Differences between revisions 1 and 4 (spanning 3 versions)
Revision 1 as of 2018-10-05 17:55:46
Size: 11028
Editor: Brian Potkin
Comment: Initial version.
Revision 4 as of 2018-11-01 17:15:04
Size: 21749
Editor: Brian Potkin
Comment: A few clarifications. and additions.
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 1: Line 1:
## page was renamed from PrintingGlossaryandIndex
Line 5: Line 4:
Describe in one or two lines what your page is about.

## If your page gets really long, uncomment this Table of Contents
## <<TableOfContents(2)>>
An aid to locating items of interest on the Printing Portal pages.
Line 17: Line 14:
      See [[#urf|URF]]       A raster file format devised by Apple for using with AirPrint devices. See [[#urf|URF]]
Line 23: Line 20:
<<Anchor(avahi)>>
 '''[[AirPrint|Avahi]]'''
      A framework for Multicast DNS Service Discovery ([[#dnssd|DNS-SD]]). It allows programs to publish and discover services and hosts running on a local network with no specific configuration and is the equivalent of [[#bonjour|Bonjour]].

<<Anchor(autorotate)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#autorotate|autorotation]]'''
      The default behaviour of [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] to fit landscape pages in a printed document on paper.

<<Anchor(avahibrowse)>>
 '''[[AirPrint#Browsing_an_AirPrint_Bonjour_Broadcast|avahi-browse]]'''
      A utility to browse for [[#dnssd|DNS-SD]] announced [[#printer|printers]] and [[#queue|queues]] on the local network using [[#avahi|Avahi daemon]].
Line 27: Line 36:
      Used for [[#printer|printer]] discovery and sending a document processed by [[#cups|CUPS]] and [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] to the device after it has been converted to a format understood by the printer       Used for [[#printer|printer]] discovery and sending a document processed by [[#cups|CUPS]] and [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] to the device after it has been converted to a format understood by the printer.

<<Anchor(bonjour)>>
 '''[[AirPrint|Bonjour]]'''
      An implementation of [[#dnssd|DNS-SD]] by Apple. Most recent network printers have it as facility.

<<Anchor(booklet)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#bonus|booklet]]'''
      A [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] option to output a document in booklet format.
Line 30: Line 47:

<<Anchor(clientconf)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#cupsclient|client.conf]]'''
      Print without a local [[#cups|CUPS]] server.

<<Anchor(cloudprinting)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#concept|Cloud Printing]]'''
      A technology to enable driverless printing. See [[#gcp|GCP]]

<<Anchor(cloudprint)>>
 '''[[GoogleCloudPrint#cloudprint|cloudprint]]'''
      An application to make locally configured printers available to [[#gcp|GCP]].
Line 37: Line 66:
      A file for diagnosing issues and misbehaviours of the printing system. Logging to the file is done not only by [[#cups|CUPS]] but by other printing processes such as [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]].       A file for diagnosing issues and misbehaviours of the printing system. Logging to the file is done not only by [[#cups|CUPS]] but by other printing processes such as [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] and [[#tea4cups|Tea4CUPS]].
Line 45: Line 74:
      A setup tool for [[#printqueue|print queues]] and [[#printer|printers]]. Comes as a package separate from [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] and is essential on Debian 8 (jessie) and 9 (stretch) for automatic discovery and setup of remote queues and printers.       A setup tool for [[#printqueue|print queues]] and [[#printer|printers]]. Comes as a package separate from [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] and is essential on Debian 8 (jessie) and 9 (stretch) for automatic discovery and setup of remote queues and printers. It also supports facilities (such as browsing the broadcasts of pre-1.6.x CUPS servers, servers on other network segments and queue clustering) which are no longer supported by CUPS.
Line 51: Line 80:
<<Anchor(cups-filters)>> <<Anchor(cupsfilters)>>
Line 53: Line 82:
      A project providing [[#backend|backends]], [[#filter|filters]] and other software such as [[#cupsbrowsed|cups-browsed]]. Under continual [[https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups-filters|upstream development]].       A project providing [[#backend|backends]], [[#filter|filters]] and other software such as [[#cupsbrowsed|cups-browsed]] and [[#driverlessutil|driverless]]. Under continual [[https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups-filters|upstream development]].
Line 57: Line 86:
      A primary configuration file for [[cups|CUPS]].       A primary configuration file for [[#cups|CUPS]].
Line 61: Line 90:
      A primary configuration file for [[cups|CUPS]].       A primary configuration file for [[#cups|CUPS]].
Line 64: Line 93:

