
  90 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-password.gif"
  91 WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Password Dialog"><BR>
  92 <I>Figure 3: The CUPS Password Dialog</I></TD>
  93 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-set-printer-options.gif"
  94 WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Set Printer Options Web Page"><BR>
  95 <I>Figure 4: The CUPS Set Printer Options Web Page</I></TD>
  96 </TR>
  97 <TR VALIGN="TOP">
  98 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-printer-status.gif"
  99 WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Printer Status Page"><BR>
 100 <I>Figure 5: The CUPS Printer Status Page</I></TD>
 101 <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="../images/web-test-page.gif"
 102 WIDTH="234" HEIGHT="300" ALT="CUPS Printer Test Page"><BR>
 103 <I>Figure 6: The CUPS Printer Test Page</I></TD>
 104 </TR>
 105 </TABLE>
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