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Setting up Uniflow printers

Nigel Stanger edited this page on 23 May
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OUDW Macs come with “Uniflow Printer - DN” installed by default. It will probably need to authenticate the first time.

Recommend setting it to “reset to defaults” after printing, so that you don’t accidentally print a bunch of stuff with the wrong preset. Set defaults in the CUPS web interface (localhost:631) if needed.

Printing with different settings

For individual documents, just print, choose the appropriate preset, and let it reset back to defaults afterwards.

To batch print a whole bunch of documents with different defaults (e.g., stapling), the best thing is to clone the queue and set it up with different defaults. Otherwise you have to remember to print one document from the app with the correct settings, ensure that “reset to defaults” is disabled, print the rest from the Finder (or drag them into the print queue), then re-enable “reset to defaults”. Too much to remember!

Cloning the queue isn’t straightforward and requires the CUPS web interface (localhost:631).

  1. Create a new queue with same settings as the existing Uniflow queue (Administration ▹ Add Printer; requires admin):

    • Select “Windows printer via spoolss”.
    • Connection: smb://unf-rpsd-p02.registry.otago.ac.nz/UO_uniFLOW_Print?encryption=no.
    • Name: something appropriate, e.g., “uo-print-dn-batch-staple”.
    • Description: something appropriate, e.g., “Uniflow Printer - DN - batch staple”.
    • Location: “University of Otago” (not that important).
    • Correct PPD is “Canon iR-ADV C5550/5560 III PPD”, available from its-software/Common/Printers/Mac/Canon Printer Drivers/Multifunction Devices [Large Photocopiers]/mac-ppd-v495-ukEN-07 [10.12.6 to 13.1, 2023-02-06].dmg: /iR-ADV C5550_5560 III/CNADVC5550IIIX1.PPD.gz (or equivalent).
    • Set defaults as required (copy from existing queue).

  2. Authentication will be confused, as there are now two items with different names but the same underlying server. Printing will continue to work for the original Uniflow queue, but the clone will be stuck at “holding for authentication” and never prompts for a password, even if you refresh. Presumably this is because the first item it finds is the password for the original queue, but the item names don’t match.

  3. Cloning a KeyChain entry is also not straightforward (never mind the continual bagdering to switch to the Passwords app). The simplest solution is to create a new entry using the security command:

    • security find-internet-password -s unf-rpsd-p02.registry.otago.ac.nz to get info on the current entry (if needed).
    • security add-internet-password -C inet -D "Network Password" -a stani07p -s "unf-rpsd-p02.registry.otago.ac.nz" -l "Uniflow Printer - DN - batch staple" -w (use the print queue description from above).
    • May need to kick things a few times, but it should eventually start authenticating on the clone queue.

  4. The simplest way to use the new queue is to open the print queue window and drag in the documents to be printer. Just watch out that macOS doesn’t quietly switch the default print queue on you.

  5. Profit!