<<Anchor(dnssd)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#driverless|DNS-SD]]'''
      This is a public service protocol used to advertise and discover printing services on a local network. The services are resolved to hostnames using standard DNS queries. Being a public service, no filtering of announcements is offered. A [[#cups|CUPS]] server automatically uses the protocol to publicise its queues and it is a feature of many recent printers which have AirPrint. [[#bonjour|Bonjour]] is Apple's implementation of DNS-SD and is handled on Debian by [[#avahi|Avahi]].
Line 67: Line 100:
      A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is an addressing technology for identifying where to dispatch the file sent by a [[#backend|backend]]. USB and [[PrintQueuesCUPS#networkuri|network printers]] are supported by [[#cups|CUPS]] with various schemes.        A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is an addressing technology for identifying where to dispatch the file sent by a [[#backend|backend]]. USB and [[PrintQueuesCUPS#networkuri|network printers]] are supported by [[#cups|CUPS]] with various schemes.

<<Anchor(dialog)>>
 '''[[#printdialog|Dialog]]'''
      See [[#printdialog|Print Dialog]]
Line 71: Line 108:
      Printing using only free, open-standard software and [[#filter|filters]]. No vendor-specific drivers or [[#ppd|PPDs]].       Printing using only free, open-standard software and [[#filter|filters]]. No vendor-specific drivers or [[#ppd|PPDs]]. Any needed PPD is generated from the reponses given by the [[#printer|printer]] or [[#queue|queue]] to [[#ipp|IPP queries]]. [[#cupsbrowsed|cups-browsed]] has a PPD generator which is practically the same as the one in [[#cups|CUPS]].

<<Anchor(driverlessutil)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#lpadmin|driverless]]'''
      A utility to find the [[#deviceuri|URI]] of an [[#ipp|IPP printer]] and generate a [[#ppd|PPD]] for [[#driverless|driverless printing]]. Provided by [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]].
Line 95: Line 136:
<<Anchor(evince)>>
 '''[[#viewers|Evince]]'''
       A PDF and !PostScript file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 99: Line 144:
      Programs or scripts for converting from one input format to another format that can be printed directly or sent to another filter. Examples are [[ThetexttopdfFilter|texttopdf]], [[pdftopdfandPageRotation|pdftopdf]], [[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#pdfcentric|gstopdf]] and [[DriverlessPrinting#rasters|rastertopwg]]. Both [[#cups|CUPS]] and [[#cupsfilters|cupsfilters]] provide filters for the printing system.       Programs or scripts for converting from one input format to another format that can be printed directly or sent to another filter. Examples are [[ThetexttopdfFilter|texttopdf]], [[pdftopdfandPageRotation|pdftopdf]], [[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#pdfcentric|gstopdf]] and [[DriverlessPrinting#rasters|rastertopwg]]. Both [[#cups|CUPS]] and [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] provide filters for the printing system.

<<Anchor(filedevice)>>
 '''[[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#capture2|file:/ device]]'''
      Print a [[#job|job]] to a file rather than to a [[#printer|printer]] or [[#queue|queue]]. Intended to be used for diagnostic testing.

<<Anchor(fittopage)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#fittopage|fit-to-page]]'''
      An option passed to [[#pdftopdf|pdftopdf]] to scale a file to fit on the page.
Line 107: Line 160:
<<Anchor(gv)>>
 '''[[#viewers|gv]]'''
       A PDF and !PostScript file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 111: Line 168:
<<Anchor(cloudprint)>>
 '''[[GoogleCloudPrint#cloudprint|cloudprint]]'''
      An application to make locally configured printers available to [[#gcp|GCP]].
Line 119: Line 172:
<<Anchor(grouplpadmin)>>
 '''[[#lpadmingroup|group (lpadmin)]]'''
      See [[#lpadmingroup|lpadmin group]]
Line 144: Line 199:

<<Anchor(ippfind)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#lpadmin|ippfind]]'''
      A utility to find the [[#deviceuri|URI]] of an [[#ipp|IPP printer]] or [[#queue|queue]] on the local network.
Line 151: Line 210:
<<Anchor(job)>>
 '''[[#printjob|job]]'''
      See [[#printjob|Print Job]]
Line 154: Line 217:

