Ipp

IPP, or Internet Printing Protocol, is a network protocol used for communication between client devices and printers or print servers. It runs over HTTP or HTTPS and is designed to enable submission, control, and retrieval of print jobs across local or wide-area networks. Developed to be platform-neutral, IPP supports a standardized set of printer and job attributes and a flexible model for extending features.

The protocol follows a job-centric model: clients submit print jobs, query printer and job attributes, and control jobs and printers through a defined set of operations. Common operations include Create-Job, Print-Job, Validate-Job, Get-Printer-Attributes, Get-Job-Attributes, Cancel-Job, and Get-Jobs. Documents and job data are transmitted as part of the request, and responses convey status, progress, and detailed attributes. Printers advertise capabilities and status via attributes, enabling clients to tailor submissions and monitor outcomes.

Security and transport are integral to IPP. IPP can use TLS to provide encryption (often referred to as IPPS) and supports authentication and access control mechanisms to regulate who can submit or manage jobs. IPP is designed to work with existing web infrastructure, benefiting from HTTP's extensibility and existing firewall and proxy support.

Adoption and implementations are widespread in both open-source and commercial ecosystems. CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) implements IPP, and many printers and printer drivers support IPP or IPP Everywhere—a driverless printing model promoted by industry groups to simplify interoperability. IPP is standardized by the IETF, with specifications detailing its model, semantics, and operational behaviors, and has evolved to address broader printing scenarios and device interoperability through subsequent profiles and extensions.