Turn your Linux machine into a PDF printer

Do you want to have a PDF print driver on your Linux machine? Then follow the instructions listed below.

Usually more popular open source applications, for example, OpenOffice, have a built in feature to print directly to PDF. However, some applications like web browser (Firefox etc) may not be able to do it by default and need a pdf printer utility. Here is how one can get it installed.

• Fire up a Terminal (command line prompt) or SSH for remote access onto your linux system
• From your linux archive, install the CUPS for PDF from the archive. CUPS, as you all are familiar with, is the most user friendly open source printing system developed by Apple for MacOS X and Unix/Linux operating systems.
• sudo apt-get install cups-pdf
• Next go to your home directory (/home/your_username/) and create a folder called “PDF”
• cd /home/your_username
  
• mkdir PDF
• Now restart your cups service
• sudo /etc/init.d/cupsys restart

You are done! Whatever you print will by default be sent to the PDF folder on your home directory.