<<Anchor(landscape)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#landscape|landscape]]'''
      A [[#cups|CUPS]] option (passed to [[#pdftopdf|pdftopdf]]) to rotate pages in a document.
Line 159: Line 226:
<<Anchor(lpadmingroup)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#lpadmin|lpadmin group]]'''
      Setting up a printer with a [[#drivers|driver]] and a [[#ppd|PPD]] is a superuser task; that is, the user has to have root privileges unless they belong to the lpadmin group.
Line 161: Line 232:
<<Anchor(minus90)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#landscape|Minus90]]'''
      A [[#ppd|PPD]] option controlling page rotation. Acted on by [[#pdftopdf|pdftopdf]].

<<Anchor(mupdf)>>
 '''[[#viewers|MuPDF]]'''
       A PDF file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 163: Line 242:
<<Anchor(lpadmin)>> <<Anchor(nonfree)>>
Line 169: Line 248:
<<Anchor(okular)>>
 '''[[#viewers|Okular]]'''
       A PDF and !PostScript file [[#viewers|viewer]].

<<Anchor(or)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#landscape|orientation-requested]]'''
      An [[#ipp|IPP]] option (passed to [[#pdftopdf|pdftopdf]]) to rotate pages in a document.
Line 170: Line 257:

<<Anchor(pdl)>>
 '''[[AirPrint|Page Description Language]]'''
      A computer language that describes the appearance of a printed page. PDLs of particular importance to a modern printing system are PDF, [[#appleraster|Apple Raster]] and [[#pwgraster|PWG Raster]]. The most well-known non-vendor-specific PDL is probably !PostScript.

<<Anchor(pclm)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#misc|PCLm]]'''
      A streaming, PDF-based raster protocol supported by the [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] ''rastertopclm'' filter but not by [[#cups|CUPS]].

<<Anchor(pdfa)>>
 '''[[Tea4CUPS#pdfa1|PDF/A]]'''
      A PDF format aimed at reliable, long-time preservation of archived digital documents.
Line 175: Line 274:
<<Anchor(pdfprinter)>>
 '''[[SystemPrinting#pdfprinter|PDF Printer]]'''
      Convert a file to PDF using the printing system.


<<Anchor(pdlan)>>
 '''[[#pdl|PDL]]'''
      See [[#pdl|Page Description Language]].

<<Anchor(pdfautorotate)>>
 '''[[#autorotate|pdfautorotate]]'''
      See [[#autorotate|autorotation]]

<<Anchor(pdffonts)>>
 '''[[ThetexttopdfFilter#case|pdffonts]]'''
      A utilty to list the fonts and information about each font present in a PDF document.

<<Anchor(pdfinfo)>>
 '''[[ThecupsfilterUtility#pdfinfo|pdfinfo]]'''
      A utilty to extract information from a PDF document.
Line 179: Line 299:
<<Anchor(renderer)>>
 '''[[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#postscript|pdftops-renderer]]'''
      A [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] option for a [[#queue|queue]] or when printing. Convert PDF to !PostScript using a chosen renderer.
Line 181: Line 305:
      A PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file describes the capabilities of the [[#printer|printer]]. These capabilities are displayed in the dialogs of applications and with lpoptions and are sent to the [[#queue|queue]] when selected. A PPD file is often referred to as a driver. Removal of support within [[#cups|CUPS]] for PPDs is [[https://github.com/apple/cups/issues/5271|planned for the future]].       A !PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file describes the capabilities of the [[#printer|printer]]. These capabilities are displayed in the [[#dialog|dialogs]] of applications and with lpoptions and are sent to the [[#queue|queue]] when selected. A PPD file is often referred to as a driver. Removal of support within [[#cups|CUPS]] for PPDs is [[https://github.com/apple/cups/issues/5271|planned for the future]].

<<Anchor(plus90)>>
 '''[[pdftopdfandPageRotation#landscape|Plus90]]'''
      A [[#ppd|PPD]] option controlling page rotation. Acted on by [[#pdftopdf|pdftopdf]].
Line 187: Line 315:
<<Anchor(printdialog)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#autodiscovery|Print Dialog]]'''
      Different Graphical Use Interfaces (GUIs) obtain printing options from [[#cups|CUPS]] in different ways and differ in the way the application displays them in a user-selectable dialog. The hope is eventually to have a [[https://github.com/OpenPrinting|Common Print Dialog]].

