CUPS / Printing

Notes for checking, creating, modifying, deleting, and troubleshooting CUPS printers on Linux/RHEL systems.

CUPS stands for Common UNIX Printing System. It manages printers, print queues, print jobs, printer access, and printer-related services.

Use this page when:

a printer is not working
a print queue is stuck
jobs are not printing
a printer queue needs to be created
a printer queue needs to be deleted
CUPS service has issues
printer network connectivity needs checking
printer settings (tray, page size, etc.) need to be changed

Important safety rule

Before changing printer settings, ask:

1. Am I on the correct server?
2. Is this production or test?
3. Which printer or queue is affected?
4. Is this one user, one printer, or all printers?
5. Am I only checking status, or changing/removing jobs?
6. Will this affect active users or print jobs?
7. Do I have approval to create, delete, disable, or restart anything?

Be careful with:

deleting printer queues
canceling all jobs
disabling queues
rejecting jobs
restarting CUPS
editing CUPS config files
changing default printer settings

Main CUPS service

CUPS service name is usually:

cups

or:

cups.service

Check CUPS service status

systemctl status cups

Alternative older command:

service cups status

Start CUPS

sudo systemctl start cups

Restart CUPS

sudo systemctl restart cups

Use carefully on shared print servers because this can affect active print jobs.

Enable CUPS at boot

sudo systemctl enable cups

CUPS logs

Check CUPS logs with journalctl

journalctl -u cups

Show latest logs:

journalctl -u cups -n 100

Follow logs live:

journalctl -u cups -f

Common CUPS log location

Depending on the system, logs may also be in:

/var/log/cups/

Check:

ls -lah /var/log/cups/

Common files:

access_log
error_log
page_log

View latest errors:

sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/cups/error_log

Follow live:

sudo tail -f /var/log/cups/error_log

Printer and queue checks

List printers

lpstat -p

List printers and full status

lpstat -t

This is one of the best first commands.

It can show:

scheduler status
default printer
printer status
queue status
print jobs

Show default printer

lpstat -d

Show available destinations

lpstat -e

Show printer details

lpstat -l -p PRINTER_NAME

Show printer device URI

Show one printer:

lpstat -v PRINTER_NAME

Show all printer device URIs:

lpstat -v

Create, modify, and delete printers

Use these commands carefully. Creating, changing, or deleting printer queues can affect users.

Modern CUPS/RHEL prefers driverless IPP printing where possible.

Use raw/socket/PPD-based queues only when required by the environment or printer model.

Create a printer queue

The main command is:

sudo lpadmin

Basic structure:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v DEVICE_URI -m DRIVER_OR_MODEL

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p <PRINTERNAME> -E -v beh:/1/0/60/socket://x.xx.xxx.xx:9100
sudo lpadmin -p <PRINTERNAME> -E -v socket://x.xx.xxx.xx:9100

Meaning:

-p = printer queue name
-E = enable printer and accept jobs
-v = device URI / printer connection
-m = printer driver/model

Preferred: create IPP Everywhere / driverless printer

Use this when the printer supports IPP Everywhere or driverless printing.

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v ipp://PRINTER_HOSTNAME/ipp/print -m everywhere

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p office_printer -E -v ipp://printer01.example.com/ipp/print -m everywhere

Encrypted IPP example:

sudo lpadmin -p office_printer -E -v ipps://printer01.example.com/ipp/print -m everywhere

Verify:

lpstat -t
lpstat -v PRINTER_NAME

AppSocket / JetDirect printer

AppSocket / JetDirect commonly uses port 9100.

Use this only when required by the printer or environment.

Example with a PPD file:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v socket://PRINTER_IP:9100 -P /path/to/printer.ppd

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p office_socket -E -v socket://192.0.2.50:9100 -P /tmp/printer.ppd

If your company uses raw queues or a special print server standard, follow the internal standard.

Do not assume this works everywhere:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v socket://PRINTER_IP:9100 -m everywhere

Use -m everywhere mainly with IPP Everywhere / driverless printing unless your environment has confirmed otherwise.

