Tutorial for how to wirelessly print from Linux (Centos6) to aWindows XP USB printer

[Ann R.]

Do you know of a tutorial for how to print from Linux (Centos6) to a
Windows Home connected USB printer?

PRINTER: HP Laserjet connected by USB to Windows XP Home Dell PC
WINDOWS: Wired to router, WinXP Home, file & printer sharing is on
LINUX: Centos 6 (new to Linux so maybe the solution is there already?)
NETWORK: Standard home broadband wireless router setup

Request:
Is there freeware that will allow me to print, from the Centos 6 laptop,
wirelessly to the printer connected by USB to the Windows XP Home
computer?

 

[AZ]

What if its a private document and you don't want Google to
become a co-owner ?

Exactly.

Currently I'm using sneakernet (which, I admit, stinks).

From the little I understand of putting it "on the cloud", I'm just doing
a fancier more persistent sneakernet.

Placing my documents on the net is NOT what I want; I simply want a
printout from a Linux machine to a printer connected by USB cable to a
networked Windows Home XP machine.

There 'must' be freely available software to do that. Right?

 

[Ann R.]

the document does not need to be saved to the cloud

Maybe I misunderstand.

This is what I want (sitting at the Linux PC):
a) Open document
b) Select the networked printer
c) Print (to that networked printer)

This is how I 'understand' the cloud to work:
1) From Centos6 Linux, upload document to "the cloud"
2) Physically walk over to the WinXP Home PC
3) Perform steps a,b,c above on that Windows XP PC

If I understand the cloud correctly, it buys me absolutely nothing over
sneakernet (for the purpose of printing a document).

But maybe I misunderstand?

 

[Ann R.]

Start by pasting this into your browser:
http://localhost:631

Good news! I have cups.

This is what showed in my browser on Centos 6:
CUPS 1.4.2
CUPS is the standards-based, open source printing system developed by
Apple Inc. for Mac OS® X and other UNIX®-like operating systems.

I don't have a samba executable:
$ which samba (returned nothing)

But, I do seem to have samba 'things':
$ locate samba
...
/etc/samba/smb.conf
/usr/lib64/samba
/usr/share/doc/man-pages-overrides-6.3.3/samba
...
etc.

I suspect this is a key samba file:
$ cat /etc/samba/smb.conf
...
[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
browseable = no
guest ok = no
writable = no
printable = yes
...
etc.

So, I guess I need to learn what "cups" does and what "samba" does on
Centos 6 so that I can print to a printer connected by USB to a Windows XP
Home PC.

One thing I don't know how to do that may be related is to simply 'see'
any shares on the Windows XP Home laptop - which I don't know how to do
yet.

 

[Ann R.]

I'm unfamiliar with CentOS, so don't know how well it's "fleshed out" as
a desktop by default. I was under the impression it was aimed more
toward server usage than desktop, BICBW.

CentOS is pretty spartan when it comes to installing typical home
applications - but it seems to be robust otherwise.

If what I need to do is learn CUPS and SAMBA, the good news is that both
Linux freeware programs seem to be installed, by default:

$ firefox http://localhost:631 (reported: CUPS version 1.4.2)
$ smbclient --version (reported: Version 3.5.10-125.el6)

If someone could just outline the printing sequence, that would help me
understand what I need to learn.

This is what I "THINK" the sequence is:
1. On WinXP HOME, I 'share' the USB-connected printer (e.g., "my printer")
2. On Centos SAMBA, I (somehow) recognize that printer over my intranet
3. On Centos CUPS, I print a file to 'that' networked printer

Using the "locate" command (i.e., locate samba & locate cups), I see
samba has /etc/samba/smb.conf file and cups has /etc/cups/cupsd.conf so I
assume they are the configuration files I'll need to modify.

I wonder: Since what I want appears to be the most basic home network
printing need, is there a good step-by-step tutorial already out there
that you may know of that goes from Linux to Windows using cups & samba?

 

[Ann R.]

I'm unfamiliar with CentOS, so don't know how well it's "fleshed out" as
a desktop by default. I was under the impression it was aimed more
toward server usage than desktop, BICBW.