<<Anchor(drivers)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#driver|Printer Drivers]]'''
      Used to apply printing options via a [[#ppd|PPD]] and convert a document into a form which can be understood by the printer. Removal of support within [[#cups|CUPS]] for drivers is [[https://github.com/apple/cups/issues/5271|planned for the future]].

<<Anchor(printjob)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#printqueue|Print Job]]'''
      A document or set of documents to be sent to a [[#queue|queue]].
Line 189: Line 329:
      A file to be printed is submitted to a queue, which is managed by [[#cups|CUPS]]. [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] is involved in processing the file and the output is usually sent to a [[#printer|printer]]. A single printer can be associated with many queues.       A file to be printed is submitted to a queue, which is managed by [[#cups|CUPS]]. [[#cupsfilters|cups-filters]] is involved in processing the file and the output is usually sent to a [[#printer|printer]]. A single printer can be associated with many queues. A ''local'' queue has a [[#ppd|PPD]] in ''/etc/cups/ppd'' and is a permanent queue. It is displayed in the output of `lpstat -a`. A [[PrintQueuesCUPS#tempq|temporary]] queue, displayed with `lpstat -l -e`, is a non-local queue.

<<Anchor(pwgraster)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#pdls|PWG Raster]]'''
      A raster file format devised by the [[https://www.pwg.org/|Printer Working Group]] for use with [[#ippeverywhere|IPP Everywhere printers]].
Line 192: Line 336:

<<Anchor(qpdfview)>>
 '''[[#viewers|qpdfview]]'''
       A PDF and !PostScript file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 197: Line 345:
<<Anchor(quirk)>>
 '''[[#usbquirk|Quirk]]'''
      See [[#usbquirk|USB Quirk]].
Line 201: Line 352:
      A CUPS, PWG, and Apple raster file viewer.       A CUPS, [[#pwgraster|PWG]], and [[#appleraster|Apple]] raster file [[#viewers|viewer]].

<<Anchor(rawqueue)>>
 '''[[Tea4CUPS|Raw Queue]]'''
      A [[#queue|queue]] which is set up with `-m raw`; that is; no [[#ppd|PPD]] is used. The [[#job|job]] bypasses the filtering system and goes directly to the [[#deviceuri|device uri]] specified for the queue. Removal of support within [[#cups|CUPS]] for raw queues is [[https://github.com/apple/cups/issues/5271|planned for the future]].

<<Anchor(rastertopwg)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#rasters|rastertopwg]]'''
      A [[#filter|filter]] to convert a file to [[#appleraster|Apple Raster]] or [[#pwgraster|PWG Raster]]
Line 209: Line 368:
<<Anchor(slpana)>>
 '''[[#slp|SLP]]'''
      See [[#slp|Service Location Protocol]]

<<Anchor(slp)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS#hplip|Service Location Protocol]]'''
      A discovery protocol that allows the finding of printers connected to a local area network (LAN). It is very likely replaced by [[#dnssd|DNS-SD]] on recent printers.
      
Line 210: Line 378:

<<Anchor(tea4cups)>>
 '''[[Tea4CUPS|Tea4CUPS]]'''
      Tea4CUPS is a [[#cups|CUPS]] [[#backend|backend]]. Besides transporting data to a [[#printer|printer]] it allows them to be modified and manipulated before reaching the printer. The modified data can then be sent to any number of outputs.
Line 213: Line 385:
      A feature of a client CUPS 2.2.4 and later when remote, shared queues and [[#ipp|IPP]] printers are advertised on the network. The [[#queue|queue]] is only brought into existence when it is printed to.       A feature of CUPS 2.2.4 and later when remote, shared queues and [[#ipp|IPP]] printers are advertised on the network. The [[#queue|queue]] is only brought into existence when it is printed to. 
Line 223: Line 395:
      A raster [[#filter|filter]] format devised by Apple for use with AirPrint-capable printers. The acronym appears to have originally stood for ''Universal Raster Format'' but it is now known as ''Apple Raster''. [[#cups|CUPS]] converts files to Apple Raster with its [[DriverlessPrinting#rasters|rastertopwg filter]].       A raster format devised by Apple for use with AirPrint-capable printers. The acronym appears to have originally stood for ''Universal Raster Format'' but it is now known as ''Apple Raster''. [[#cups|CUPS]] converts files to Apple Raster with its [[DriverlessPrinting#rasters|rastertopwg filter]].

