cupsaccept

Accept print jobs to the specified destinations

$ cupsaccept [destination1 destination2 ...]

$ cupsaccept -h [server] [destination1 destination2 ...]

cupsaccept [--help] [--hold] [-E] [-h server[:port]] [-U username] [printer...]

--help
    Display command usage and exit.

--hold
    Hold existing jobs instead of canceling them.

-E
    Force encrypted (IPP over HTTPS) connection to server.

-h server[:port]
    Connect to alternate CUPS server and optional port.

-U username
    Specify alternate username for authentication.

The cupsaccept command is a CUPS administrative tool that allows print jobs to be submitted to specified printer queues or classes. Without arguments, it affects all printers on the system. By default, it cancels any currently held jobs before enabling job acceptance, ensuring queues start fresh. Use the --hold option to preserve held jobs instead.

Primarily used in server environments to manage print job flow, it complements commands like cupsreject for temporarily blocking submissions during maintenance. It communicates with the CUPS daemon (cupsd) via IPP protocol, supporting encrypted connections for security.

Requires administrator privileges, typically root or lpadmin group membership. It does not control printer enabling/disabling—that is handled by cupsenable and cupsdisable. Ideal for scripts automating queue management in multi-user printing setups.

Requires root or lpadmin group privileges; controls job acceptance only, not printer enabling. No effect if CUPS daemon is not running.

Cancels all held jobs on targeted queues unless --hold specified.

cupsaccept LaserPrinter
Accept jobs on LaserPrinter.

cupsaccept --hold --all
Enable all queues, holding jobs.

Part of CUPS since version 1.0 (1999), developed by Michael Sweet at Easy Software Products; now maintained by OpenPrinting project after Apple's stewardship.

cupsdisable(8), cupsenable(8), cupsreject(8), lpadmin(8)