Documentation / Chapter 7. Managing Print Jobs
	6.2. Configuring Kerry		7.2. Monitoring Print Jobs in KDE

Managing Print Jobs

Contents

7.1. Starting Print Jobs in KDE
7.2. Monitoring Print Jobs in KDE

Printers can either be connected to your system locally or accessed over a network. There are several ways to set up a printer in openSUSE: with YaST, or on the command line. There are also desktop tools in KDE or GNOME for setting up printers but we recommend to use YaST for this task.

Refer to Section “Setting Up a Printer” (Chapter 2, Setting Up Hardware Components with YaST, ↑Start-Up) for detailed information how to configure printers with YaST.

	Troubleshooting
If you have problems configuring your printer, ask your system administrator. An in-depth coverage of printer configuration for administrators can be found in Chapter Printer Operation (↑Reference).

This chapter describes how to set up printers with the KDE Printing Manager. After configuring the printer correctly, you can address it from any application.

Starting Print Jobs in KDE

In KDE, you usually start print jobs with KPrinter. This application is started automatically each time you print from a KDE application. In the KPrinter dialog, choose a printer and edit the Properties of your print job, such as page orientation, pages per sheet, and duplex printing.

	Sending Files to a Printer without Opening the Application
You can also start KPrinter manually by pressing Alt+F2 and entering kprinter. This is useful if you want to print one or several files without starting the application to view or edit the file. The KPrinter dialog then additionally includes the Files tab, where you can determine the files to print. Either drag them from the desktop and drop them into the list or use the file dialog to locate them.

Sending Files to a Printer without Opening the Application

You can also start KPrinter manually by pressing Alt+F2 and entering kprinter. This is useful if you want to print one or several files without starting the application to view or edit the file. The KPrinter dialog then additionally includes the Files tab, where you can determine the files to print. Either drag them from the desktop and drop them into the list or use the file dialog to locate them.

To specify the number of copies and various other options, click Expand at the bottom left. The window then expands and shows three tabs: Copies, Advanced Options, and Additional Tags. See Figure 7.1, “Starting a Print Job with KPrinter”.

Figure 7.1. Starting a Print Job with KPrinter

The Copies tab determines the page selection (all pages of the selected document, the currently selected one, or a range) and the number of copies. You may also choose to print only the even or only the odd numbered pages of the selected document. Use Advanced Options to specify any additional information for the print job. Enter any Billing information if needed or set a custom page label at the top and bottom of the page. The Job Priority can also be set here. The last tab, Additional Tags is rarely needed. Once your print job has been filed, you can watch its progress using KJobViewer.