16.7. Configuring Printers

This tool allows you to configure a printer newly installed on your machine, or to configure your machine to act as a server for a printer newly connected to your local network.

Figure 16-15. Managing Printers

The printer's main configuration tool window (figure 16-15) contains four buttons:

Note

Additionally, you get a tree view of accessible printers on top of the window, in case printers are already available.

16.7.1. The Printer Configuration Wizard

Click on the Add a new printer button, and the configuration wizard will come up. To go from one step to another, click the OK button. Use Cancel to abort the installation.

Figure 16-16. Auto-Detecting Printers

The first screen offers to enable auto-detection of locally connected printers. Try first Do auto-detection; if it works, the next step presents which printer(s) was/were detected. If you are happy with it, click on Next -> and jump to figure 16-22. If the configured printer is wrong, or if auto-detection failed, click Manual printer setup and follow the instructions below.

Figure 16-17. The Printer Port

First of all you need to tell on which port your printer is connected; either a parallel or USB port.

Figure 16-18. HP Multi-Function Device

Then, you are asked whether your printer is a multi-function device. Answer according to your actual printer. If so, additional packages will be installed on your system and you will be told how to scan with your device.

Figure 16-19. Choosing a Name For Your Printer

Then, you need to provide a name for your printer to easily identify it, and optionally, a Printer description and a Physical location (figure 16-19).

Figure 16-20. Choosing The Printer Model

You are then presented the list of supported printers. It is a tree view with the manufacturer's name first and then the printer's model. Select the printer you have or a compatible one (figure 16-20).

Figure 16-21. Configuring The Printer's Options

After that, you are presented the options associated with the chosen printer (figure 16-21). It is important you choose the proper paper size and the ink type which is currently selected. Indeed, if those settings are not correct, the printing may fail.

Note

For settings regarding the printout quality, keep in mind that higher quality levels make the printer substantially slower.

Note

If you already have one or more configured printers, you will then be asked whether you want to use the printer being configured as the default or not. If you say No, the former printer default will remain.

Figure 16-22. Test The Printer

Finally, you are asked whether you want to test the printer or not. Two test pages are available (figure 16-22) so you can adjust the parameters according to your future use. It is advisable to print at least one test, so you can immediately correct the parameters if something goes wrong. After a moment, the printer should begin to print, and you will be asked whether the printing was successful or not.

Figure 16-23. Was The Printout Successful?

If the printing was successful, answer Yes, and you will return to the printers list. Congratulations, you are ready to print! If not, you will get the printer configuration menu (figure 16-25) in order to correct the settings. See the Reconfiguring an Existing Printer section.

Your printer will now appear in the list of local printers in the main window (figure 16-24).

16.7.2. Reconfiguring an Existing Printer

Figure 16-24. A Printer Is Now Configured

Double-clicking on a printer's name in the list displays a menu where you can choose actions to take on that printer, as shown in figure 16-25. Each option gives access to a particular step of the wizard we described above (The Printer Configuration Wizard) in the case of a new printer, but with predefined values in all fields, which you may update.

Figure 16-25. Modifying an Existing Printer

There are two additional options:

Select an option in the dialog and then click the Do it! button.

16.7.3. Expert Mode

The expert mode basically has three additional features:

  • Switch from one printing system to another. This is allowed by the new Configure printing system which appears in the main menu. Three systems are available: CUPS (by default), LPRng, and PDQ. Choosing one or the other is out of the scope of this manual.

  • Choose a different driver than the default for a printer. There are generally different drivers available for a same printer. In expert mode, a third level appears in the printer model selection list (figure 16-20) allowing to change the driver for each printer.

  • Install a remote printer. Below, we show this feature, which allows to print on remote printers installed anywhere on a local network.

If you start the new printer wizard in expert mode, there is an additional step at the beginning.

Figure 16-26. Configuring a Remote Printer

Five different connection types are available:


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