<<Anchor(usb)>>
 '''[[PrintQueuesCUPS|USB]]'''
      A USB interface is a very common way of setting up a [[#printer|printer]], particularly when it has no ethernet or wireless interface. Consider using [[#ippusbxd|ippusbxd]] with a printer which is capable of interacting with a [[#driverless|driverless printing system]].

<<Anchor(usbquirk)>>
 '''[[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#usb|USB Quirk]]'''
      A [[#cups|CUPS]] rule to deal with a [[#printer|printer's]] possible deviation from the USB standard.

<<Anchor(usbnoreattach)>>
 '''[[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#usb|usb-no-reattach]]'''
      A [[#cups|CUPS]] option to deal with problematic [[#usb|USB]] [[#printer|printers]].

<<Anchor(usbunidir)>>
 '''[[DissectingandDebuggingtheCUPSPrintingSystem#usb|usb-unidir]]'''
      A [[#cups|CUPS]] option to deal with problematic [[#usb|USB]] [[#printer|printers]].
Line 233: Line 421:
<<Anchor(cupswebinterface)>>
 '''[[#webinterface|Web Interface]]'''
      See [[#webinterface|Cups Web Interface]].

<<Anchor(wifidirect)>>
 '''[[DriverlessPrinting#misc|Wi-Fi Direct]]'''
      Connect over wireless directly with a [[#printer|printer]] without the need for a wireless access point.
Line 235: Line 431:
<<Anchor(xmpp)>>
 '''[[GoogleCloudPrint#gcp|XMPP]]'''
       A protocol to maintain a connection between [[#gcp|GCP]] and [[#cups|CUPS]].

<<Anchor(xpdf)>>
 '''[[#viewers|Xpdf]]'''
       A PDF file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 238: Line 442:

<<Anchor(zathura)>>
 '''[[#viewers|zathura]]'''
       A PDF and !PostScript file [[#viewers|viewer]].
Line 241: Line 450:



----
CategoryBootProcess

An aid to locating items of interest on the Printing Portal pages.

Jump to: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

  • Auto Discovery

    • Techniques which lead to automatic discovery of remote, shared queues and printers on the local network and making them available for printing to.

  • Avahi

    • A framework for Multicast DNS Service Discovery (DNS-SD). It allows programs to publish and discover services and hosts running on a local network with no specific configuration and is the equivalent of Bonjour.

B

  • Backend

    • Used for printer discovery and sending a document processed by CUPS and cups-filters to the device after it has been converted to a format understood by the printer.

  • Bonjour

    • An implementation of DNS-SD by Apple. Most recent network printers have it as facility.

C

  • ?cloudprint

    • An application to make locally configured printers available to GCP.

  • CUPS

    • Manages all aspects of printing a document and is at the heart of Debian's default printing system. Subject to continual upstream development.

  • CUPS Error Log

    • A file for diagnosing issues and misbehaviours of the printing system. Logging to the file is done not only by CUPS but by other printing processes such as cups-filters and Tea4CUPS.

  • cups-browsed

    • A setup tool for print queues and printers. Comes as a package separate from cups-filters and is essential on Debian 8 (jessie) and 9 (stretch) for automatic discovery and setup of remote queues and printers. It also supports facilities (such as browsing the broadcasts of pre-1.6.x CUPS servers, servers on other network segments and queue clustering) which are no longer supported by CUPS.

  • cupsfilter

    • A diagnostic program included with CUPS. Convert a file to a specific format, just as if it had been printed through CUPS. Nothing is sent to the printer.

D

  • DNS-SD

    • This is a public service protocol used to advertise and discover printing services on a local network. The services are resolved to hostnames using standard DNS queries. Being a public service, no filtering of announcements is offered. A CUPS server automatically uses the protocol to publicise its queues and it is a feature of many recent printers which have AirPrint. Bonjour is Apple's implementation of DNS-SD and is handled on Debian by Avahi.

  • Device URI

    • A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is an addressing technology for identifying where to dispatch the file sent by a backend. USB and network printers are supported by CUPS with various schemes.

E

  • Embedded Web Server

    • An embedded web server resides on the printer in its firmware. It can be used to manipulate how the printer is presented on the network. It may also offer other facilities, such as scanning.

