How to clear completed print jobs in Leopard?

The only way that I have found so far is to delete the printer and then re-add it. I realize that's not a great solution, but it does clear the list of completed jobs.

yea it is very strange... my HP Deskjet 3420 does this too. There's an option to "show completed jobs", but the command-delete menu option/keyboard short cut to delete the job doesn't work.

Deleting and re-adding the printer works for me too, but that's very strange way to delete completed jobs!!!

There is another way, cleaner than deleting the printer:

Use "Cancel All Jobs" in the CUPS web admin interface ( http://127.0.0.1:631).

thanks. yes this works too, seems to occasionally require typing in the password, though!

Here is a way to disable the job history.
1. In Finder navigate to /etc/cups/ (Finder --> menu Go ---> Goto Folder ---> /etc/cups/)
2. Copy cupsd.conf to your desktop
3. Open cupsd.conf in Text edit, scroll down to end of file
4. Add the two lines below at the end of the file
PreserveJobFiles No
PreserveJobHistory No
5. Save the file
6. Copy the file back from desktop to /etc/cups (may ask you to authenticate as admin)

Try printing anything now, there is no job history.
To remove previous histories (before this change), follow the suggestions for CUPS admin interface

There is lot more detail of what you may put in the cupsd.conf file here
http://www.opensourceinfo.org/index.php/man_pages/cupsd.conf

Guru on XP wrote:
Here is a way to disable the job history.
1. In Finder navigate to /etc/cups/ (Finder --> menu Go ---> Goto Folder ---> /etc/cups/)
2. Copy cupsd.conf to your desktop
3. Open cupsd.conf in Text edit, scroll down to end of file

You can edit the cupsd.conf file using the CUPS web interface. Just use your browser to go to _ http://127.0.0.1:631/admin?op=config-server_. Be sure to click the button to *Save Changes*. This will also restart the CUPS daemon.

There is lot more detail of what you may put in the cupsd.conf file here
http://www.opensourceinfo.org/index.php/man_pages/cupsd.conf

This information is right on your computer at _ http://127.0.0.1:631/help/man-cupsd.conf.html?TOPIC=Man+Pages&QUERY=_

Matt

Why not just choose to 'Hide Completed Jobs' from Jobs menu. It would seem that print jobs are tied to system log level now.

I have the same problem here. Sure you can use the "hide completed jobs" but that's not the point. The Delete job menu selection should do what it says it will but it doesn't.

This is a bug. If you say delete something and nothing happens (not even a warning telling you that you can't delete this item) then it's a bug.

As for going into the CUPS admin interface, that is way over what a general user should have to do. I know how to do that, but the point of using a Mac is that I shouldn't have to do such things.

This needs to be fixed.

This is on a PowerBook G4 with Leopard 10.5.1 installed.

Andre Marion wrote:
I have the same problem here. Sure you can use the "hide completed jobs" but that's not the point. The Delete job menu selection should do what it says it will but it doesn't.

Everyone has this problem. The workarounds given above are exactly that, workarounds.

This is a bug. If you say delete something and nothing happens (not even a warning telling you that you can't delete this item) then it's a bug.

OK, it's a bug. No one disputes that the Delete button not working is a bug.

As for going into the CUPS admin interface, that is way over what a general user should have to do. I know how to do that, but the point of using a Mac is that I shouldn't have to do such things.

This is debatable, but what's wrong with learning something new and having another workaround until Apple gets around to fixing this?

This needs to be fixed.

Submit feedback to Apple about this issue, but they are probably already aware of it since it has come up before.

Thank you all for your advice. Much appreciated. Before any job I start, I cancel all jobs in the CUPS page I have a bookmark in my bookmarks called PURGE. Works great for me. Thanks again

Jack Mahon

This is a real pain. The CUPS or whatever that is, is not something I want to have to learn, or go to, in the middle of a bunch of other tasks. Hiding the completed jobs does not do the trick. I use a 36" wide printer, and the completed job list to keep track of prints for billing. I'm pleased that I'm not alone here, but I'm annoyed that this hasn't been addressed yet.