cupsenable

Start one or more destination(s)

$ cupsenable [destination1 destination2 ...]

$ cupsenable --release [destination]

$ cupsenable -c [destination1 destination2 ...]

cupsenable [ -E ] [ -U username ] [ -P password ] [ -h hostname[:port] ] destination(s)

-E
    Forces encryption when connecting to the CUPS server.

-U username
    Specifies the username to use for authentication with the CUPS server.

-P password
    Specifies the password to use for authentication with the CUPS server. If not provided, the user may be prompted.

-h hostname[:port]
    Specifies an alternate CUPS server to connect to. The port defaults to 631 if not specified.

destination(s)
    One or more printer or class names to enable. These are required arguments.

The cupsenable command is a utility from the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) suite. Its primary function is to reactivate a printer or a printer class that has been previously disabled, typically using the cupsdisable command.

When a printer or class is disabled, it will not accept new print jobs. Running cupsenable changes its state to "enabled," allowing the spooler to accept and process new print requests for that destination. This command is essential for managing print services on a Linux or Unix-like system, ensuring that printers are available when needed. It sends a request to the CUPS daemon (cupsd) to update the printer's operational state. Successful execution means the specified printer(s) or class(es) are ready to receive jobs again.

Permissions: Requires administrative privileges (e.g., root or a member of the lpadmin group) to enable printers, especially if they are system-wide.

CUPS Daemon: The CUPS daemon (cupsd) must be running for this command to function correctly.

Impact: Enabling a busy printer might immediately resume printing a backlog of jobs if any were pending.

Commonly used after maintenance, paper jams, or out-of-paper conditions to resume normal printing operations. It can also be scripted for automated printer management.

By default, cupsenable enables the specified printer indefinitely. There is no option to enable for a specific duration or until a certain event occurs.

The cupsenable command is an integral part of the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) project. CUPS was originally developed by Easy Software Products and later acquired by Apple Inc. in 2007. It became the standard printing system for macOS and many Linux distributions. In 2020, development of CUPS transitioned to OpenPrinting, an organization focused on improving printing on Linux and Unix systems. cupsenable has been a fundamental utility since the early versions of CUPS, maintaining consistent functionality for managing printer availability.

cupsdisable(8), lp(1), lpstat(1), cupsd(8)