In Unix, how do I designate my default printer?
In Unix, the steps you follow to designate your default printer vary depending on whether your Unix implementation understands BSD or System V printing commands. Many systems accommodate both. For more, see In Unix, how do I print files and list or remove print jobs?
In the examples that follow, replace printername with the
name of the printer you want to designate as the default
printer (e.g., lh026).
Note: If you want to set your default printer
permanently, you will have to enter the commands described below in
your .profile (for sh, ksh,
and bash) or your .cshrc (for csh
and tcsh) file.
BSD
For BSD printing, you must assign to the PRINTER variable the
printer you want as the default. If you use one of the Bourne-like
shells (e.g., sh, ksh, or
bash), at the Unix shell prompt, enter:
If you use one of the C-shells (e.g., csh or
tcsh), at the Unix shell prompt, enter:
System V
Using System V printing, you will need to define the LPDEST variable.
If you use one of the Bourne-like shells (e.g., sh,
ksh, or bash), at the Unix shell prompt, enter:
If you use one of the C-shells (e.g., csh or
tcsh), enter:
At Indiana University, to get support for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?
Also see:
- In Unix, where can I get information on differences between the various shells?
- In Unix, how can I find the current values of all my environment variables and functions?
- In Unix, how do I print files and list or remove print jobs?
Last modified on August 22, 2008.






