Applications vary enormously in the quality of their interface into the print system:
Programs with the most advanced print control, such as OpenOffice.org, load the list of queues from CUPS, including each queue's capabilities. They also let you set print optionssuch as duplexing, ink mode, paper type, and resolutionusing the Properties button in the print dialog.
Other applications, such as Firefox and Evince, load the queue list but don't permit full control over print options. You can select the queue from a drop-down list in the print dialog.
Many other programs such as xpdf simply allow you to specify the lpr command to be used; queue selection is performed using lpr 's -P option.
The printer icon in the GNOME panel's notification area is provided by the eggcups program.
2.5.3. What About...
2.5.3.1. ...creating a group of similar printers that are accessed on a first-available-printer basis?
This is called a printer class; to create one, use the New Class button in the graphical configuration tool. Add the desired printers to the printer class and click Apply; you can then print to the printer class instead of a specific printer, and the first available printer will be used to print your document.
2.5.3.2. ...setting up more than one queue for a printer?
Not only is it possible to set up more than one queue for a printer, it's a good idea, because each queue can have a different driver configuration.
For example, I have a color inkjet printer, which is used in text mode with plain paper and in a photo mode with photo paper. I have created three separate queues: color0-draft for fast, low-quality printing that saves ink; color0 for regular printing; and color0-photo for photo printing. The appropriate driver options have been set for each. Although it is possible to create just one queue and set the resolution and paper type within some applications, not all applications are capable of setting those options, and it's simply faster and more convenient to have preconfigured queues. Similarly, I have single- and double-sided queues for my laser printer.
Printer queues are created with default driver options. To adjust the driver options, create the queue, and then use the Printer Options tab to access the driver settings.
2.5.3.3. ...making a PDF instead of printing?
Many applications that don't provide PDF output do provide the ability to print to a file instead of printing to an output queue; this feature can be used to save a PostScript copy of the print request, which you can then convert to a PDF by using Ghostscript via the ps2pdf script.
For example, you could "print" from Firefox to the file bankstatement.ps and then convert bankstatement.ps to bankstatement.pdf with this command:
$ ps2pdf bankstatement.ps
The resulting PDF file can be viewed with Evince, xpdf, or Adobe Acrobat Reader (not installed by default).
2.5.3.4. ...using an HP multifunction printer?
HP produces several lines of multifunction printer/copier/scanner devices that use a multiplexed communication protocol; the printer and scanner are accessed through a single connection. The software necessary to access these devices is built into Fedora Core; just ensure that the hplip service is running.
2.5.4. Where Can I Learn More?
The manpages for lpr , lpq , and lprm
LinuxPrinting.org (home of Foomatic and compatibility reports for hundreds of different printers): http://www.linuxprinting.org
CUPS web site: http://www.cups.org
Ghostscript web site: http://www.ghostscript.com
Configuring your firewall to permit remote access to CUPS printers: "Preventing Unwanted Connections"
Configuring the print service to start automatically (or not to start): Lab 4.5, "Using Runlevels "
Sharing printers using Microsoft Windows File & Print sharing: "Configuring Samba to Share Files with Windows"
2.6. Configuring Sound
Fedora Core contains drivers for many different types of sound cards. However, it may be necessary to configure the sound path or select from different sound devices before your sound output is usable.
2.6.1. How Do I Do That?
Fedora provides two tools for configuring sound: the Soundcard Detection tool and the audio mixer.
To access the Soundcard Detection tool, select System→Administration→Soundcard Detection (or Administration→Soundcard Detection in KDE). The window shown in Figure 2-21 will appear.
Figure 2-21. Soundcard Detection window
This window offers a minimal set of options: basically, you can select the default device to be used, and you can play a test sound.
To test your sound card, make sure that your speakers are plugged in and turned on, then click the Play button. You should hear a guitar chord played on the right, then the left, and then the right+left channels. If you don't, try selecting different device tabs (on the left side of the window) and PCM Device settings (at the bottom of the window) until you find a combination that works. Your system may have multiple sound cards (e.g., both a motherboard and PCI sound card), or there may be sound devices on your sound card that are not connected to a sound path that goes to your speakers; they may instead go to a modem, headphone jack, or thin air.
If you still don't hear anything, then it's time to break out the Volume Control/Mixer. In GNOME, you can do this either by right-clicking on the volume-control panel applet (the icon that looks like a speaker, shown way back in Figure 2-2) and selecting Open Volume Control, or by selecting the menu option System→Preferences→Volume Control; the window shown on the right in Figure 2-22 will appear. In KDE, select Sound and Video→KMix or, if there's a volume-control icon in your panel, right-click it and select Show Mixer Window. The KMix window is shown on the left in Figure 2-22.
Figure 2-22. KDE KMix (left) and GNOME Volume Control (right)
To change which sound device is being configured, click File→Change Device and select the device from the list (in KMix, select the device using the "Current mixer" control).
Make sure the sound device you are configuring with the Volume Control/Mixer is the same device you are testing with the Soundcard Detection tool!
Modern sound chips have many different inputs, outputs, and processing sections, but not all sound card designs implement all of these features, and even if the features are implemented, some of the inputs and outputs may not be connected to anything, or they may be connected to an input or output labeled with a different name. KMix presents controls for almost every available input, output, sound path routing option, and switch; GNOME's Volume Control lets you configure which controls you wish to display. This reduces clutter on the screen, but it also means that required controls may not be visible until you enable them.