oden_print

A command line script to print wirelessly in the Oden Institute at UT Austin from Linux, Mac, or Windows (if you're running Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Set up

Clone this repository then add the following lines to your .bashrc or .profile file

ODEN_PRINT_MACHINE=<your username and machine, e.g [email protected]>
ODEN_PRINT_PRINTER=<your preferred printer, e.g. cp3se; use -l flag for full list>
source /path/to/oden_print.sh

This defines variables used by the script and then loads the script when your terminal starts. Now re-source the file or start a new terminal session.

It is also recommended to setup an SSH keypair to avoid having to enter your remote user password.

How to use

Typical usages for users who have done minimal and maximal setup are

# minimal, not even machine and printer are set
oden_print -m [email protected] -p cp3se file.pdf
# maximal
oden_print file.pdf

Use oden_print -h for a full help message.

Frequently used printing options

To get help of course use oden_print -h, and to get a list of available printers use oden_print -l.

To specify printing options supported by lpr use the -t flag followed by a string of options surrounded by quotation marks. Note that a -o is needed before each option.

# Passing lpr options through oden_print
oden_print -t "-o <option1> -o <option2> ..." file.pdf 

Please see the man page of lpr for documentation on available printing options. Alternatively, check out the official CUPS documentation. The options are listed at the bottom of the page. Here we review some of the most common options.

Paper size

Some older printers in POB do not play well with files using non-US-standard paper sizes (e.g. A4), likely due to mismatching between what the printer paper tray is set to and the size specified by the document. The media option thus comes in handy to ensure the printer used can handle the file smoothly. For a complete list of available media types, see the man page of lpr or the CUPS documentation linked above. For most purposes, use Letter.

# Using Letter sized paper
oden_print -t "-o media=Letter" file.pdf 

Print orientation

To print the document in landscape orientation, add -o landscape to the passthrough string. The default behavior is to print in portrait orientation.

# Printing in landscape
oden_print -t "-o landscape" file.pdf

Double-sided printing

To print a document on both sides of the paper, add -o sides=<side-options> to the passthrough string. Available options are

• two-sided-long-edge for double-sided printing in portrait orientation,
• two-sided-short-edge for double-sided printing in landscape orientation,
• one-sided for single-sided printing.

# Printing on both sides in portrait
oden_print -t "-o sides=two-sided-long-edge" file.pdf

How it works

The script sends files and print commands to an Oden workstation over a multiplexed SSH connection. Multiplexing allows you to authenticate once, even if you don't have a key pair.

Miscellaneous

If you have any trouble with the script or have any improvements let me know.