CentOS is pretty spartan when it comes to installing typical home
applications - but it seems to be robust otherwise.

If what I need to do is learn CUPS and SAMBA, the good news is that both
Linux freeware programs seem to be installed, by default:

$ firefox http://localhost:631 (reported: CUPS version 1.4.2)
$ smbclient --version (reported: Version 3.5.10-125.el6)

If someone could just outline the printing sequence, that would help me
understand what I need to learn.

This is what I "THINK" the sequence is:
1. On WinXP HOME, I 'share' the USB-connected printer (e.g., "my printer")
2. On Centos SAMBA, I (somehow) recognize that printer over my intranet
3. On Centos CUPS, I print a file to 'that' networked printer

Using the "locate" command (i.e., locate samba & locate cups), I see
samba has /etc/samba/smb.conf file and cups has /etc/cups/cupsd.conf so I
assume they are the configuration files I'll need to modify.

I wonder: Since what I want appears to be the most basic home network
printing need, is there a good step-by-step tutorial already out there
that you may know of that goes from Linux to Windows using cups & samba?

 

[Ann R.]

I'm unfamiliar with CentOS, so don't know how well it's "fleshed out" as
a desktop by default. I was under the impression it was aimed more
toward server usage than desktop, BICBW.

CentOS is pretty spartan when it comes to installing typical home
applications - but it seems to be robust otherwise.

If what I need to do is learn CUPS and SAMBA, the good news is that both
Linux freeware programs seem to be installed, by default:

$ firefox http://localhost:631 (reported: CUPS version 1.4.2)
$ smbclient --version (reported: Version 3.5.10-125.el6)

If someone could just outline the printing sequence, that would help me
understand what I need to learn.

This is what I "THINK" the sequence is:
1. On WinXP HOME, I 'share' the USB-connected printer (e.g., "my printer")
2. On Centos SAMBA, I (somehow) recognize that printer over my intranet
3. On Centos CUPS, I print a file to 'that' networked printer

Using the "locate" command (i.e., locate samba & locate cups), I see
samba has /etc/samba/smb.conf file and cups has /etc/cups/cupsd.conf so I
assume they are the configuration files I'll need to modify.

I wonder: Since what I want appears to be the most basic home network
printing need, is there a good step-by-step tutorial already out there
that you may know of that goes from Linux to Windows using cups & samba?

 

[Shadow]

Do you know of a tutorial for how to print from Linux (Centos6) to a
Windows Home connected USB printer?

PRINTER: HP Laserjet connected by USB to Windows XP Home Dell PC
WINDOWS: Wired to router, WinXP Home, file & printer sharing is on
LINUX: Centos 6 (new to Linux so maybe the solution is there already?)
NETWORK: Standard home broadband wireless router setup

Request:
Is there freeware that will allow me to print, from the Centos 6 laptop,
wirelessly to the printer connected by USB to the Windows XP Home
computer?

I set mine up ages ago, can't really remember the details,
except it took about 10 minutes.
Make sure the windows is sharing the printer, or Linux will
not find it.
Depending on the printer, you might have to download a
"driver" for it. I did, for my old Samsung laser.
Cups and Samba also needs to be installed.
This will probably help:

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting

[]'s

 

[Mike Easter]

Good news! I have cups.

But, I do seem to have samba 'things':

The article^1 I cited earlier in acf (which you posted to presumably
because you read that newsgroup, surely you don't post messages into
newsgroups to which you are not subscribed and read)

Says:

System/ Admin/ Printing
(or system-config printing)

Server/ New/ Printer
Network Printer/ Windows Printer via SAMBA

.... and so forth.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/connecting-centos-windows-printer-40725.html
Connecting CentOS to a Windows Printer

 

[Ann R.]

In Linux, samba mimics the smb protocol that Win uses for sharing. You
might want to share a file or folder in Win to test whether it can been
seen from Linux.

Thanks for the advice pointing me in the right direction.

I'll set up Samba to share a file first - and then - I'll try to get it
to share a printer.

