13.8. Integrating additional PPD files

The technical capabilities of a printer are specified in so-called PPD files. These files include for example whether a printer can print in color, whether duplex printing is possible, whether there are several paper trays, which resolutions are supported and which printer control languages are supported (e.g., PCL or PostScript).

In addition to the PPD files already included in the standard scope, additional ones can be added via UMC modules. The PPDs are generally provided by the printer manufacturer and need to be copied into the /usr/share/ppd/ directory on the print servers.

The printer driver lists are administrated in the UMC module LDAP directory. There you need to switch to the univention container and then to the cups subcontainer. Printer driver lists already exist for the majority of printer manufacturers. These can be expanded or new ones can be added.

Table 13.4 General tab

Attribute	Description
Name (*)	The name of the printer driver list. The name under which the list appears in the Printer model selection list on the General tab for printer shares (see Creating a printer share).
Driver	The path to the ppd file or to the /usr/share/ppd/ directory. For example, if the /usr/share/ppd/laserjet.ppd should be used, laserjet.ppd must be entered here. gzip compressed files (file ending .gz) can also be entered here.
Description	A description of the printer driver, under which it appears in the Printer model selection list on the General tab for printer shares.