Quick Start Guide

WARNING: Changing Cable Connections in a Running System
When connecting the printer to the machine, do not forget that only USB devices
can be plugged in or unplugged during operation. To avoid damaging your system
or printer, shut down the system before changing any connections that are not
USB.
14.3 Installing the Software
PPD (PostScript printer description) is the computer language that describes the
properties of a printer, like resolution, and options, such as the availability of a duplex
unit. These descriptions are required for using various printer options in CUPS.
Without a PPD le, the print data would be forwarded to the printer in a “raw” state,
which is usually not desired. During the installation of openSUSE, many PPD les are
preinstalled.
To congure a PostScript printer, the best approach is to get a suitable PPD le. Many
PPD les are available in the package manufacturer-PPDs, which is automatically in-
stalled within the scope of the standard installation. See Section 14.7.2, “PPD Files
in Various Packages” (page 173) and Section 14.8.2, “No Suitable PPD File Available
for a PostScript Printer” (page 175).
New PPD les can be stored in the directory /usr/share/cups/model/ or added to the
print system with YaST as described in Section 14.4.1.1, “Adding Drivers with
YaST” (page 167). Subsequently, the PPD le can be selected during the printer setup.
Be careful if a printer manufacturer wants you to install entire software packages.
First, this kind of installation may result in the loss of the support provided by open-
SUSE and second, print commands may work dierently and the system may no
longer be able to address devices of other manufacturers. For this reason, the instal-
lation of manufacturer software is not recommended.
14.4 Setting Up a Printer
YaST can be used to congure a local printer that is directly connected to your ma-
chine (normally with USB or parallel port) and to set up printing with network printers.
It is also possible to share printers over the network.
In YaST, click Hardware > Printer to start the printer module. By default it opens in
the Printer Congurations view, displaying a list of all printers that are available and
congured. This is especially useful when having access to a lot of printers via the
network. From here you can also Print a Test Page and congure local printers.
14.4.1 Conguring Local Printers
Usually a local USB printer is automatically detected. There are two possible reasons
why a USB printer is not automatically detected:
Printer Operation 165