For printing we are using CUPS, the Common Unix Printing System. CUPS is integrated into the supported desktops like gnome, kde, or xfce4. This means that from the 'printing' menu of most (if not all) applications you will be able to choose a printer and to set options for the printing job.
To set the default printer we recommend the 'lpoptions' terminal command: lpoptions -d printer_name sets the printer 'printer_name' as your default printer (to prevent confusion, you shouldn't set a separate $PRINTER variable in your .bashrc).
The terminal printing command used in CUPS is 'lp'. The alternative commant 'lpr' is also supported, but has a different interface. More information on the available options is obtained with 'man lp' and 'man lpr', respectively. For instance, lp -d printer_name filename prints a file named filename on the printer printer_name.
By default two-sided printing is activated for printers supporting it. For one-sided printing on such a printer, use: lp -o DUPLEX=none filename
If the toner cartridge of your office printer is empty, please contact the secretary of your group. If you need help changing the cartridge, please write an email to root.