Create printer with a PPD file

If a specific PPD file is required:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v DEVICE_URI -P /path/to/file.ppd

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p office_printer -E -v socket://192.0.2.50:9100 -P /tmp/printer.ppd

Set default printer

sudo lpadmin -d PRINTER_NAME

Check default printer:

lpstat -d

Enable printer and accept jobs

After creating a printer, make sure it is enabled and accepting jobs:

sudo cupsenable PRINTER_NAME
sudo cupsaccept PRINTER_NAME

Verify:

lpstat -t

Disable printer queue

This stops the printer queue from printing jobs.

sudo cupsdisable PRINTER_NAME

Reject new jobs

This prevents new jobs from being submitted to the printer.

sudo cupsreject PRINTER_NAME

Add a reason:

sudo cupsreject PRINTER_NAME -r "Printer under maintenance"

Accept jobs again

sudo cupsaccept PRINTER_NAME

Delete a printer queue

Warning: this removes the printer queue.

sudo lpadmin -x PRINTER_NAME

Verify it is gone:

lpstat -p
lpstat -t

Rename a printer queue

CUPS does not really “rename” a printer queue directly.

Safe method:

1. Create a new printer queue with the new name.
2. Test the new queue.
3. Remove the old queue.

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p NEW_PRINTER_NAME -E -v ipp://PRINTER_HOSTNAME/ipp/print -m everywhere
lpstat -t
echo "test" | lp -d NEW_PRINTER_NAME
sudo lpadmin -x OLD_PRINTER_NAME

Modify printer device URI

Change the printer connection/URI:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -v NEW_DEVICE_URI

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p office_printer -v ipp://printer01.example.com/ipp/print

Verify:

lpstat -v PRINTER_NAME

Change printer driver/model

Using driverless IPP Everywhere:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -m everywhere

Using a PPD:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -P /path/to/file.ppd

Restart CUPS if needed:

sudo systemctl restart cups

Verify:

lpstat -t
lpoptions -p PRINTERNAME

Printer Settings Management

Check Available Settings

To list all available settings (e.g., trays, page sizes) for a printer:

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME -l

This will show all configurable options, such as:

InputSlot/Media Source (trays)
PageSize/Media Size (paper sizes)
Duplex (double-sided printing)
Resolution (print quality)

Check Current Settings

To view the current settings for a printer:

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME

Change Default Tray (InputSlot)

1. List Available Trays

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME -l | grep "InputSlot"

Example Output:

InputSlot/Media Source: Default Tray1 *Tray2 Tray3 Tray4 Manual Envelope

The * indicates the currently selected default tray.

2. Set a Default Tray

Use the lpadmin command to set the default tray:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o InputSlot=<tray_name>

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o InputSlot=Tray1

3. Verify the Change

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME | grep InputSlot

Change Default Paper Size (PageSize)

1. List Available Paper Sizes

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME -l | grep "PageSize"

Example Output:

PageSize/Media Size: Letter Legal Executive Tabloid A3 *A4 A5 B5 EnvISOB5 Env10 EnvC5 EnvDL EnvMonarch

The * indicates the currently selected default paper size.

2. Set a Default Paper Size

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o PageSize=<paper_size>

Example:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o PageSize=A4

3. Verify the Change

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME | grep PageSize

Change Other Printer Settings

You can change other settings (e.g., Duplex, Resolution) in the same way:

1. List Available Options

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME -l | grep "<option_name>"

Example for Duplex:

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME -l | grep "Duplex"

2. Set the Option

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o <option_name>=<value>

Example for Duplex:

sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -o Duplex=DuplexNoTumble

3. Verify the Change

lpoptions -p PRINTER_NAME | grep <option_name>

Set Settings for a Single Print Job

To use specific settings for a single print job (without changing the default), use the lp command:

lp -d PRINTER_NAME -o <option_name>=<value> <file>

Examples:

lp -d PRINTER_NAME -o InputSlot=Tray3 document.pdf
lp -d PRINTER_NAME -o PageSize=A4 document.pdf
lp -d PRINTER_NAME -o Duplex=DuplexNoTumble document.pdf

Restart CUPS After Changes

If changes do not take effect immediately, restart the CUPS service:

sudo systemctl restart cups

Print queue checks

Show print jobs

lpq

For a specific printer:

lpq -P PRINTER_NAME

Show jobs with lpstat

lpstat -o

For a specific printer:

lpstat -o PRINTER_NAME

Cancel one print job

cancel JOB_ID

Example:

cancel printer-123

Cancel all jobs for one printer

cancel -a PRINTER_NAME

Be careful. This removes queued jobs.

