printrather

Printrather is a command-line utility designed for printing files. It is part of the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) suite, which is widely used for managing printing on Unix-like operating systems. Printrather provides a straightforward way to send documents to a printer directly from the terminal.

The primary function of printrather is to specify a printer and a file to be printed. It allows users to select a specific printer if multiple are available. For example, a common command would be printrather filename printername. This command sends the content of 'filename' to the printer identified as 'printername'.

Beyond basic printing, printrather supports various options that can modify the printing behavior. These options can include controlling the number of copies, specifying page ranges, setting print quality, and selecting different paper sizes. The exact options available may depend on the printer driver and CUPS configuration.

Printrather is particularly useful for scripting and automation. System administrators and advanced users can incorporate printrather commands into shell scripts to automate printing tasks, such as generating reports or printing log files at scheduled intervals. Its simplicity and integration with CUPS make it a fundamental tool for command-line printing operations.