Use CUPS to print to any PostScript printer

Aug 27, '02 08:11:41AM

Contributed by: Gall

I have been annoyed at various printer manufacturers for not making MacOS X drivers available. With the inclusion of CUPS in 10.2, connecting these orphaned printers is a breeze. It took me all of seven or eight minutes to figure this out, so kudos to the people at CUPS and Apple for having the presence of mind to implement CUPS in 10.2. Read the rest of the article for the very detailed how-to.

The printer that caused me no end of heartache is used as an example. I am not certain as to who might be using this How To, so I might insult your intelligence in places. I beg forgiveness in advance. And, of course, if there are any problems with the procedure here, please contact me. Here is the procedure to add any PostScript printer connected to your Mac:

  1. Connect the printer to your computer with a USB cable (or a Parallel to USB cable).

  2. Turn the printer on and ensure that it is set for a parallel interface and to accept Postscript - consult the printer manual to be sure.

  3. Start or restart your computer.

  4. Obtain a copy of the PPD for the printer from the manufacturer. If you cannot find one for it, this is not a problem, just skip this and the next step.

  5. Place a copy of the PPD in /Library -> Printers -> PPDs -> Contents -> Resources -> en.lproj. Of course, if you are using MacOS X in another language and your PPD is in this other language, place the PPD in the appropriate folder. E.g., if you are using French and you have a French PPD, place the PPD in /Library -> Printers -> PPDs -> Contents -> Resources -> fr.lproj. If you don't have permissions for this folder, instructions to set permissions are available elsewhere on this site.

  6. Launch the Terminal which is found in /Applications/Utilities/

  7. At the prompt, enter lpinfo -v, and something that looks like this will be displayed:
      network pap
    network socket
    direct usb://HEWLETT-PACKARD/DESKJET%20840C?serial=CN0981R2VSLB
    direct usb://KYOCERA%20MITA/FS1800?serial=0
    network http
    network ipp
    network lpd
    direct usb
  8. Identify the line that corresponds to the printer you are trying to install. Write it down or copy it to the clipboard without the word "direct". This is your printer's URI. We'll use the Kyocera Mita printer as an example. If you don't see your printer, make sure the printer is on and restart the computer. Repeat the last step. If you still can't see the printer you wish to install, you are stuck. If your computer cannot see the printer at all, you're out of luck.

  9. Launch your browser (if IE doesn't work, try OmniWeb or Navigator). Enter localhost:631 in the address bar and hit Enter

  10. You are now in the CUPS administration module. Click "Manage Printers"

  11. Click "Add Printer".

  12. Now enter a name for the printer, a location, and a description. The name will be the name that CUPS publishes as a queue if you share your printer, e.g., "Lassie", the location is unsurprisingly, the physical location of the printer, e.g., "In my office", and the description can be the make and model of the printer, e.g. "Kyocera Mita FS-1800". The description can be anything by which you wish to identify the printer to yourself.

  13. Click "Continue".

  14. Pop up the Device: menu and select "USB Printer (usb)".

  15. Click "Continue".

  16. This is where you need to put the URI you discovered above. Either paste it or type it in.

  17. Click "Continue".

  18. In the Make: list, select "Raw".

  19. Click "Continue".

  20. In the Model: list, select "Raw Queue (en)".

  21. Click "Continue".

  22. CUPS reports that your printer has now been added, but we have to point it at the right PPD and enable the extra features of the printer. You can now quit your browser.

  23. Launch Print Center in /Applications/Utilities/

  24. You should see your printer listed in the Printer List under the description you entered above, e.g., "Kyocera Mita FS-1800".

  25. Select it then select Show Info from the menu bar under the Printers menu.

  26. Pop up the menu under the printer description - it should say "Name & Location", and select "PPD".

  27. Pop up the menu beside "Printer Model" and select the manufacturer of the printer you are installing. If you could not find a PPD for this printer, Select "Generic" and skip the step for "Installable options".

  28. Select, in the list, the model of printer you are installing.

  29. Click "Apply changes".

  30. Pop up the menu under the printer description again and select "Installable Options".

  31. Select the specifics of your printer. Consult your manual.

  32. Click "Apply changes" then click the button at the far left of that window's title bar.
You are done. Print something. If all has gone well, then you've just made life easier for yourself or a colleague or loved one. Rejoice!

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