cupsenable

Start one or more destination(s)

$ cupsenable [destination1 destination2 ...]

$ cupsenable --release [destination]

$ cupsenable -c [destination1 destination2 ...]

cupsenable [ -E ] [ -c ] [ -U username ] [ -h server ] printer-name(s)

-E
    Forces encryption when connecting to the server.

-c
    Cancels any pending print jobs on the printer being enabled.

-U username
    Specifies the username to use when connecting to the server.

-h server
    Specifies an alternate server to use.

printer-name(s)
    One or more printer names to enable.

The cupsenable command enables printer queues managed by the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS). When a queue is enabled, CUPS will process print jobs submitted to that queue. Conversely, the cupsdisable command prevents processing of print jobs, holding them in the queue until it is re-enabled. This is useful for performing maintenance on printers, resolving errors without canceling jobs, or temporarily suspending printing services. cupsenable requires administrative privileges (typically root) to modify the printer configurations. Users can specify individual printer names to enable or disable, and CUPS administrators can use this command in scripts or automated processes to manage printer availability.
By default enabling a printer requires no other arguments but the printer name. When enabled the printer will accept and print any jobs scheduled.

Requires root privileges. CUPS must be installed and running for this command to function correctly. Be mindful of the impact of enabling a printer with many pending jobs as this can lead to immediate high printer activity.

The cupsenable command returns 0 on success and non-zero on error.

The CUPS configuration files (typically located in /etc/cups) affect the behavior of cupsenable. Specifically, the printers.conf file defines the printer queues that can be enabled or disabled.

The cupsenable command is part of the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS), which was initially developed by Easy Software Products and later acquired by Apple Inc. CUPS was designed to provide a standardized printing system for Unix-like operating systems. cupsenable specifically addresses the need to programmatically control the availability of printer queues, an essential feature for managing printing resources in networked environments. It has become a standard tool for system administrators managing printing on Linux and macOS systems.

cupsdisable(1), lp(1), lpstat(1), cancel(1)