Installing Network Printers on Linux - Part 4: Printing Without Apple AirPrint, Mopria and "IPP Everywhere" Drivers

August

2025

Installing Network Printers on Linux - Part 4: Printing Without Apple AirPrint, Mopria and "IPP Everywhere" Drivers

Linux

1 August 2025 15:19

Continued. Cm.part 1,part 2.part 3.

4. Printing methods without drivers

4.1 Connecting printers that support AirPrint for Apple

AirPrint technology is developed by Apple. AirPrint is a slightly modified IPP Everywhere protocol that, using the service Bonjour becomes a type of zero-configuration printer installation (ZeroConf) on iPhone, iPad and macOS.

It can be said that AirPrint = IPPS + Bonjour= ZeroConf technology,

where Bonjour = modified Apple DNS-SD. Printer names in DNS-SD are beautiful and human-readable, unlike mDNS.

Bonjour must work on an Apple compatible printer. Many printers that support AirPrint are also compatible with driverless printing technologies on Linux, such as Avahi mDNS, DNS-SD, and IPP Everywhere.

In Linux, instead of AirPrint, DNS-SD is used, which works not only over Wi-Fi, but also over an Ethernet cable. See previous paragraph 3.1.4 printing using DNS-SD.

4.2. Driverless printing technology "IPP Everywhere" on Linux

IPP Everywhere was developed by PWG (Printing Working Group) in the USA. With its help, you can perform over a local network or Wi-Fi to printers that are compatible with IPP Everywhere drivers. That is, these are all modern printers that support printing without drivers.

List of printers that can print without drivers -PWG.org - IPP Everywhere™ Printers

IPP Everywhere is based on IPP, but runs without drivers. IPP Everywhere can be selected in the CUPS admin panel when adding a printer.

Benefits:

technology is new and promising.

Disadvantages:
*needs a modern printer. Look (list of devices supporting IPP Everywhere)

IPP Everywhere is offered when you select the "driverless" option.

1) Open the CUPS address http://localhost:631/

and select menu "Administration"

and press the button "Find Printers"...
2) In the found printers, select the printer that has the "driverless" annotation

3) On the next screen, select your printer manufacturer (in this case, Pantum)

4) Select the option "IPP Everywhere^TM"

5) Configure banners, policies and click "Save settings"

As a result, the added printer will print without driver using the "IPP Everywhere^TM" technology, without setting up DNS or editing the /etc/hosts file.

The connection line to the printer looks like this:
ipps://printer_name._ipps._tcp.local/

Examples:

Kyocera network printer:
Pantum network printer

When printing for the first time (Ctrl+P), pay attention to the paper size setting - it must be selected A4.

When using other paper sizes, printing will be done from the "Multi Purpose Tray" for envelopes.

Driverless Printing Method in Linux tested and works with the Pantum BM5100ADN network printer, but another printer model that supports "IPP Everywhere^TM" can also be used.

4.3 Mopria driverless printing technology

Mopria printing technology developed by the Printer Manufacturers Alliance, including Brother, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, OKI, Pantum, Ricoh, Samsung, Toshiba, Xerox. For desktop PCs, the technology is supported by Microsoft Windows - printing and scanning, on smartphones - Android smartphones and Amazon Fire tablets.
Mopria for Android
Mopria for Windows

*Mopria for Amazon Fire.

Mopria Technology Brochure -https://mopria.org/images/MopriaAllianceOverviewJuly2025.pdf.

Just like IPP Everywhere, driver-free printing on Mopria-enabled printers.

Benefits:
*printing without drivers

Disadvantage:

for printing without drivers, a modern printer, smartphone, tablet or computer with an operating system is required Android or Windows. The user can be confident of having such a device if it supports network connectivity and is AirPrint certified or Mopria certified.List of certified Mopria technology devices).
from Mopria no Linux support.

4.3 Google Cloud Print technology

For Google Chrome, Chromium desktop browsers. but the technology was there discontinued 2021. Replacement technology:CUPS for ChromeOS.

4.4 Printing from ChromeOS

ChromeOS is Google's Linux-based operating system for Chromebooks and Chromebook Plus, but there is a video on how to install it on any laptop. The official build was released in 2022 Google has released a version of Chrome OS Flex for installation on regular PCs and laptops.. There is information that Hewlett Packard supports Chrome OS Flex. Maybe other manufacturers can use CUPS from ChromeOS too.

4.5. Printing without drivers in the Debian operating system

Printing without drivers is reviewed on the website:
https://wiki.debian.org/CUPSDriverlessPrinting

The printer is required to be certified for at least one technology:
Apple AirPrint
Mopria

4.6 Printing without drivers in the Russian operating system Linux Green

Operating system Linux Green based on Linux Mint. This article tested version 21.3 of the Linux Green OS, which runs the following Zero-Conf technologies and driverless printing:

Avahi + DNS-SD (for Bonjour compatible printers)
cups-browsed (search for all network printers on the network using mDNS)
IPP Everywhere^TM (printing without drivers on modern printers and multifunction devices such as "printer-scanner-copier-fax").

Low-level printing in Linux Green:

IPP/IPPS (you need to write IP and printer names in the hosts file if there is no DNS server for the .local domain on the network)
AppSocket (JetPrint) or "RAW printing".

The latest version of the Linux Green operating system - download: (https://greenlinux.ru/download/).

Telegram group for discussion of Linux Green:t.me/linuxmintsu.

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