MobileCUPS and Raspberry Pi AirPrinting

CUPS and Raspberry Pi AirPrinting

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While printing to paper perpetually seems to be “going the way of the Dodo,” the need to print something on an actual piece of paper nonetheless has a way of showing up when we least expect (or desire) to see it. Naturally, no one who encounters this need on a mobile device really wants to get up and print the same document from a traditional computer. As anyone who frequently uses the AirPrint feature on an iPhone can attest, most consumer-grade printers’ support for AirPrint is sketchy at best. For most, all it takes is for the printer to go into an extended sleep and it is no longer available for AirPrint until it is manually woken up by a human.

Leveraging Linux and the Raspberry Pi for AirPrint

For many decades Unix – and later on Linux – has offered robust printer-sharing solutions. CUPS, shorthand for Common Unix Printing System, is the go-to server tool for managing access to printers that need to be shared with multiple users on a network. The Raspberry Pi device offers a low-cost hardware solution, both in terms of purchase cost and operational cost, that allows for users to leverage Linux and CUPS for the purposes of sharing a printer over a network.

A Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM running Raspberry Pi OS version 11 (Bullseye) was used for the purposes of this embedded programming tutorial. The default pi user account was used to configure the service. The printer used for this demonstration was a Canon MG 3222. The Raspberry Pi device must be connected to the same LAN that the iOS devices are connected to. This doesn’t mean that it must be connected wirelessly. Ideally the Raspberry Pi should have a wired Ethernet connection into the same network that the Wireless Access Point or Wireless Router serves.

The Raspberry Pi OS, formerly known as Raspbian, typically includes the CUPS daemon, known as cupsd installed and set to run on boot by default. If this is not the case, the daemon can be installed and enabled using the apt package manager and systemctl service manager. If cupsd is not configured to run at boot, it must be manually enabled or printing will not work.

Read: Using a Raspberry Pi Device as an OpenVPN Server

How to Configure CUPS

To ensure that cupsd is indeed running, use the command:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ systemctl status cups

This should return a screen similar to the one below. Depending on the system setup, a sudo prefix may be required:

Verify that CUPS is installed and running

Figure 1 – Verify that CUPS is installed and running

By default, the pi user account should be configured as a member of the lpadmin Linux group. This can be verified with the command:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /etc/group | grep lpadmin

Confirm that the pi user is a member of the lpadmin group

Figure 2 – Confirm that the pi user is a member of the lpadmin group

This shows that the pi user is a member of the lpadmin group. If this is not the case, or if an account other than pi is being used, then that group assignment needs to be made before continuing or else it will not be possible to configure the print server.

How to Install the foomatic-db Package

The foomatic-db Linux package adds significantly to the list of printers that Linux is able to support, and it should be installed if not already present:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ apt list –installed | grep foomatic-db

If no results are returned, use the package manager to install it:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo apt-get install foomatic-db

How to Access CUPS

CUPS is web-managed, meaning it can be accessed by opening a browser within Raspberry Pi and browsing to https://localhost:631 (an invalid certificate warning will appear and can be dismissed). The following screen should appear:

CUPS Home Page via “fake” https

Figure 3 – CUPS Home Page via “fake” https

IMPORTANT NOTE: While cupsd is not typically configured by default to allow access to the web administration page from outside of localhost, this is not guaranteed. It should also be verified that the device cannot be browsed to externally.

Verifying Printer Configuration

As not every printer plays nicely with Linux, it will be necessary to confirm that the printer is both connected to the Raspberry Pi device and configured in the Raspberry Pi OS. Fortunately, CUPS makes it easy to do both. Make sure that the printer is connected directly to the Raspberry Pi device via USB. Within the CUPS homepage, click on the “Administration” tab and the following screen should appear:

CUPS Administration Tab

Figure 4 – CUPS Administration Tab

Click on the “Add Printer” button. A prompt for the credentials will appear. For this demonstration, the userid and password of the pi user account will be entered. Note that only members of the lpadmin group will be able to successfully authenticate at this prompt.

IMPORTANT NOTE: cupsd by default allows for both http and https access. This can be managed in the configuration file, but in the meantime, be mindful to not enter passwords on an http page. If this page is to be accessed remotely, it is strongly recommended to use a proper SSL certificate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Modern Linux installations should never be configured with a root password or allow for direct root login, but if the Raspberry Pi device is configured in such a way, the root password should never under any circumstances be used here.

