Is it possible to print without CUPS?

Question

Having a SOHO printer, HP DeskJet 3940 is it possible to print with lpr/lpd on Debian GNU/Linux?

The Debian Wiki says that

LPR. The still commonly used traditional printing system is called lpr which works quite well if you have a postscript printer. Otherwise, it is not very simple to set up and doesn't provide much control for users on the printer settings per print job.

I was unable to find whether this printer speaks the PS language or not.

Solution

Only the LaserJet and DesignJet series support PostScript, but you can use LPR to print US-ASCII text directly, but I'd stick with CUPS.

FYI, the OpenPrinting.org site will instantly provide the info you require, along with how-to's e.g. HP DeskJet 3940