To manually configure the printer, select Hardware+Printer in the YaST control center. This opens the main Printer Configuration window, where the detected devices are listed in the upper part. The lower part lists any queues configured so far (please refer to Section “Workflow of the Printing System” (Chapter 7, Printer Operation, ↑Reference) for more information about printer queues). If no printer was detected, both parts of the configuration window are empty. Use Edit to change the configuration of a listed printer, or Add to set up a printer not automatically detected. Editing an existing configuration uses the same dialogs as in the following description of adding a new printer.

In the Printer Configuration window you can also Delete an existing entry. Clicking on Other opens a list with advanced options: By restarting the detection you can manually start the automatic printer detection. If more than one printer is connected to the machine or more than one queue is configured for a printer, you can mark the active entry as default. CUPS Expert settings and Change IPP Listen are advanced configuration options—please refer to Chapter Printer Operation (↑Reference) for details.

Procedure 2.1. Adding a Local Printer Manually

	YaST Print Test
To make sure that everything works correctly, the crucial configuration steps can be checked with the print test function of YaST. The test page also provides important information about the configuration tested. If the output is garbled, for example, with several pages almost empty, you can stop the printer by first removing all paper then stopping the test from YaST.

1. Start YaST and choose Hardware+Printer to open the Printer Configuration dialog.

2. Click Add to open the Printer Type window.

3. Choose Directly Connected Printers.

4. Select the port the printer is connected to (usually USB or parallel port) and choose the device in the next configuration screen. It is recommended to Test the Printer Connection at this point. If problems occur, select the correct device or choose Back to recede to the previous dialog.

5. The Queue Name dialog lets you set up a printing queue. Specifying a Name for Printing is mandatory. It is recommended to choose a speaking name—with this name you can later identify the printer in the printing dialogs of applications. Use Printer Description and Printer Location to further describe the printer. This is optional, but useful if you have more than one printer connected to the machine or if you set up a print server.

   Do Local Filtering should be checked—it is needed for local printers.

6. In the Printer Model dialog you can specify the printer by Manufacturer and Model. If your printer is not listed, you can try UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER from the manufacturer list and select an appropriate standard language (the set of commands controlling the printer) from the model list (please refer to your printer's documentation to find out which language your printer understands). If this does not work, please refer to Section 2.5.1.2, “Adding PPD Files with YaST” for another possible solution.

7. The Configuration screen lists a summary of the printer setup. You will also see this dialog when editing an existing printer configuration in the start screen of this YaST module.

   Figure 2.2. Printer Configuration Summary

   The summary contains the following entries which you can also modify with Edit:

   • Name and basic settings, Printer Model, and Connection let you change entries you made while following this procedure.

   • Please refer to Section 2.5.1.3, “Choosing an alternative PPD file with YaST” for details on PPD file.

   • With Filter settings you can fine-tune the printer setup. Configure options like Page Size, Color Mode, Resolution and many other details here.

   • By default every user is able to use the printer. With Restriction settings you can either list users that are forbidden to use the printer or list users that are allowed to use it.

   • With State and banner settings you can for instance deactivate the printer by changing its state and you can specify whether a page with a Starting Banner or Ending Banner is printed before or after each job (the default is no).

If your printer does not show up in the Printer Model dialog, a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file for your model is missing (see Section “Installing the Software” (Chapter 7, Printer Operation, ↑Reference) for more information about PPD files). With Add PPD File to Database you can either add a PPD file from the local file system or from an FTP or HTTP server.

You may acquire PPD files directly from your printer vendor or from the driver CD of the printer (see Section “No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer” (Chapter 7, Printer Operation, ↑Reference) for details). An alternative source for PPD files is http://www.linuxprinting.org/, the “Linux Printing Database”. When downloading PPD files from linuxprinting.org, please keep in mind that it always shows the latest Linux support status, that is not necessarily met by openSUSE.

For many printer models several PPD files are available. When configuring the printer, YaST defaults to the one marked recommended as a general rule. To get a list of PPD files available for this printer, select the PPD file entry in the Configuration screen and click Edit (see Figure 2.2, “Printer Configuration Summary”).

Normally it should not be necessary to change the PPD file—the PPD file chosen by YaST should produce the best results. But, if you want a color printer to only print in black and white for example, it will be most convenient to use a PPD file that does not support color printing. If you experience performance problems with a postscript printer when printing graphics, it may help to switch from a PostScript PPD file to a PCL PPD file (provided your printer understands PCL).