Add a PDF printer in Ubuntu
Adding a PDF printer makes it possible to create PDF files from virtually any application, including Firefox and Thunderbird.
The first step is to install the Cups PDF plugin by opening a terminal and typing the follwing:
sudo apt-get install cups-pdf
The next step is to add the printer itself. You can open the printer settings by clicking on System – Administration – Printing, and you will see something like this:
Click on New Printer and select the PDF printer like the following image:
Select the Generic manufacturer and the postscript color model:
The last step is to assign a name for the printer, which could be anything you like.
When you print documents with the PDF printer, they will end up in the PDF directory in your home directory. Don’t worry, it will be created automatically if it doesn’t exist.
There you go. Easy to do, and very useful!
Thanks,
….
A great solution would be to have it send to a shared directory on a windows computer that you can’t usually print it from and have it auto-print anything that shows up in that directory. Than may father wouldn’t have to by a new color lazer just to run linux.
I added a feature request with regard to PDF printing a long time ago to Launchpad:
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/ spec/pdf-printing-cups-as-default
However, things are moving extremely slow – I offered help and support, but didn’t even get an answer. It is a small thing but would be very helpful for a lot of users that have no clue how to use synaptic (like my mother or wife, who all use Ubuntu)
Linspire/Freespire for example has a PDF printing functionality by default in the printer menu – I really love this.
[quote comment="41817"]Thanks,
….[/quote]
A great solution would be to have it send to a shared directory on a windows computer that you can’t usually print it from and have it auto-print anything that shows up in that directory. Than may father wouldn’t have to by a new color lazer just to run linux.
I guess you could either mount a Windows share under ~/PDF, or sync using rsync or a similar tool. Alternatively, share ~/PDF in Linux using Samba and mount it in Windows. Then create a script or small application in Windows that polls the directory and sends all PDF documents to the printer. A good exercise if you want to try some programming.
[quote comment="41846"]I added a feature request with regard to PDF printing a long time ago to Launchpad:
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/spec/pdf-printing-cups-as-default
However, things are moving extremely slow – I offered help and support, but didn’t even get an answer. It is a small thing but would be very helpful for a lot of users that have no clue how to use synaptic (like my mother or wife, who all use Ubuntu)
Linspire/Freespire for example has a PDF printing functionality by default in the printer menu – I really love this.[/quote]
Yes, this is really needed, and it’s great that you took the time to input it on Launchpad. KDE already has this functionality built-in, so if people are running Kubuntu, they are ahead in this matter.
Hello Jonny,
very good news – Till Kampeter finished the implementation today, so we will have a PDF printer by default in Gutsy!!!! I am really happy to see this!
Also my other issue, that troubled so many people (no possiblity except command line to set the screen resolution manually), was resolved a few days ago for Gutsy. I am very pleased that the developers took care of this issues that really were show stoppers for many “normal” computer users. I am also a little bit proud that I took part (well, in a very small way) in making Ubuntu better in order to fix Bug #1
More on that here:
http://vale.homelinux.net/wordpress/?p=32
Thank you very much for your support!
[quote comment="43166"]very good news – Till Kampeter finished the implementation today, so we will have a PDF printer by default in Gutsy!!!! I am really happy to see this!
Also my other issue, that troubled so many people (no possiblity except command line to set the screen resolution manually), was resolved a few days ago for Gutsy.[/quote]
Great news! I still haven’t tried Gutsy, but it seems like it will be a big step forward in so many ways.