Install a printer in UserOS

One way to manage your printers on your UserOS Select computer is via a web browser by going to http://localhost:631.

We received a question recently from a reader asking how to get a printer working in UserOS Select 10.04, our Linux-based operating system which we including on PC User's October cover DVD. To get our operating system down to just 370MB, a lot of things had to go and printing was one of them. However, getting it back again is pretty easy and you can even hook up to a printer on your home network.

One way to manage your printers on your UserOS Select computer is remotely via a web browser. Launch your browser and go to http://localhost:631. This will give you access to the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) management page. If you click on the Administration tab, you’ll be able to search for new printers and handle admin tasks. Click on the Printers tab and you’ll see the list of printers you’re connected to and their current status.

The other, more permanent way is to install CUPS and and the Samba Windows Network driver — the two features you need to talk to a printer over the network. There’ll be around 50 files to download, totalling about 40MB and taking up 136MB on your system’s hard drive. 

To do this start Terminal (Start —> Accessories —> Terminal), type in the following and then press Enter: sudo apt-get install cups system-config-printer-gnome samba smbclient. Once they’re installed, reboot your system, then follow the guide to setting up a printer with Print Manager, below.

If you wish to connect to other printers on your network, just repeat these steps for each one. You could also use UserOS Select the other way around: run it on a PC that shares a printer with other systems on the network or in other words, a print server.

So whether you wish to use CUPS management through a web browser or via the Print Manager, it isn’t too difficult to bring printing back into UserOS Select 10.04. We’re just sorry the print engine makes the operating system 10% bigger!

Setting up a printer in Print Manager

1. Launch the Printer Manager (Start —> Settings —> Printing). When the screen appears, press Ctrl-N. When the ‘New Printer’ dialog box appears, click the arrow next to ‘Network Printer’ in the Devices list and choose ‘Windows Printer via SAMBA’. This will allow you to choose any printer that’s connected to a Windows PC on your network. Click the Browse button under the ‘SMB Printer’ heading to search for Windows PCs on your network.

2. After a few seconds, a small ‘SMB Browser’ window should appear with your local network workgroup. You should even see the names of the PCs on your network. Click the arrow next to the PC where your printer is connected. Click on the printer and then the OK button.

3. Choose your printer brand from the list, click the Forward button and then select the model from the ‘Choose Driver’ window. When you’re done, click the Forward button again. Click the Apply button when the ‘Describe Printer’ window appears and then you’ll be given the option to print a test page. When you click either Cancel or OK on this screen, you’ll get back to the ‘Printing – Localhost’ screen, now with your new network printer ready to go.