system-config-printer

system-config-printer

system-config-printer is a graphical interface used for configuring printers on Linux systems. It simplifies the process of adding, modifying, and deleting printers, as well as managing printer queues and drivers. It provides a user-friendly way to interact with the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS), the standard printing system used on most Linux distributions.

Through this GUI, users can discover network printers, install necessary drivers (often automatically), and set default printer options. System administrators can utilize it to manage printer access and permissions. It is a vital tool for both individual users and system administrators to effectively manage printing resources on their systems. The goal is abstract away much of the command line interaction with CUPS. It generally integrates well with the desktop environment used (Gnome or KDE).

Requires graphical environment (X server) to run. Functionality depends on underlying CUPS installation and driver availability.

Requires CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) to be installed and running. May also require Python and related libraries.

Typically requires root privileges to make system-wide printer configuration changes. User-level configuration may be possible depending on CUPS settings.

system-config-printer has been developed over time to provide a consistent and user-friendly printer configuration interface across various Linux distributions. It evolved to address the complexities of CUPS configuration and driver management, making it accessible to non-technical users. It has seen improvements in driver detection, network printer discovery, and integration with desktop environments.

lp(1), lpadmin(8), lpr(1), cupsd(8)