Usually this kinda thing is pretty straightforward. You'll install your printer to each machine on the (local?) network, and in the normal course of things, all the various individual CUPS setups will "see" each other across the network.
Of course, this does require setting 'static' IPs so each machine is always seen as the same one by the rest of the network...
Printer 'sharing' under Linux is these days SO straightforward as to be barely worth commenting on. It just 'works'.....and that's all there is to it. However; for some folks (like yours truly) - for whatever reason! - the 'normal' CUPS network 'sharing' ability point-blank refuses to behave itself......yet you have multiple machines on your LAN, and wish to be able to share a printer between them. What to do?
In my case, my old Epson SX218 printer is getting on for 14 yrs old. It's not wifi enabled, so can't connect to the router as a central location for everything else. It's connected to my main rig via USB, which makes this the "host" machine.....then the other boxes connect to this across the network as 'clients'. (Personally, I suspect the router. CUPS sharing worked fine until we got this current router from our IP as part of an upgrade package. Something in the settings is obviously not as it should be, but I'm no networking expert.....and am not prepared to 'bork' the router and end up with no connection at all!)
But there's more than one way of doing things in Linux. Yes, indeedy. Frequently several ways.....
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I now use the
p910nd print server instead.
One of our senior Puppians found this thing, and created a working Puppy package for it, a few years ago. He's something of a genius with printers/drivers/wifi, and just seems to have a knack for finding workable solutions to seemingly impossible situations.....which just goes to show how flexible Linux can be, compared to Redmond & Cupertino's 'products'.
Basically, it side-steps the client's CUPS install completely, and communicates direct with the 'host'/print server instead....cutting out the need to 'spool', etc. You format the document on the client, and essentially send it direct to the printer across the network. It works unbelievably well.....and is in some ways better than CUPS itself.
Well, it works for me, anyway! (Apologies for the massive "red herring"..!)
Mike.