How to add a printer on Linux

Connect the printer to the same network as your computer, or plug in its USB cable, and turn it on. Recent versions of Ubuntu and Fedora often make driverless printers available by themselves, so open any app, press Ctrl + P and look for the printer in the list. If it's there and a test page prints, you're done.

On Ubuntu, Fedora Workstation and other GNOME desktops, open Settings > Printers and click Add Printer, entering your password if asked. Pick the printer from the list, or type its IP address or host name into the search box at the top of the window to find it directly.

On KDE Plasma desktops, open System Settings > Printers and choose to add a printer. On Linux Mint, open the Printers tool from the menu and click Add. Both list printers found on the network and over USB, and let you enter an address for one that isn't listed.

When the add dialog offers a choice of driver or connection, prefer entries labelled IPP Everywhere, driverless or IPP network printer. These use the printer's own description of its features, so two-sided printing, trays and color usually work without extra software. Generic PCL or PostScript drivers are a fallback for older printers.

Every CUPS system has a browser-based admin page. Open http://localhost:631, go to Administration > Add Printer, and sign in with your Linux username and password when asked; your account needs administrator rights. The page may switch to a secure address and show a certificate warning, which is normal for this page on your own computer. It's also handy for checking queues and cancelling stuck jobs.

If you know the printer's IP address and it supports IPP Everywhere, one command adds it. Replace the name and address in the example with your own; -m everywhere tells CUPS to build the settings from information the printer reports. Then run lpoptions -d Office_Printer to make it your default printer.

Some older or budget printers don't support driverless printing and need a driver. Check your distribution's software tool or package manager first for packages such as Gutenprint or HPLIP, which cover many models, then the downloads for your model on the manufacturer's official support website, where some makers offer .deb and .rpm packages. Avoid drivers or install scripts from unofficial sites.

For some PostScript printers, the maker supplies a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file rather than a full driver. In the add printer dialog or on the CUPS web page, choose the option to provide a PPD file and select it. CUPS treats PPD files as an older approach, so use driverless setup instead whenever the printer supports it.

Run lpstat -t to see whether the CUPS scheduler is running, which printers are set up and enabled, and which jobs are waiting. If a printer shows as disabled, re-enable it with sudo cupsenable followed by its name, and clear stuck jobs with cancel -a. For more detail, read the CUPS log with journalctl -u cups or in /var/log/cups/error_log.