How To Add a Printer in Ubuntu Linux

How To Add a Printer in Ubuntu Linux:

Setting up a printer in Ubuntu Linuxis pretty straight forward. Having just added an HP printer to my networked HP DetDirect 300 printer server, I needed to add this to myUbuntu computer.

But first, I wand to show how to add a printer that is connected directly to an Ubuntu workstation. Here is what you do:

1. connect your printer to your computer, and turn it on.
2. Usually the printer gets autodetected by Ubuntu. If it does, something will pop up saying it is configured for use and is ready.
3. If nothing happens, go to System > Administration > Printing > New.

If it doesn't find your printer, try the following:

Check on the supported devices website if your printer is compatible with linux.

If it is compatible, then follow the instructions on the HP page to install and configure the drivers.

Now if the printer you want to add is a networked printer, do the following:

On the client, open up your web browser and access http://localhost:631. This will open up the Linux CUPS Printing System interface. Login in using root and root's password. Click on manage printers. If your network printer shows up, you are done and ready to go. If it doesn't, continue on.

1. Click on administration and add printer. 2. Fill in the name of the printer. 3. Under location, I type in the ip address of the server. 4. You can fill in a description, but you don't have to. 5. Click continue. The next page comes up called Device with a drop down list. Select Internet Printing Protocol (ipp) and click continue.

Now you need to tell cups the network location of your print server. To do this, you will need the server's ip address, and the name of your printer as cups sees it. This is the format: socket://server_ip_address

As you can see in the image below, there are several ways to enter this info. Enter the one that suits your situation.

Next you will be shown a list of printer manufacturers. In my case, I selected HP Printer. then click on the Continue button. Next you will be shown a list of printer models for you printer. Select your printer and click Add Printer.

When finished, you will have a printer attached to your Ubuntu computer.