CUPS

Deprecation Notice

In two Core Updates time (so early in the new year) we will remove CUPS from the distribution. CUPS is the Common Unix Printing System and has been a great addition to IPFire back in the day when USB or even parallel port printers needed to be made available over the network. A real game changer in a small office. Since modern printers are now all network-enabled, there is very little use for CUPS on IPFire now. Since there have recently been a couple of security vulnerabilities and because upstream has abandoned the project, we have decided to remove it from IPFire, too. If you are using this add-on, please migrate away to a different solution.

CUPS allows a UNIX-like computer to act as a print server. This can allow clients to send documents over a network to a printer, even though that printer may not have built-in networking.

Installation

  1. Install CUPS with the Pakfire web interface or via the console:
pakfire install cups

Note - Samba is not needed for CUPS

  1. Go to menu Status > Services and make sure CUPS is running.

CUPS can be started clicking the green up arrow or by rebooting IPFire or via the console:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/cups start
  1. To access the CUPS web interface, open your favorite browser and enter:
https://ipfire:631

  1. Power-up and connect the shared printers.

  2. To add a new printer, click the Administration tab and click Add Printer:

  3. Select the needed printer and click Continue.

  4. When you reach the printer naming page, make sure you select Share This Printer then click Continue.

  5. Click Choose File and select the .ppd file for your printer. On my Mac the needed .ppd file was located on the printer installation CD and in the /private/etc/cups/ppd directory. Then click Add Printer.

Note - After clicking Add Printer you will be asked for authentication. Use a local user account that has permission to add printers. You may use the IPFire root account. Don't worry, it is only used once.

If you can't find your printer in the web interface listed at the Make field, don't worry. You can set the Make to "Raw" and the Model to "Raw Queue". Then the printing device needs to have an appropriate driver installed, which you need to select during installation of the network printer.

  1. Check the various default drop downs. (e.g., for paper source, for media size, etc.)

  2. When you are finished, Click the Administration tab Again. Click Manage Printers and click the printer name. Make note of the printer URL from the top of the browser. For example: 

https://ipfire:631/printers/Dell_3130cn_Color_Laser
  1. Test your CUPS setup on the current page, click the Maintenance drop down and then click Print Test Page.

Done with the CUPS print server!

Printer Installation: Windows

  1. First, make sure you have the printer driver installed.

  2. Make sure IPP is enabled. Go to Programs under the Control Panel and click "Turn Windows Features on or off." Make sure the Internet Printing Client is enabled.

  3. Next, go to Devices and Printers under the Control Panel and click "Add Printer."
    If the computer starts searching through the network for printers, click "The printer that I want isn't listed."

  4. Next, click "Select a shared printer by name." Paste the CUPS Printer URL into the box. Make sure it is http and not https. Click next.

  5. Fill in the rest of the information for the printer and finish.

Printer Installation: macOS

  1. First, make sure you have the printer driver installed.

  2. Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners and click the plus sign near the bottom left hand corner.

  3. In the top row of icons click on IP and then fill in the various fields:
Address: Enter the ipfire or ipfire.localdomain or the IP address of the ipfire box.
Protocol: Set to Internet Printing Protocol - IPP.
Queue: Enter printers/ where is the print queue on the print server (i.e., printers/Dell_3130cn_Color_Laser for the Dell_3130cn_Color_Laser printer).
Name: Enter a name for the printer connection (i.e. Dell_3130cn_Color_Laser for the Dell printer).
Location: Can be left blank.
Use: Choose Select Software to pick the correct printer driver for the printer connection.

  • Now click Add.
  • Finish by filling out the remaining areas in Setting up.
  1. Test your setup

Done!

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