Linux.com: Linux Printing: Much Done and More to Do

“In the last seven years, printing on Linux has undergone a
metamorphosis. Barely adequate printing support, provided on a
program by program basis, has been transmuted by a half dozen
projects into a wealth of options comparable to those available on
Windows or the Mac OS. Where printer manufacturers once ignored
Linux, a growing number support it and the rest are watching
closely. Standardization and support for multiple distributions
remain major problems, but community and corporate interests have
recently started working together to address these last remaining
problems.

“Around the turn of the millennium, printing on Linux was
haphazard and basic. Depending on the distribution, It was
controlled via the lpr or LPRng systems, which are not controls for
printers so much as for print spoolers–the queues for jobs sent to
printers…”

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