Install AutoPrintEmail on Ubuntu, Debian, or Mint

Got a Linux box that just needs to sit there and print? Same. Add our repo once on Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, or Pop!_OS, and every future update arrives through apt like any other package.

Table of Contents

• Install
• Updates
• No Repo? Direct Download
• Secure Storage (Keyring)
• The Tray Icon
• Start on Boot
• Printing
• Other Flavors

Install

Add our signing key and repository, then install:

curl -fsSL https://releases.autoprint.email/autoprintemail.gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/autoprintemail.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/autoprintemail.gpg] https://releases.autoprint.email/linux/apt stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/autoprintemail.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install autoprintemail

curl -fsSL https://releases.autoprint.email/autoprintemail.gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/autoprintemail.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/autoprintemail.gpg] https://releases.autoprint.email/linux/apt stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/autoprintemail.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install autoprintemail

That first command stores the key your machine uses to check that packages really came from us; apt refuses anything that doesn't match. The install pulls in everything AutoPrintEmail needs, including the CUPS client tools it uses to talk to your printer.

Then launch AutoPrintEmail from your app menu and sign in.

Updates

This is the part that makes the repo worth adding. To update:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade autoprintemail

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade autoprintemail

Careful with sudo apt update on its own: it only refreshes the list of available packages, it doesn't install anything. The second half is what actually applies the update. Running sudo apt upgrade updates AutoPrintEmail along with everything else on the machine.

Most of the time you won't need to type any of it. AutoPrintEmail now appears in your normal system updates, so Ubuntu's Software Updater lists it with everything else, and if you run unattended-upgrades it gets applied on its own. Your settings, accounts, and print history are kept.

No Repo? Direct Download

If you'd rather not add a repository, grab the .deb for your CPU from the download page and install it:

sudo apt install ./autoprintemail_*_amd64.deb

sudo apt install ./autoprintemail_*_amd64.deb

The trade-off is updates: without the repo, nothing tells your system a new version exists. The app shows a banner when one is out, and you repeat the download by hand each time.

Secure Storage (Keyring)

AutoPrintEmail encrypts your email credentials using your desktop's keyring.

• Ubuntu, Mint, Pop!_OS (GNOME/Cinnamon): gnome-keyring is preinstalled. Nothing to do.
• KDE: KWallet works out of the box.
• Minimal or server-ish installs: if you see an "Encryption is not available" error at launch, install the keyring:

sudo apt install gnome-keyring

sudo apt install gnome-keyring

Then log out and back in.

The Tray Icon

AutoPrintEmail lives in your system tray. On Ubuntu the tray works out of the box. On vanilla GNOME (stock Debian), install the AppIndicator extension if you don't see the icon.

Start on Boot

Print stations should survive a reboot without anyone logging in to click things. In the app, go to Settings and turn on Start on login. That's it. AutoPrintEmail registers itself to autostart with your desktop session.

Printing

AutoPrintEmail prints through CUPS, the standard Linux print system. If your printer shows up in your system's print settings, AutoPrintEmail can use it. Add the printer in Settings → Printers on your distro first if it's not there yet.

Other Flavors

• On Fedora, RHEL, or openSUSE? See Install on Fedora / RHEL
• Want a portable single file instead? See Run the AppImage