Test printing

Simple test print

echo "CUPS test print" | lp -d PRINTER_NAME

Print a file

lp -d PRINTER_NAME /path/to/file

Print using lpr

lpr -P PRINTER_NAME /path/to/file

Network printer checks

If the printer is network-based, check connectivity.

Ping printer

ping -c 4 PRINTER_IP_OR_HOSTNAME

Test DNS

dig PRINTER_HOSTNAME

or:

nslookup PRINTER_HOSTNAME

Common printer ports

631  = IPP / CUPS
9100 = AppSocket / JetDirect / raw printing
515  = LPD/LPR

Check printer port

Using nc:

nc -vz PRINTER_IP 631
nc -vz PRINTER_IP 9100

If nc is not available:

curl -v telnet://PRINTER_IP:631
curl -v telnet://PRINTER_IP:9100

Firewall checks

If the CUPS server is used by other systems, check firewall.

Check firewalld state

sudo firewall-cmd --state

List firewall rules

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

CUPS/IPP port

IPP usually uses:

631/tcp

Check listening ports:

ss -tulpn | grep :631

Configuration files

Common CUPS configuration files:

/etc/cups/cupsd.conf
/etc/cups/printers.conf
/etc/cups/ppd/

Check files:

ls -lah /etc/cups/
ls -lah /etc/cups/ppd/

Do not edit these blindly on production systems.

Restart after config changes

If configuration was changed:

sudo systemctl restart cups

Then verify:

systemctl status cups
lpstat -t
journalctl -u cups -n 100

Common issues

CUPS service is stopped

Check:

systemctl status cups

Fix:

sudo systemctl start cups

Verify:

systemctl status cups
lpstat -t

Printer queue is disabled

Check:

lpstat -t

Fix:

sudo cupsenable PRINTER_NAME
sudo cupsaccept PRINTER_NAME

Verify:

lpstat -t

Jobs are stuck

Check:

lpstat -o
lpq -P PRINTER_NAME

Cancel specific job:

cancel JOB_ID

Cancel all jobs for one printer:

cancel -a PRINTER_NAME

Verify:

lpstat -o

Printer is unreachable

Check:

ping -c 4 PRINTER_IP_OR_HOSTNAME
ip r
dig PRINTER_HOSTNAME

Check ports:

nc -vz PRINTER_IP 631
nc -vz PRINTER_IP 9100

Safe workflow for creating a printer

1. Confirm printer IP or hostname.
2. Check whether the printer supports IPP Everywhere.
3. Test network connectivity.
4. Check printer port.
5. Create queue.
6. Enable queue.
7. Accept jobs.
8. Send test print.
9. Verify with lpstat.

Commands:

ping -c 4 PRINTER_IP_OR_HOSTNAME
nc -vz PRINTER_IP 631
nc -vz PRINTER_IP 9100
sudo lpadmin -p PRINTER_NAME -E -v ipp://PRINTER_HOSTNAME/ipp/print -m everywhere
sudo cupsenable PRINTER_NAME
sudo cupsaccept PRINTER_NAME
echo "CUPS test print" | lp -d PRINTER_NAME
lpstat -t

Safe workflow for deleting a printer

1. Confirm the exact printer queue name.
2. Check if jobs are waiting.
3. Confirm nobody still needs the queue.
4. Delete the queue.
5. Verify it is removed.

Commands:

lpstat -p
lpstat -o PRINTER_NAME
sudo lpadmin -x PRINTER_NAME
lpstat -p

First command set

When I do not know what is wrong yet:

hostnamectl
systemctl status cups
lpstat -t
lpstat -p
lpstat -o
lpstat -v
ss -tulpn | grep :631
journalctl -u cups -n 100
sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/cups/error_log

Dangerous actions

Be careful with:

sudo lpadmin -x PRINTER_NAME
cancel -a PRINTER_NAME
sudo cupsdisable PRINTER_NAME
sudo cupsreject PRINTER_NAME
sudo systemctl restart cups
editing /etc/cups/printers.conf
editing /etc/cups/cupsd.conf
removing printer queues
changing default printer settings

These can affect active users and print jobs.

Personal notes

Add sanitized notes here.

Examples:

- Printer queue was disabled.
- Jobs were stuck and needed cancel.
- CUPS service was stopped.
- Printer was unreachable on network.
- Firewall blocked port 631.
- Printer needed IPP driverless setup.
- Printer required AppSocket and PPD.
- Printer settings (tray, page size) were incorrect.