Carnegie Mellon University

Print from your Linux Computer

These instructions apply to Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS in the GNOME desktop environment. Other distributions and setups may vary.

Those using Linux can also print or check the status of their print job in the Campus Printing Web Portal. 

  1. Open Settings > Printers and select Additional Printer Settings…
  2. Click Add and select Network Printer > Internet Printing Protocol (https)
  3. Enter the device URL https://printing.andrew.cmu.edu:9164/printers/CampusPrinting and click Forward.
  4. On the Choose Driver window that appears, select Generic for the driver, then click Forward.
  5. In the next window, select Postscript, then click Forward.
  6. In the Describe Printer window, enter CampusPrinting for Printer Name. Leave the rest blank.  Click Apply.
  7. When prompted to print a test page, you can cancel or perform the test print.

When printing from Ubuntu to Campus Printing, you will be required to provide your Andrew userID and password. Depending on the program you are printing from, you may receive a GNOME notification. If you receive the notification, click the popup window, which will open the Active Jobs window.

If the window requesting your Andrew userID and password has disappeared, authenticate using the following steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Printers window and click on the job that is waiting.
  2. Click Authenticate (top) and provide your Andrew userID and password.

Some applications (e.g., Firefox) may have their own internal authentication prompt. If you receive this prompt, enter your Andrew userID and password. If you enter the incorrect userID or password here, you may be re-prompted by GNOME to enter your userID or password.

When Printing From Timeshares

When printing from a Timeshare, use: ssh -XY username@linux.andrew.cmu.edu. Call one of the following apps:

  • evince - pdfs and postscript files
  • eog - image files
  • loffice (LibreOffice) - Word documents, etc
  • firefox - web pages

Note: Some programs, when you authenticate, offer a checkbox to remember the password. For lab computers and Timeshares, do not check this box. Additionally, command line printing (i.e., lpr) is not supported. 

Note: Only the following file types can be printed through the web portal: pdf, bmp, dib, gif, jfif, jif, jpe, jpeg, jpg, png, tif, tiff.


  1. Select Web Print (left).
  2. Click Submit a Job to upload your file. 
  3. Click 3. Upload Documents.
  4. Upload your file, then click Upload & Complete.
  5. Once the status column shows Held in a queue, you can go to the printer and release the job.