If I can 'see' the files and printer from Linux - then I'll move on to
setting up CUPS.

Thanks!

 

[Ann R.]

This will probably help:
OpenPrinting
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting

That is a nice reference, along with this other suggested reference:

Connecting CentOS to a Windows Printer
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/connecting-centos-windows-printer-40725.html

I'm reading them as we speak.

 

[Guest]

I wonder: Since what I want appears to be the most basic home network
printing need, is there a good step-by-step tutorial already out there
that you may know of that goes from Linux to Windows using cups & samba?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUPS
http://ubuntu.paslah.com/remote-printers/
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/printing-howto.xml
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/cannot-print-to-prin
ter-on-remote-xp-box-on-network-337505/

 

[Ann R.]

I was able to print!

In the end, it was easy - once I knew how!

1. On Windows XP HOME, you have to set up file & printer sharing & share
the printer making note of the machine name, the workgroup (whatever that
is), and the printer name.

2. On Centos 6, you must open up the firewall to Samba traffic.
System > Administration > Firewall & open up [x]Samba & [x]Samba Client

3. On Centos 6, you then create a new printer.
System > Administration > Printing and selected Server > New > Printer

4. Then you select your Windows printer on the network:
Devices > Network Printer > Windows Printer via SAMBA > Browse...
(at this point you select the printer which fills out the URL below)
smb://workgroupname/winxppcname/printername

5. Now add the driver on Centos for that type of printer:
Choose Driver > printer_brand > printer_model > driver_type

6. Print a test page and make the new printer the default printer by
right clicking on the printer in the Samba SMB browser.

Voila!

 

[Shadow]

I was able to print!

In the end, it was easy - once I knew how!

1. On Windows XP HOME, you have to set up file & printer sharing & share
the printer making note of the machine name, the workgroup (whatever that
is), and the printer name.

2. On Centos 6, you must open up the firewall to Samba traffic.
System > Administration > Firewall & open up [x]Samba & [x]Samba Client

3. On Centos 6, you then create a new printer.
System > Administration > Printing and selected Server > New > Printer

4. Then you select your Windows printer on the network:
Devices > Network Printer > Windows Printer via SAMBA > Browse...
(at this point you select the printer which fills out the URL below)
smb://workgroupname/winxppcname/printername

5. Now add the driver on Centos for that type of printer:
Choose Driver > printer_brand > printer_model > driver_type

6. Print a test page and make the new printer the default printer by
right clicking on the printer in the Samba SMB browser.

Voila!

Gratz, and thanks for the feedback. I had trouble with my
printer model, it was unlisted, but I found it on that site I posted
earlier, um, lemme see

http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting
[]'s

 

[Ann R.]

Just like with Windows, doing things in Linux is easy and intuitive once
you've been through it once.

The thing I had not expected was that I didn't ever mess with CUPS or
with SAMBA per se.

I mean, all I did with CUPS was verify that it was installed.
Likewise, I didn't overtly touch any of the SAMBA configuration files.

On Centos, all I did with Samba was open up the default firewall to it:
System > Administration > Firewall
[x]Samba
[x]Samba Client

And, the only other thing I did was run these commands:
1. System > Administration > Printing
a. Up came "Printer configuration - localhost", showing local printers.
2. Server > New > Printer
b. Up came the "New Printer" "Select Device" "Enter Device URI" GUI.
3. Devices > Network Printer > Windows Printer via SAMBA > Browse...
c. Up came the "SMB Browser" where I could see all the Windows printers
4. Clicking on the desired Windows printer filled out this URI
d. smb://Workgroup/Windows_PC_name/Printer_connected_to_Windows_PC
5. Up came the "Change Driver" form where it asked to "Choose Driver"
e. Choose Driver > printer_brand > printer_model > driver_type
6. The option I chose was "(o) Select Printer From Database"
7. And then I searched for my manufacturer, make, and model in the list.
f. There were 9 (confusing) choices, so I simply took the first one
8. And then I printed a test page over the network - which worked fine!

If that Linux network-printer setup process actually edited the smb.conf
file or the cups.conf file, it was transparent to me, the user.