The lp command is used on many Unix-like

Unix-like

A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....

 systems to assign jobs to printer queues. The name derives from "lineprinter", though it has become the commonly used command for any sort of printer. The command originally appeared as part of the System V printing system

System V printing system

The UNIX System V printing system is one of several standard architectures for printing on the UNIX platform, and is typical of commercial System V-based operating systems such as Solaris and SCO OpenServer...

, and for some time served as a shibboleth

Shibboleth

A shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...

 to distinguish between SysV and BSD

Berkeley Software Distribution

Berkeley Software Distribution is a Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley, from 1977 to 1995...

 systems.

• lp is the standard name for the UNIX System V
  UNIX System V
  Unix System V, commonly abbreviated SysV , is one of the first commercial versions of the Unix operating system. It was originally developed by American Telephone & Telegraph and first released in 1983. Four major versions of System V were released, termed Releases 1, 2, 3 and 4...
  
   printer
  System V printing system
  The UNIX System V printing system is one of several standard architectures for printing on the UNIX platform, and is typical of commercial System V-based operating systems such as Solaris and SCO OpenServer...
  
   command.
• The Common Unix Printing System
  Common Unix Printing System
  CUPS is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server...
  
  , used on Linux
  Linux
  Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
  
   and Mac OS X
  Mac OS X
  Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
  
   among other systems, uses lp as the primary program for job assignment.
• The LPRng
  LPRng
  LPRng is a printing system compatible with the Berkeley printing system. It provides printer spooling and network print server functionality using the Line Printer Daemon protocol....
  
   project provides lp as a simple wrapper to the lpr command.
• Plan 9 from Bell Labs
  Plan 9 from Bell Labs
  Plan 9 from Bell Labs is a distributed operating system. It was developed primarily for research purposes as the successor to Unix by the Computing Sciences Research Center at Bell Labs between the mid-1980s and 2002...
  
   uses a command called lp for printing, though its functionality is somewhat different and simplified from the System V version. It is actually written as an rc
  Rc
  rc is the command line interpreter for Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs operating systems. It resembles the Bourne shell, but its syntax is somewhat simpler. It was created by Tom Duff, who is better known for an unusual C programming language construct called Duff's device.A port of the...
  
   shell script.

External links

• The lp program's manpage as implemented on CUPS systems