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If you just installed a printer that wasn't available when you installed Mandriva Linux, make sure it is correctly connected and powered on before launching the configuration tool. |
When you first launch the PrinterDrake tool, it may be in one of these states:
The tool did not detect any local printers. However you can print on network printers, or manually install printers which weren't detected by clicking on .
Select the Local CUPS printing system option if you wish to configure your machine to act as a print server for either a local printer which was not detected, or a network printer connected to your local network.
Any required software will be installed and then the main configuration interface (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”) appears. Click on to install the network printer.
Select the Remote server option if you wish to be able to print on printers served by another CUPS printing server on the network. Your applications will immediately have access to all public printers served by that server. You only need to provide the hostname or IP address of that server in the field (ask your system administrator).
When this is done, the main configuration interface (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”) appears. The Configured on other machines tab will be filled with the available network printers.
The following window appears when PrinterDrake detects a new printer.
Simply confirm the automatic installation of the new printer. The main configuration interface (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”) is then displayed. Make sure you check that the printer parameters fit your needs (see Section 6.5, “Reconfiguring an Existing Printer”).
The main configuration interface (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”) is shown. Make sure that the printer parameters fit your needs (see Section 6.5, “Reconfiguring an Existing Printer”).
Use the printer configuration tool's first tab for locally connected printers (Configured on this machine), and the other tab for printers available on your local network (Configured on other machines).
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If your local printer was automatically added you should now verify its configuration. Select it in the list, click on and check the Printer options. |
The following buttons give you access to all available maintenance tasks:
: launches the printer configuration wizard described in Section 6.4, “The Printer Configuration Wizard”.
: sets the selected printer as the default printer when no specific printer is chosen at print time. A cross appears in the Def. column of that printer.
: opens the printer configuration dialog described in Section 6.5, “Reconfiguring an Existing Printer”.
: removes the selected printer from the available printer pool.
: updates the list of printers with possible new or removed printers, especially useful for networked printers.
: by default, your system is totally open. PrinterDrake uses all of the network's available printers and shares all of its local printers with the local network. Click on this button if you don't want to access network printers, or if you want to restrict the access to your local printers. This dialog also lets you configure access to servers outside the local network.
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The → menu adds extra features to the tool. See Section 6.6, “Expert Mode”. |
The button allows you to control the behavior of printers connected to your machine and to your network.
This dialog enables you to switch between the client and server printing modes through the button.
Select the On option to connect to another printer server. You then just need to specify the name or IP address of that server in the field below.
If you choose this mode, your printing configuration is now finished. Accept the options by clicking the buttons, and you will be able to check the list of available printers in the Configured on other machines tab of the main interface (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”).
If you want your machine to access locally connected printers (through parallel or USB ports), or network printers not already configured on another server, you need to select the Off option. Click , and you will then be able to fine tune your printer server (see Figure 3.13, “CUPS Printer Server Configuration”).
A number of options are available to further secure and enhance your print server features:
Allows other computers to print on printers configured locally. Remember to restrict access by clicking on (see below).
Tells your print server to automatically make all printers found on other servers available on the local network, as if they were locally connected to your print server. This way your system's users are able to print on any printer the print server “sees”. If the remote printers you intend to use are served by a server not on your local network, you can still tell the print server to use them with the button (see below).
Allows you to specify from which networks the local printers are made available.
Allows you to specify one or more CUPS servers to which you can connect and access printers. Specify the IP address and port of the CUPS server in the dialog.
Replaces the original text filter for one more suited to Japanese texts, but with less features. Use it if you have to print Japanese text-only files.
Click on Add printer and the configuration wizard comes up.
This tools enables the auto-detection of locally connected printers, network printers, and finally printers served by SMB (Windows®) servers. First choose which type of printer you want to add (Local printer, Network printer, Printer on remote lpd server, etc.).
Select the printer you want to add from the list. If the detected printer isn't the correct one check the Manual configuration box and proceed with the printer model step (see Figure 3.17, “Choosing a Name for your Printer”). If autodetection fails, remove the check mark from all check boxes, click on and follow the instructions below.