  • Everywhere Model

    • A queue which is set up with -m everywhere rather than with -m <PPD> or -P <PPD>. The remote queue or printer is queried to generate a PPD.

F

G

  • ?Google Cloud Print

    • An infrastructure to allow printing to a cloud-aware printer or a print queue on a remote CUPS server.

  • ?google-cloud-print-connector

    • An application to make locally configured printers available to GCP.

H

  • HPLIP

    • Free software exclusively for Hewlett Packard (HP) printing, scanning and faxing devices.

I

  • IPP

    • The protocol used by CUPS for local and network communication between client devices (computers, mobile phones, tablets, laptops etc.) and printers and print servers.

J

K

L

  • lpadmin

    • The fundamental utility for setting up a print queue. Used by all other setup programs.

  • lpadmin group

    • Setting up a printer with a driver and a PPD is a superuser task; that is, the user has to have root privileges unless they belong to the lpadmin group.

M

N

  • Non-free Drivers

    • Quite a few printers only provide vendor-specific non-free software, which is not allowed to be distributed with Debian. Recent printers from such manufacturers falling into this category should be capable of being used with driverless printing to avoid this restriction.

O

P

  • Page Description Language

    • A computer language that describes the appearance of a printed page. PDLs of particular importance to a modern printing system are PDF, Apple Raster and PWG Raster. The most well-known non-vendor-specific PDL is probably PostScript.

  • PCLm

    • A streaming, PDF-based raster protocol supported by the cups-filters rastertopclm filter but not by CUPS.

  • PDF/A

    • A PDF format aimed at reliable, long-time preservation of archived digital documents.

  • PDF-Centric Workflow

    • All files submitted to a queue are first converted to a PDF. After that, the PDF produced by the conversion is processed by pdftopdf before being sent for further processing and then on to the printer via a backend.

  • PDF Printer

    • Convert a file to PDF using the printing system.

  • pdffonts

    • A utilty to list the fonts and information about each font present in a PDF document.

  • pdfinfo

    • A utilty to extract information from a PDF document.

  • PPD

    • A PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file describes the capabilities of the printer. These capabilities are displayed in the dialogs of applications and with lpoptions and are sent to the queue when selected. A PPD file is often referred to as a driver. Removal of support within CUPS for PPDs is planned for the future.

  • Printer

    • A peripheral device which communicates with the output of a queue to put graphics or text on a medium such as paper.

  • Print Dialog

    • Different Graphical Use Interfaces (GUIs) obtain printing options from CUPS in different ways and differ in the way the application displays them in a user-selectable dialog. The hope is eventually to have a Common Print Dialog.

  • Print Queue

    • A file to be printed is submitted to a queue, which is managed by CUPS. cups-filters is involved in processing the file and the output is usually sent to a printer. A single printer can be associated with many queues. A local queue has a PPD in /etc/cups/ppd and is a permanent queue. It is displayed in the output of lpstat -a. A temporary queue, displayed with lpstat -l -e, is a non-local queue.

Q

R

S

  • Service Location Protocol

    • A discovery protocol that allows the finding of printers connected to a local area network (LAN). It is very likely replaced by DNS-SD on recent printers.

T

  • Tea4CUPS

    • Tea4CUPS is a CUPS backend. Besides transporting data to a printer it allows them to be modified and manipulated before reaching the printer. The modified data can then be sent to any number of outputs.

  • Temporary Print Queue

    • A feature of CUPS 2.2.4 and later when remote, shared queues and IPP printers are advertised on the network. The queue is only brought into existence when it is printed to.

  • texttopdf

    • A filter to convert text to PDF. The output is generally sent to the pdftopdf filter for the pages to be managed.

U

  • URF

    • A raster format devised by Apple for use with AirPrint-capable printers. The acronym appears to have originally stood for Universal Raster Format but it is now known as Apple Raster. CUPS converts files to Apple Raster with its rastertopwg filter.

  • USB

    • A USB interface is a very common way of setting up a printer, particularly when it has no ethernet or wireless interface. Consider using ippusbxd with a printer which is capable of interacting with a driverless printing system.

V

  • Viewers

    • The outputs of some filters are viewable with various utilities.

W

  • Wi-Fi Direct

    • Connect over wireless directly with a printer without the need for a wireless access point.

X

  • ?XMPP

    • A protocol to maintain a connection between GCP and CUPS.

Y

Z

See Also


CategoryBootProcess