How to share an installed printer in linux/Debian in network

Sharing an installed printer in Debian on a network can be done using CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), which is the standard printing system for most Linux distributions.1

Step 1: Install CUPS and Printer Drivers

First, ensure you have CUPS and the necessary printer drivers installed. If you installed your printer, you likely already have these. If not, open a terminal and run:

Bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cups

You’ll also need to install the printer’s drivers. Search for them by name, like so:

Bash

sudo apt search printer-driver

Install the one that matches your printer. For a general set of drivers, you can install printer-driver-gutenprint:

Bash

sudo apt install printer-driver-gutenprint

Step 2: Configure CUPS for Network Sharing

By default, CUPS only allows connections from the local machine.2 To enable network sharing, you need to modify its configuration file.

1. Open the CUPS configuration file, /etc/cups/cupsd.conf, with a text editor. Use nano for simplicity:
   Bash
   sudo nano /etc/cups/cupsd.conf
2. Find the lines that begin with <Location />, <Location /admin>, and <Location /printers>.
3. In each of these sections, add the following lines to allow access from other computers on your network. Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with your network’s address range.

   # Allow network access
   
   Order allow,deny
   
   Allow all

   A simpler, less secure option is to use Allow @local.

4. Change the line Listen localhost:631 to Listen *:631 to allow CUPS to listen on all network interfaces, not just the loopback address.
   After editing, the sections should look something like this:

   <Location />
   
   Order allow,deny
   
   Allow all
   
   </Location>
   
   <Location /admin>
   
   Order allow,deny
   
   Allow all
   
   </Location>
   
   <Location /printers>
   
   Order allow,deny
   
   Allow all
   
   </Location>

5. Save the changes and exit the text editor (in nano, press Ctrl + O, then Enter, and then Ctrl + X).

Step 3: Restart CUPS and Enable Web Interface

Restart the CUPS service for the changes to take effect:

Bash

sudo systemctl restart cups

Next, to enable the CUPS web interface, which is a key part of managing printers, add your user to the lpadmin group:

Bash

sudo usermod -a -G lpadmin your_username

Replace your_username with your actual username. You will need to log out and log back in for this change to take effect.

Step 4: Share the Printer via Web Interface

Now, you can use the CUPS web interface to share your printer.

1. Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:631.
2. Go to the “Printers” tab.
3. Click on the printer you want to share.
4. From the “Administration” drop-down menu, select “Set as Server Default” or “Modify Printer”.
5. On the next page, check the box that says “Share this printer” or similar.
6. Follow the prompts to save your changes.

Your printer is now discoverable and available for use by other computers on your network. 🖨️

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