Authentication Page - Credentials for lpadmin group member needed

Figure 5 – Authentication Page – Credentials for lpadmin group member needed

Upon successfully logging in, any supported printer will be detected. In this case, the desired printer is the Canon MG3200 series, as the printer is a Canon MG3222 printer:

Initial Printer Selection

Figure 6 – Initial Printer Selection

Select the printer and click the “Continue” button. A suitable description and name should be used for the printer, and the “Share This Printer” checkbox should be checked:

Printer Description Entry

Figure 7 – Printer Description Entry

Upon completing this page, click the “Continue” button:

Extended Printer Model Selection thanks to foomatic-db

Figure 8 – Extended Printer Model Selection thanks to foomatic-db

The addition of the foomatic-db package enabled the Canon MG3222 printer to be automatically discovered by CUPS, and provided a suggested driver for the same. If the printer’s make and model are not listed, it is possible, albeit far more difficult, to make use of a PPD (PostScript Printer Definition) file if one can be found for that printer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: While it is possible to copy a PPD file from another system, there is no guarantee that it will work, as there may be settings hard-coded within the PPD file for that other system.

Upon selecting the appropriate printer make and model, click the “Add Printer” button. The next screen will allow for the printer’s default options to be set:

Printer Options - Updated with Desired Values

Figure 9 – Printer Options – Updated with Desired Values

Note that for some printers, it will be necessary to scroll the page to see all of the options along with the “Set Default Options” button. Note, also, that there may be other options under other tabs, including “Banners” and “Policies” tabs. These should be verified before continuing. Depending on the printer, not all of the tabs may be present.

Once the desired default settings are in place, click the “Set Default Options” button. The completed setup screen (take note of the “Not Shared” bit) should then appear after an automatic refresh of a shorter confirmation screen:

Completed Printer Setup

Figure 10 – Completed Printer Setup

From this screen, click on the “Administration” tab in the very top menu bar once again.

Enabling Sharing

Figure 11 – Enabling Sharing

Click both the “Share printers connected to this system” and the “Allow printing from the Internet” options.

IMPORTANT NOTE: With this setup, the only thing preventing anyone from anywhere in the world from printing to this printer is a properly configured network firewall.

Click the “Change Settings” button here.

CUPS Server Restarting

Figure 12 – Server Restarting

IMPORTANT NOTE: The refresh settings of this page may be too fast to wait for the cupsd server to restart, and an error message may appear here. If that happens, wait a few seconds and refresh the page.

The Administration page will now appear as above, with the sharing settings checked.

Read: Using the Internet of Things (IoT) with .NET

Optional Step: Configure Default Printer

If any printing is to be done from the Raspberry Pi device itself, then this printer should be configured as the default for this device. This is not needed for any AirPrint or other remote client though.

iOS Setup with CUPS

The following Apple devices were used for this demonstration:

  • iPhone SE Second Generation running iOS 15.1
  • iPad 6th Generation running iOS 15.1

Both of these devices are connected to a WiFi network, which connects to a wired network on which the Raspberry Pi device sits. All devices are on the same TCP/IP network segment.

The easiest way to set up a printer in iOS is to load up content that one wishes to print, and then use the “Print” dialog from within the application. For this demonstration, consider the image below created in the “Notes” app on the iPhone:

iOS and CUPs tutorial

Figure 13 – A poorly drawn “Hello World” image, suitable for framing.

Each app has its own way of printing, but for the “Notes” app, it can be done by pressing the “Done’ button upon completion of the drawing, pressing the button that replaces it, and sliding the submenu up from the bottom of the screen:

CUPS and iOS Tutorial

CUPS iOS tutorials

Figures 14 and 15 – Printing from the “Notes” app

While each app has its own way of printing, the printing process for any given app, once it is accessed, is usually the same. On this particular iPhone, there is no existing printer configured, so there is “No Printer Selected” initially:

CUPS print dialogue

Figure 16 – The initial Print dialog with no printer configured

Tapping the “No Printer Selected” button enables the iPhone to look for any AirPrint printers that are available, and, sure enough, the one running on the Raspberry Pi device will show up:

CUPS and AirPrint tutorial

Figure 17 – Finding the new AirPrint Printer

Tapping on the “Canon MG3200 series” button will reveal the “Print” button, along with any one-time customizations that may be desired for the particular print job:

CUPS AirPrint tutorial

Figure 18 – The actual “Print” button

Tapping the “Print” button yields the finished product:

Guide to CUPS and AirPrinting

Figure 19 – The Printed Output

Going Further: Other Devices on CUPS

This setup, of course, is not limited to just iOS devices. It can work with any network-enabled device that can communicate with CUPS. These include Windows computers, Mac OSX computers, and Android devices.

Read: Working with Embedded Databases in Java

Conclusion to Raspberry Pi and Cups Airprinting

The Raspberry Pi can provide a robust local print server that can meet the needs of the occasional or even frequent print user. It takes the frustration out of poor quality AirPrint implementations and it can even create AirPrint access with printers that do not support AirPrint, provided that they can work with CUPS. The other major advantage of using this device is that the costs of leaving it on 24/7 while connected to the network are negligible.

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