Chrome OS printing using LPD

Chrome OS printing using LPD 

Users can print from their Chromebooks to a Windows machine running PDAgent using LPD. This has an 

advantage over Google Cloud Print in that the print spool data never leaves the local network.  

Before you begin 

Download the PPD driver file to the Chromebook 

In this example we will be using a Konica Minolta driver downloaded from the Konica Minolta website. 

Please download the correct driver for your printer to the Chromebook. Example: 

Create or import the users 

Before we set up the printer on the Chromebook, ensure the user exists in Print Director. Use your normal 

sync routine (Active Director or G Suite) or manually create the user. If the user is not created before we 

first print from the Chromebook, they will be automatically created depending on the device’s Unregistered 

users setting: 

For this example, we will be setting up a Chromebook for a user named John Smith who has a Logon code

in Print Director of JohnSmith. Note that seeing as we are leveraging the LPR protocol Queue field for 

authentication on Chromebooks, we cannot support spaces in the Logon code for users since the LPR 

protocol doesn’t allow it. 

Configuring the PDAgent 

Before we set up the Chromebook, we will configure the PDAgent in Resource Manager. 

Ensure a print queue exists that is matched to a device 

When the PDAgent receives a job from LPR, it needs to know which print queue it should use for the job’s 

processing (i.e. the device settings for the queue’s Matched Device and whether to send to the device’s 

main network adapter or the Fiery adapter if it has one). First it will try to match a queue using the Queue 

field it receives from LPR. If it can’t match a queue it will simply use the first queue it can find that is 

matched to a device. 

In the example below we have created a print queue called PrintDirector (no spaces allowed) and it is 

matched to a device: 

Enable the LPD service on the PDAgent 

The PDAgent we choose here will be acting as the print server for the Chromebooks. We enable the LPD 

service, choose the default print queue and specify that usernames will be extracted from the LPR Queue 

field in between curly braces {}: 

As soon as this PDAgent refreshes, it will be able to receive jobs via LPR. Note that if the Windows LPD 

Service is installed and running, the PDAgent will stop it. 

 Configuring the Chromebook 

In the Add nearby printer window, click the Add Manually button

Now we need to enter the printer settings.  

• In the Name field you can enter any name you want. 
• The Address field must the address for the machine running PDAgent (i.e. not the printer’s 
• address).  
• Choose LPD for the protocol.  
• The first part of the Queue field should be the name of the print queue on the PDAgent. 
• The user’s Logon code (this is different to their PIN) should be entered between the curly 
• braces.  
• Click Add. 

Now we need to specify the driver file for the printer. Ensure that you have downloaded the correct PPD file for your printer. Click the Browse button