Specifications

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10 Working with the Print Service
Use this chapter to learn the commands to configure and
manage the Print service.
This chapter covers the commands needed to view, modify, or change Print service
settings.
Print service in Mac OS X Server lets you share network and direct-connect
printers among clients on your network. Print service also includes support for
managing print queues, monitoring print jobs, extensive logging, and using print
quotas.
For more information, see Print Service Administration.
Understanding the Print Process
Apple’s printing infrastructure is built on the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS).
CUPS uses open standards, such as Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) and PostScript
Printer Description (PPD) files. Tools derived from the old LPD and LP systems are fully
integrated with the printing system.
You can add a print queue with Printer Setup Utility or from the command line, and
print to it from a Mac OS X application or the command line. CUPS allows Mac OS X to
support all printers that other UNIX systems support.
The CUPS daemon is /usr/sbin/cupsd. Mac OS X applications and tools communicate
with the daemon using IPP. IPP uses UDP and HTTP for transport over IP. Some
configuration files that affect the behavior of cupsd reside in /etc/cups/. When you
make a change to printer sharing or to the printer list using Mac OS X applications or
tools, you modify cupsd.conf or printers.conf, respectively.
To prepare files for printing, cupsd invokes other tools called filters and backends.
These reside in subfolders of /usr/libexec/cups/.