Detecting and Configuring a Printer

Setting up a printer in Linux used to be so difficult that previous editions of this book included an entire chapter filled with command-line magic and scary looking configuration files. The setup is no longer as difficult in most cases.

Ubuntu includes drivers for many printers, and it is usually easier to install and use a printer in Ubuntu than in other operating systems. (This is not an absolute rule, though.) Some printer manufacturers do not write and release drivers for Linux, and for some printers no open source driver exists. Before you buy a printer, it is a good idea to spend some time on the Internet searching for printers that are known to work with Linux. One great resource is the Open Printing ...

Get Ubuntu Unleashed 2014 Edition: Covering 13.10 and 14.04,Ninth Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.