doc/help/overview.html

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   2 <!-- SECTION: Getting Started -->
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   4         <TITLE>Overview of CUPS</TITLE>
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   7
   8 <P>The Common UNIX Printing System<sup>TM</sup>, or CUPS, is the software you
   9 use to print from applications like the web browser you are using to read this
  10 page. It converts the <em>page descriptions</em> produced by your application
  11 (put a paragraph here, draw a line there, and so forth) into something your
  12 printer can understand and then sends the information to the printer for
  13 printing.</P>
  14
  15 <P>Now, since every printer manufacturer does things differently, printing can
  16 be very complicated. CUPS does its best to hide this from you and your
  17 application so that you can concentrate on printing and less on <em>how</em> to
  18 print. Generally, the only time you need to know anything about your printer is
  19 when you use it for the first time, and even then CUPS can often figure things
  20 out on its own.</P>
  21
  22 <H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="WORK">How Does It Work?</A></H2>
  23
  24 <P>The first time you print to a printer, CUPS creates a <em>queue</em> to keep
  25 track of the current status of the printer (everything OK, out of paper, etc.)
  26 and any pages you have printed. Most of the time the queue points to a printer
  27 connected directly to your computer via a USB or parallel port, however it can
  28 also point to a printer on your network, a printer on the Internet, or multiple
  29 printers depending on the configuration. Regardless of <em>where</em> the queue
  30 points, it will look like any other printer to you and your applications.</P>
  31
  32 <P>Every time you print something, CUPS creates a <em>job</em> which contains
  33 the queue you are sending the print to, the name of the document you are
  34 printing, and the page descriptions. Job are numbered (queue-1, queue-2, and so
  35 forth) so you can monitor the job as it is printed or cancel it if you see a
  36 mistake. When CUPS gets a job for printing, it determines the best programs
  37 (<em>filters</em>, <em>printer drivers</em>, <em>port monitors</em>, and
  38 <em>backends</em>) to convert the pages into a printable format and then runs
  39 them to actually print the job.</P>
  40
  41 <P>When the print job is completely printed, CUPS removes the job from the queue
  42 and moves on to any other jobs you have submitted. You can also be notified when
  43 the job is finished, or if there are any errors during printing, in several
  44 different ways.</P>
  45
  46 <H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BEGIN">Where Do I Begin?</A></H2>
  47
  48 <P>Click on the <A HREF="/admin">Administration</A> tab at the top of this page.
  49 Click on the <VAR>Add Printer</VAR> button and follow the prompts.</P>
  50
  51 <BLOCKQUOTE>When you are asked for a username and password, enter your login
  52 username and password or the "root" username and password. On MacOS X, the login
  53 username (or "short name") is typically your first and last name in
  54 lowercase.</BLOCKQUOTE>
  55
  56 <P>After the printer is added, CUPS will ask you to set the default printer
  57 options (paper size, output mode, etc.) for the printer. Make any changes as
  58 needed and then click on the <VAR>Set Default Options</VAR> button to save
  59 them. Some printers also support auto-configuration - click on the <VAR>Query
  60 Printer for Default Options</VAR> button to update the options automaticaly.</P>
  61
  62 <P>Once you have added the printer, you can print to it from any application.
  63 You can also choose <VAR>Print Test Page</VAR> from the maintenance menu to print
  64 a simple test page and verify that everything is working properly.</P>
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