How to Find Your Printer from Ubuntu

Ubuntu supports local printers and network printers.

Ubuntu Linux detects most USB printers when you connect them and automatically configures and installs them. If you need to add a printer shared on a network or another type of local printer that wasn't automatically detected and configured, you can find it in the Printing dialog. The Printing dialog allows you to add printers to your system and set your default printer. Printers you add in the Printing configuration dialog appear as options when you print from applications on your Ubuntu systems.

Instructions

1. Turn on your printer and connect it to your Ubuntu computer if it's a local printer.

2. Click your name on the panel at the top of the screen and select "System Settings" in the menu.

3. Click "Printing" in the Hardware section of the System Settings window.

4. Click the "Add" button in the Printing window.

5. Select a local printer by clicking its name in the Devices list on the left or clicking the name of the port the printer is connected to. Select a remote printer by clicking "Network Printer" in the Devices list and clicking the name of the detected network printer.

6. Click the "Forward" button.

7. Select a printer driver if the required driver wasn't automatically detected, by clicking the name of the manufacturer in the list that appears, clicking "Forward," selecting the model name and clicking "Forward" again.

8. Provide a name and description for the printer by typing them into the appropriate boxes.

9. Click "Apply" to install the printer.

Tips & Warnings

• If a network printer doesn't appear in the list, click "Find Network Printer" under the Network Printer header, type the host name or the IP address at which it's hosted into the box and click "Find." If it's a printer shared by a Microsoft Windows system, click "Windows Printer via Samba" instead and type its address in the form "server/printer" into the box, replacing "server" with the name of the Windows system and "printer" with the name of the printer share.

• Set a printer as the default printer by right-clicking it in the Printing window and clicking "Set as Default."

• Click the "System" menu, point to "Administration" and click "Printing" if you're using an older version of Ubuntu.

References

• Ubuntu: Set Up a Local Printer
• Ubuntu: Printing