Set Up a Printer and Scanner on Linux

Linux printing and scanning have improved dramatically. Most modern printers speak IPP Everywhere (driverless printing), meaning CUPS can configure them with zero extra packages. Scanners use SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy), which covers USB and network devices. This guide walks through both, from installing CUPS to verifying a network scan, with cross-distro commands throughout.

Install and Enable CUPS

CUPS is the standard print server on every major desktop Linux distro. On many systems it is already installed; verify before adding packages.

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cups cups-browsed

Fedora / RHEL / Rocky

sudo dnf install cups cups-browsed

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S cups cups-browsed

Once installed, enable and start the CUPS daemon with systemd:

sudo systemctl enable --now cups
sudo systemctl enable --now cups-browsed

cups-browsed handles automatic discovery of network printers via DNS-SD/mDNS. If your printer is on the local network, it will usually appear in the CUPS web UI and your desktop print dialog within seconds.

Add Your User to the lpadmin Group

Without group membership, non-root users cannot manage printers through the web UI or command line.

sudo usermod -aG lpadmin $USER

Log out and back in (or run newgrp lpadmin in the current shell) for the change to take effect.

Use the CUPS Web Interface

CUPS ships a built-in web UI at http://localhost:631. Open it in any browser. The main tabs are Home, Administration, Classes, Jobs, and Printers.

Add a Network Printer (IPP Everywhere / Driverless)

1. Go to Administration → Add Printer. You will be prompted for your Linux username and password.
2. Under Discovered Network Printers, your printer should appear listed as IPP Everywhere or driverless. Select it.
3. Give it a name (no spaces), a description, and a location. Click Continue.
4. CUPS will auto-select the IPP Everywhere or driverless model—accept it and click Add Printer.
5. Set default options (paper size, colour mode) on the next screen and click Set Default Options.

If the printer does not appear automatically, choose Internet Printing Protocol (ipp) or AppSocket/HP JetDirect from the manual list and enter the printer's IP address in the form ipp://192.168.1.50/ipp/print.

Add a USB Printer

Plug in the printer. It will appear under Local Printers in the Add Printer wizard. Most USB printers also support driverless IPP; select that model when offered. If not, CUPS will suggest a PPD from its database or from the foomatic collection.

Manufacturer Drivers (When You Need Them)

Older HP printers work best with hplip. Canon and Epson ship proprietary PPD packages from their websites. Only install these if driverless printing produces incorrect output.

# HP printers (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install hplip

# HP printers (Fedora)
sudo dnf install hplip

# HP printers (Arch)
sudo pacman -S hplip

After installing hplip, run hp-setup as your regular user to configure the device.

Verify Printing from the Command Line

List available printers, then send a test page:

lpstat -p -d

Output will show printer names and which is the default—it varies by setup. Then:

lp -d PrinterName /usr/share/cups/data/testprint

Replace PrinterName with the name you assigned. A job ID is returned; track it with lpstat -W completed.

Install and Configure SANE for Scanning

SANE provides the backend drivers. sane-utils gives you the scanimage command-line tool. For a GUI, Simple Scan (GNOME) or Skanlite (KDE) sit on top of SANE.

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt install sane-utils libsane-extras simple-scan

Fedora / RHEL / Rocky

sudo dnf install sane-backends sane-backends-drivers-scanners simple-scan

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S sane simple-scan

Add Your User to the scanner Group

sudo usermod -aG scanner $USER

On some distros the group is called lp instead. Check with grep -i scan /etc/group.

Detect Devices

scanimage -L

A detected USB or network scanner appears as a device string like device `hpaio:/usb/OfficeJet' is a HP OfficeJet flatbed scanner. If nothing appears, see Troubleshooting below.

Network Scanners

Network-attached scanners (those connected to a router or accessed over LAN) need an extra step. SANE's net backend lets a client machine reach a scanner shared by a server, or you can use the airscan backend for modern eSCL/WSD devices.

eSCL / AirScan (Most Modern Printers)

Install the sane-airscan backend—it supports Apple AirScan (eSCL) and WSD, used by most current multi-function printers:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install sane-airscan

# Fedora
sudo dnf install sane-airscan

# Arch
sudo pacman -S sane-airscan

No configuration is required. Run scanimage -L again; the printer's scanner will appear. Simple Scan and Skanlite also pick it up automatically.

SANE Network Backend (Older Setups)

If the scanner is shared via a SANE server on another Linux box, edit /etc/sane.d/net.conf on the client and add the server's IP:

echo "192.168.1.20" | sudo tee -a /etc/sane.d/net.conf

On the server, add the client IP to /etc/sane.d/saned.conf and enable the saned socket:

sudo systemctl enable --now saned.socket

Verify Scanning from the Command Line

scanimage --device="" --format=png --output-file=test-scan.png

Open test-scan.png to confirm the image. Omit --device if only one scanner is present; SANE uses the first found.

Firewall Considerations

For network printing and scanning, mDNS (port 5353/UDP) must be allowed. Most desktop firewall profiles permit this by default. If you use firewalld:

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=mdns --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

For ufw:

sudo ufw allow 5353/udp

Troubleshooting

Printer Not Discovered Automatically

• Confirm cups-browsed is running: systemctl status cups-browsed.
• Check that printer and PC are on the same subnet—VLANs block mDNS.
• Ping the printer's IP, then try adding it manually via the CUPS web UI using an explicit ipp:// URI.

Jobs Stuck in Queue

• Check sudo journalctl -u cups -n 50 for errors.
• Cancel stuck jobs: cancel -a PrinterName.
• Restart CUPS: sudo systemctl restart cups.

Scanner Not Found by scanimage -L

• Unplug and replug the USB cable; run lsusb to confirm the device appears.
• Verify group membership: groups $USER should list scanner or lp.
• Check whether a firmware upload is needed: some scanners (Epson, Canon) require iscan or proprietary packages from the manufacturer's Linux download page.
• For network scanners, confirm sane-airscan is installed and that no firewall blocks port 8612/UDP (WSD) or 9100/TCP.

Poor Print Quality with Driverless Printing

Some printers render better with a manufacturer PPD. Install the vendor package, then in the CUPS web UI go to Printers → Modify Printer and switch the model to the vendor-specific one.