PRINTERS(5) File Formats and Configurations PRINTERS(5)
NAME
printers - user-configurable printer alias database
SYNOPSIS
$HOME/.printers
DESCRIPTION
The
$HOME/.printers file is a simplified version of the system
/etc/printers.conf file. See
printers.conf(5). Users create the
$HOME/.printers file in their home directory. This optional file is
customizable by the user.
The
$HOME/.printers file performs the following functions:
1. Sets personal aliases for all print commands.
2. Sets the interest list for the
lpget,
lpstat, and
cancel commands. See
lpget(8),
lpstat(1) and
cancel(1).
3. Sets the default printer for the
lp,
lpr,
lpq, and
lprm commands. See
lp(1),
lpr(1B),
lpq(1B), and
lprm(1B).
Entries
Use a line or full screen editor to create or modify the
$HOME/.printers file.
Each entry in
$HOME/.printers describes one destination. Entries are
one line consisting of two fields separated by either BLANKs or TABs
and terminated by a NEWLINE. Format for an entry in
$HOME/.printers varies according to the purpose of the entry.
Empty lines can be included for readability. Entries can continue on
to multiple lines by adding a backslash (`
\') as the last character
in the line. The
$HOME/.printers file can include comments. Comments
have a pound sign (`
#') as the first character in the line, and are
terminated by a NEWLINE.
Setting Personal Aliases
Specify the alias or aliases in the first field. Separate multiple
aliases by a pipe sign (`
|'). Specify the destination in the second
field. A destination names a printer or class of printers, See
lpadmin(8). Specify the destination using atomic, URI-style
(
scheme://endpoint), or POSIX-style (
server:destination) names. See
printers.conf(5) for information regarding the naming conventions for
destination names.
Setting the Interest List for lpget, lpstat and cancel Specify
_all in the first field. Specify the list of destinations for
the interest list in the second field. Separate each destinations by
a comma (`
,'). Specify destinations using atomic, URI-style
(
scheme://endpoint), or POSIX-style (
server:destination) names. See
printers.conf(5) for information regarding the naming conventions for
destination names. This list of destinations can refer to an alias
defined in
$HOME/.printers.
Setting the Default Destination
Specify
_default in the first field. Specify the default destination
in the second field. Specify the default destination using atomic,
URI-style (
scheme://endpoint), or POSIX-style (
server:destination)
names. See
printers.conf(5) for information regarding the naming
conventions for destination names. The default destination can refer
to an alias defined in
$HOME/.printers.
Locating Destination Information
The print client commands locate destination information based on the
"printers" database entry in the
/etc/nsswitch.conf file. See
nsswitch.conf(5).
Locating the Personal Default Destination
The default destination is located differently depending on the
command.
The
lp command locates the default destination in the following
order:
1.
lp command's
-d destination option.
2.
LPDEST environment variable.
3.
PRINTER environment variable.
4.
_default destination in
$HOME/.printers.
5.
_default destination in
/etc/printers.conf.
The
lpr,
lpq, and
lprm commands locate the default destination in the
following order:
1.
lpr command's
-P destination option.
2.
PRINTER environment variable.
3.
LPDEST environment variable.
4.
_default destination in
$HOME/.printers.
5.
_default destination in
/etc/printers.conf.
Locating the Interest List for lpget, lpstat, and cancel The
lpget,
lpstat, and
cancel commands locate the interest list in
the following order:
1.
_all list in
$HOME/.printers.
2.
_all list in
/etc/printers.conf.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Setting the Interest List
The following entry sets the interest list to destinations
ps,
secure, and
dog at server
west and
finance_ps:
_all ps,secure,west:dog,lpd://server/printers/queue Example 2: Setting Aliases to a Printer
The following entry sets the aliases
ps,
lp, and
lw to
sparc_printer:
ps|lp|lw sparc_printer Example 3: Setting an Alias as a Default Destination
The following entry sets the alias
pcl to
hplj and sets it as the
default destination:
pcl|_default hplj Example 4: Setting an Alias to a Server Destination
The following entry sets the alias
secure to destination
catalpa at
server
tabloid:
secure tabloid:catalpa Example 5: Setting an Alias to a Site Destination
The following entry sets the alias
insecure to destination
legal_ps using IPP:
insecure ipp://server/printers/legal_psFILES
/etc/printers.conf System printer configuration database
$HOME/.printers User-configurable printer database
ou=printers LDAP version of
/etc/printers.conf printers.conf.byname NIS version of
/etc/printers.confATTRIBUTES
See
attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:
+--------------------+-----------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+--------------------+-----------------+
|Interface Stability | Stable |
+--------------------+-----------------+
SEE ALSO
cancel(1),
lp(1),
lpstat(1),
lpq(1B),
lpr(1B),
lprm(1B),
nsswitch.conf(5),
printers.conf(5),
attributes(7),
standards(7),
lpadmin(8),
lpget(8) System Administration Guide: Basic AdministrationNOTES
$HOME/.printers is referenced by the printing commands before further
name resolution is made in
/etc/printers.conf or the name service. If
the alias references a destination defined in
/etc/printers.conf, it
is possible that the destination is defined differently on different
systems. This could cause output to be sent to an unintended
destination if the user is logged in to a different system.
February 25, 2017 PRINTERS(5)
