3.7. Configuring Printers

This tool allows you to configure printers, both connected directly to your system, and remote printers served by other systems. You can find this tool in the Hardware section of the Mandriva Control Center.

[Note] Note

It is possible that you will be asked to install software packages when you run the tool for the first time, please accept these package installations.

3.7.1. Adding a Printer

Procedure 3.1. Local Printer

  1. Connect the printer to your system.

  2. Choose Server+NewPrinter from the menu. If the printer was detected automatically, it's offered as the 1st option in the Devices list (see Figure 3.9, “Automatically Detected Printer”), otherwise you can select the port and driver manually: make sure you have all needed data at hand. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+N.

    Figure 3.9. Automatically Detected Printer

    Automatically Detected Printer

  3. Select the printer driver. If the printer was autodetected (as is the case with USB printers), just accept the suggested settings and click Forward. You can also provide your own PPD file or search for a suitable driver on the Internet. If there is more than one driver available for your printer, you are asked to choose which one to use: it is advisable that you keep the recommended one (see Figure 3.10, “Choosing Printer Driver”).

    Figure 3.10. Choosing Printer Driver

    Choosing Printer Driver

  4. Provide descriptions for the printer. These serve to better identify printers if you happen to have more than one configured (see Figure 3.11, “Printer Description”). Fill the Printer Name, Description, and Location fields as you see fit.

    Figure 3.11. Printer Description

    Printer Description

  5. Click on Apply, the printer is then listed and marked as ready and available (see Figure 3.12, “Available Printers”).

    Figure 3.12. Available Printers

    Available Printers

Procedure 3.2. Remote Printer

  1. Ask your system or network administrator for the model and name of the printer and the protocol it uses. Make sure the printer is turned on.

  2. Choose Server+NewPrinter from the menu and choose the communications protocol in the Devices list using the information provided by your system or network administrator. The example shows a printer served by a Windows system (see Figure 3.13, “Windows System Printer Setup”). Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+N.

    Figure 3.13. Windows System Printer Setup

    Windows System Printer Setup

  3. The rest of the steps are the same as described for the Local Printer configuration: choose the driver, fill in the descriptions, and click Apply to make the remote printer available to print on your system.

3.7.2. Changing Printer Configuration

Double click on a printer to access its properties. Open the section you are interested in, make your selections and click Apply to make your settings effective immediately.

3.7.2.1. General Settings

Allows you to change the printer descriptions and driver. It also provides buttons to print test pages and clean print heads (if applicable).

3.7.2.2. Policies

Allows you to change whether the printer is enabled, if it's accepting jobs, if it's shareable, what to do when printing errors occur, etc.

3.7.2.3. Access Control

By default, all users can print on the system printers, if you want to limit the users that can or cannot print on your system, fill the field and click the Add button to add user names to the Users list and then choose the following:

  • Allow printing for everyone except these users to deny printing to the listed users

  • Deny printing for everyone except these users to allow printing only to the listed users.

The example shows that only users peter and queen can print.

3.7.2.4. Printer Options

Allows you to change the default paper size, printout mode and quality settings.

3.7.2.5. Job Options

Allows you to change various print job parameters, such as the number of copies, scaling, orientation, etc.