The GNOME Printer Configuration Daemon
When running a full Ubuntu Desktop environment, the system utilizes a suite of GNOME Settings Daemon (GSD) plugins to manage various hardware configurations smoothly. One of these plugins is the gsd-printer.service. This background daemon is responsible for monitoring your system for newly attached or newly discovered network printers. When a printer is detected, it communicates with CUPS (the Common UNIX Printing System) to automatically download drivers, configure the queue, and present you with a notification that the printer is ready to use.
For a standard office worker or home user, this automatic plug-and-play functionality is incredibly convenient. However, for power users who prefer to manually configure their IP printing queues, or in enterprise environments where printers are managed centrally via scripts and strict network policies, this automatic configuration daemon is an annoyance. It can create duplicate queues or install incorrect generic drivers before you have a chance to configure the specific PPD file. If you demand absolute manual control over your printing subsystem and do not want GNOME silently configuring devices in the background, you should disable this specific GSD plugin.
How to Disable the GSD Printer Service
You can prevent the GNOME printer configuration daemon from initializing for your user session using systemctl.
- Open your Ubuntu Terminal.
- Because this is a user-level GNOME service (not a system-wide daemon), you must use the
--userflag. Run the following command to stop the service immediately:
systemctl --user stop gsd-printer.service- To ensure it does not start automatically the next time you log into your GNOME desktop, mask it:
systemctl --user mask gsd-printer.serviceGNOME will no longer attempt to automatically configure newly discovered printers, leaving the management of CUPS entirely in your hands.