Did you ever attempt to configure a printer on a GNU/Linux desktop distribution on the finish of the ’90s? Or even earlier than?
To make a protracted story quick: That was wonderful in the event you labored at a big group with an IT crew to deal with it and devoted or a printing server. There have been many various requirements and protocols to deal with printers. And only some massive distributors (often Unix distributors) supplied particular assist and drivers for his or her total vary of merchandise.
However, if open supply fanatics needed a house printer that may work with their favourite distribution, that was one other story. They in all probability spent a good period of time on boards, newsgroups, or IRC (keep in mind these ancestors of social networks and chats?) asking about printers with easy-to-install Linux drivers.
In 1999, the primary model of CUPS (the Common Unix Printing System) was launched by Easy Software Products. Most of the most well-liked distributions on the time adopted CUPS as their default printing system. That was an enormous success: one customary may deal with many printers and protocols.
But if the printer vendor did not present a CUPS driver, it was nonetheless difficult or unattainable to make it work. Some good individuals may do reverse engineering. And a number of printers, with native assist of PostScript and Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), labored “out of the box.”
Then got here Apple
In the early 2000s, Apple was struggling to construct a brand new printing system for its new Mac OS X. In March 2002, it determined to save lots of time by adopting CUPS for its flagship working system.
No printer vendor may ignore Apple computer systems’ market share, so loads of new printer drivers for Mac OS X’s CUPS grew to become obtainable, spanning most distributors and product ranges, together with company, graphic arts, client, and picture printing.
CUPS grew to become so vital for Apple that it purchased the software program from Easy Software Products in 2007; since then Apple has continued to take care of it and handle its mental property.
But what does that need to do with GNU/Linux?
At the time Apple built-in CUPS in Mac OS X, it was already utilized by default in lots of distros and obtainable for many others. But few devoted drivers have been obtainable, which means they weren’t packaged or listed as “for GNU/Linux.”
However, as soon as CUPS drivers have been obtainable for Mac OS X, a easy hack grew to become fashionable with GNU/Linux fanatics: obtain the Mac driver, extract the PPD recordsdata, and check them together with your printer. I used this hack many occasions with my Epson printers.
That’s the CUPS magic: If a driver exists, it often works with all working methods that use CUPS for printing, so long as they use a supported protocol (like IPP).
That’s how printer drivers started to be obtainable for GNU/Linux.
Nowadays
Afterward, printer distributors realized it was fairly simple to supply drivers for GNU/Linux since they already developed them for Mac. It’s now simple to discover a GNU/Linux driver for a printer, even a more moderen one. Some distributions embrace packages with loads of drivers, and most distributors present devoted drivers—typically through a bundle, different occasions with PPD recordsdata in an archive.
Advanced management functions can be found too, some official, some not, which make it potential (for instance) to have a look at ink ranges or clear printing heads.
In some circumstances, putting in a printer on GNU/Linux is even simpler than on different working methods, significantly with distributions utilizing zero-configuration networking (e.g., Bonjour, Avahi) to auto-discover and share community printers.
Tips and tips
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Install a PDF printer: Installing a PDF printer on GNU/Linux could be very simple. Just search for the cups-pdf bundle in your favourite distribution and set up it. If the bundle would not robotically create the PDF printer, you may add one utilizing your system preferences to print in PDF from any software.
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Access the CUPS net interface: If your common interface for managing printers would not work or you do not prefer it, open an internet browser and go to http://localhost:631/admin. You can handle all of the printers put in in your laptop, alter their settings, and even add new ones—all from this net interface. Note that this is perhaps obtainable on different computer systems in your community; in that case, substitute “localhost” with the related hostname or IP tackle.
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Check ink stage: If you’ve gotten an Epson, Canon, HP, or Sony printer, you may see its ink stage with a easy software. Look for the “ink” bundle in your distribution repositories.
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Contribute to CUPS: Like many open supply venture, CUPS is maintained on GitHub. Check the CUPS website and GitHub issues to seek out out how one can contribute to bettering it.
CUPS license
Originally, CUPS was launched below GPLv2. I am undecided why; perhaps to make it simpler to distribute with GNU/Linux. Or perhaps it was simply what most open supply initiatives did on the time.
Apple determined to change the license in November 2017 to the Apache 2.zero license. Many observers commented that it was in keeping with Apple’s technique to maneuver the IP of its open supply initiatives to extra business-compliant licenses.
While this alteration may create points with transport CUPS with GNU/Linux, it’s nonetheless obtainable in most distributions.
Happy 20th birthday, CUPS!
CUPS was launched in 1999, so, let’s rejoice and thank all of the individuals concerned on this profitable open supply venture, from the unique authors to the motive force builders to its present maintainers.
The subsequent time you print together with your favourite GNU/Linux working system, remind your self to say “thank you” to Apple.
The firm is not well-known for its contributions to open supply. But in the event you look fastidiously (at, for instance, Apple’s Open Source Releases and Open Source Development pages), you may see what number of open supply elements are in Apple’s working methods and functions.
You’ll additionally uncover different vital open supply initiatives Apple kicked off. For instance, it forked KHTML, the KDE browser, to create WebKit for the Safari Browser. Wait, THE WebKit? Yes, Apple initiated WebKit. But that’s one other story…
