Printing From Linux; Common Printing Methods - Konica Minolta magicolor 2350 Reference Manual

Printing From Linux

This document describes some of the common methods used to print from a
Linux Operating System (OS) to a KONICA MINOLTA printer. These methods
range from providing minimum to maximum printing flexibility and access to
printer features from the Linux environment. A general description,
installation instructions, and application notes are included for each method.
Choose the method that best matches your printing environment and needs.
We recommend using PDQ with the XPDQ front-end for novice Linux users
as well as for any users who want to break from traditional Linux printing
techniques.
The instructions contained in this document were verified on
RedHat 6.2 OS. Instructions may vary on different Operating Systems.

Common Printing Methods

PDQ
KONICA MINOLTA printers that support printing from Linux are
shipped with the required PPDs (for use with CUPS) and PDQ drivers.
PDQ is a non-daemon-centric print system, which has a built-in and sensible
driver configuration syntax. PDQ works similarly to and takes the place of
LPD. To print, the pdq command is used instead of lpr. PDQ also includes a
file called printrc that contains all the needed information for each printer.
A printer is defined in PDQ as the combination of a "driver" and an "interface."
A PDQ interface describes how to send data to a printer. The most common
interfaces, which are defined in the PDQ distribution example printrc file, are
Local-port-—The common parallel or serial port. This interface has a
device name such as /dev/lp0.
Bsd-lpd—A bsd-lpd interface transmits over the network to an LPD
daemon or LPD-compatible network printer. It supports job
submissions, cancellations, and queries to LPD interfaces. The
bsd-lpd interface also has hostname and queuename arguments.
AppleTalk—The AppleTalk interface allows you to print over an
AppleTalk network. Use this method if you have a printer connected to
your Macintosh computer.
This interface requires that you have the Netatalk package
installed.
84—Chapter 2.7 Printing From Linux