Mac OS X printing is based on the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS).
The primary utilities for configuring printing are Print & Fax preferences for configuring the print and fax services, and Printer Setup Utility for adding and deleting printers and managing print queues.
You can share locally connected printers over a network by turning on Printer Sharing in the Services pane of Sharing preferences or in Print & Fax preferences. Shared printers can be used by Mac OS X 10.2 or later and Windows computers.
Mac OS X includes a powerful printing architecture that allows you to print documents to a fax/modem. Mac OS X can also receive faxes and have them printed, stored as PDF files, or emailed.
The following Knowledge Base documents (located at www.apple.com/support) will provide you with further information regarding printing in Mac OS X.
58648, "Mac OS X: Do Not Connect USB Printer to Apple Pro Keyboard"
106403, "Mac OS X: 'No Driver for this platform' Message"
25407, "Mac OS X: About Third-Party Printer Compatibility"
25609, "Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4: Printer Sharing shares both printers and faxes"
75216, "Mac OS X: USB Printer Drivers No Longer Available"
75413, "Mac OS X Server 10.2: How to Set Up Print Load Balancing Using CUPS"
106706, "Mac OS X: How to Print"
106789, "How to access third-party ink jet printer utilities (Mac OS X)"
106714, "Troubleshooting printing issues in Mac OS X"
107060, "Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3: Sharing a printer with Mac OS 9 computers"
31116, "USB Cable: Maximum Cable Length"
61237, "What to do if a USB device isn't working"
Visit the following website for more information:
CUPS :
http://127.0.0.1:631 (Accessed on a computer running Mac OS X 10.2 or later)