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