How to print on linux without losing your sanity

Printing on linux can be a little confusing, this guide aims to walk through getting printing working easily.

Printing on Linux is mainly done with CUPS, which provides the backend on many Linux distributions, although many distros add a frontend.

If the frontent provides a poor interface, often the CUPS web interface can be used to get a better idea of what is avaialbel to use the printer, on port 631.

Method 1: IPP

The easisest way to get printing working on Linux right now is IPP, which is a standardised protocol designed to allow all printers to work in the same way. Apple brands its extention of IPP as AirPrint, so almost all printers that support AirPrint will work with Linux

When adding a printer, using IPP will often provide the best results

Method 2: Drivers

Sometimes, either the printer doesn't work properly with IPP, or IPP does not support all of the printers features

There is project called Gutenprint which offers drivers for many printers and in some cases will work with the printer better than IPP

Sometimes, the manafacturer provides their own drivers to work with their printers, these can often be a pain to install, but can work better than the other options as a last resort.