If you own a
multi-function device such as those of HP or
Sony
, an information window pops up and
gives you information about your scanner and scanner software
(Section 7.1.1, “ScannerDrake”). Additional packages are also
installed.
PrinterDrake displays your printer's model name. Choose Select model manually if it's incorrect. Select the printer you have or a compatible one (see Figure 3.16, “Choosing the Printer Model”) if yours is not specifically listed.
If you want to install the driver supplied by your printer manufacturer, click on the button and select the medium containing the PPD file and browse to it. Accept subsequent dialogs to use your chosen PPD file.
Provide a name for
your printer. The printer name must contain only letters,
numbers and the underscore
(“_
”) character. It's better to
limit its length to 12 characters maximum so that Windows®
clients don't have problems when accessing it through
Samba.
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If you have one or more configured printers, you are asked whether the printer you are configuring is to be the default printer. If you say , the previous default printer will be retained. |
Finally we strongly recommend that you print a test page in order to make sure everything works as expected.
Once the configuration is done, the options associated with the chosen printer are shown (see Figure 3.18, “Configuring the Printer's Options”). It's important you choose the proper settings (such as paper size, media source, etc.) currently installed on the printer. If the settings you choose are incorrect, printing may fail.
A few test pages are available (see Figure 3.19, “Testing the Printer”). We recommend you print at least one test page so you can immediately correct the parameters if something goes wrong. The printer should begin to print almost immediately.
If you're not satisfied with your test page, answer the appropriate question with and you will be led to the printer configuration menu (see Figure 3.20, “Modifying an Existing Printer”) where you can correct the settings. See Section 6.5, “Reconfiguring an Existing Printer”.
Your printer will now appear in the list of available printers in the main window (see Figure 3.12, “Managing Printers”).
Double-clicking on a printer's name in the list, or clicking on the button, displays a menu where you can choose actions to take on the selected printer (Figure 3.20, “Modifying an Existing Printer”). Each option gives access to a particular step of the wizard we described above (see Section 6.4, “The Printer Configuration Wizard”). One difference is that the current settings are predefined in all fields, and you may update them where required.
There are a few additional options:
Disable Printer. Use this option to remove that printer from the printers available to the system's users. You might need to temporarily disable a printer under maintenance so that users don't try to use it in the meantime. When a printer is disabled, that option changes to Enable printer.
Learn how to use this printer. Displays information on how to use a particular printer model. In the case of a multi-function device from HP, information about scanning and photo memory card access is also displayed.
Remove printer. Deletes that printer's configuration from the system.
Select an action in the dialog and then click on the button to perform it.
The expert mode has three additional features:
Choose a Different Driver to the Default One for a Printer. Different drivers are available for the same printer. In expert mode, a third level appears in the printer model selection list (see Figure 3.16, “Choosing the Printer Model”). It allows you to change each printer's driver.
Install Many Kinds of Remote Printers. This feature enables you to print on remote printers using the LPD protocol, printers on Windows® servers which require authorization, or other arbitrary printer types.
If you start the new printer wizard in expert mode, there is an additional step at the beginning.
Different connection types are available:
Local printer. A printer directly connected to a parallel or USB port on your computer. In most cases, the printer model will be auto-detected.
Printer on remote lpd server. A printer already served by another machine on a lpd server.
Network printer (TCP/socket). A printer directly connected to your local network. The network can be scanned and printer models automatically detected provided the Printer auto-detection box is checked.
Printer on SMB/Windows 95/98/NT server. Relevant for printers already connected to a computer running an OS which serves printers with the SMB protocol, including Samba printers (the necessary Samba components will be automatically installed in this case). The network can be scanned provided the Printer auto-detection box is checked.
Enter a printer device URI. This option allows you to directly enter the printer's Universal Resource Identifier (URI) on your network. It can be used for any of the above remote connections, and more. This is useful when your system administrator provides you with the printer's URI.
Click on the button to change the default timeout (4000 milliseconds, or 4 seconds) for detection of networked printers. Please bear in mind that the bigger the timeout, the better the chances of detecting remote printers. However the auto-detection process will also take more time.