cups

View documentation for running the CUPS daemon

$ tldr cupsd

$ tldr lpadmin

$ tldr lp

$ tldr lpstat

$ tldr lprm

No single "cups" command; use lp [-d dest] [-n copies] [files] | lpadmin [-p printer] [options] | cupsd [-f]

-d dest
    Set destination printer (lp)

-n num
    Number of copies (lp)

-p name
    Printer name (lpadmin)

-E
    Use encryption/force (many CUPS cmds)

-h host[:port]
    Remote server (admin cmds)

The CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) is the de facto standard for printing on Linux and Unix-like systems. It provides a complete printing solution including a printing daemon (cupsd), client commands for submitting and managing jobs, and server-side administration tools. There is no standalone cups executable; instead, CUPS functionality is accessed via dedicated commands like lp (print files), lpstat (display status), lpadmin (add/modify printers), lpq/lprm (queue management), and cupsd (daemon).

CUPS supports IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), USB/local printers, network discovery, PDF/PostScript rendering, and driverless printing. Configuration is via /etc/cups/cupsd.conf, with web interface at http://localhost:631. It unifies System V and BSD print commands, making it portable across distros. Developers use cups-config for compile flags. CUPS replaced LPD and is managed via systemd (systemctl).

No standard "cups" command exists; refers to CUPS suite. Install via cups package. Root often required for admin. Web UI needs authentication. Deprecated filters in modern versions.

Access http://localhost:631 for GUI management of printers/jobs without CLI.

lpstat -p (list printers), lp /etc/passwd (print file), cancel -a (clear queues).

Developed 1999 by Michael Sweet at Easy Software Products. Adopted by Apple for macOS. Version 2.0 (2013) added driverless printing. Now maintained by OpenPrinting.org after ESP dissolution.

lp(1), lpr(1), lpadmin(8), lpstat(1), cupsd(8), cups-config(8), cupsdisable(8)