install a printer from the command line

[cwillu]

> is there a command-line method to installing a printer?  i've got a
> machine here which is running out of memory loading the printer database
>   after installing the foomatic-db-gutenprint package to get the needed
> driver.

Set it up on a different machine, and then look at the resulting
/etc/cups/printers.conf;  should be able to copy the appropriate
section of that file and have it work, for printing at least.

Faxing might also work, but I haven't done anything with that before,
and I can't speak at all to scanning.

> i'm running xubuntu 7.04 with 140mb RAM so this is using the
> system-config-printer applet, and the printer i am trying to install is
> a (horrible all-in-one p.o.s) epson stylus cx7800.

How much swap do you have (if any?)  Run 'top' from a console, it
should say on the 5th line.  I'd suggest 256mb at a bare minimum, and
quite possibly more.  You need more to maintain proper-if-slow
operation as you decrease the amount of memory below the recommended
amounts.

<rant> 'Twice the amount of ram' is silly advice.  It's right for the
typical case, in which case 'just use the default' is better advice as
it doesn't give false reasoning.  It's wrong on both extremes, where
it's most likely to be given.</rant>