How can PHP handle printing tasks efficiently and securely on a Linux environment?

To handle printing tasks efficiently and securely on a Linux environment using PHP, you can utilize the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) API. This allows PHP to interact with the printing system on the server and send print jobs to the printer. By using the CUPS API, you can ensure that printing tasks are executed securely and efficiently on a Linux system.

<?php
$printer = 'printer_name';
$file = 'path_to_file.pdf';

$handle = printer_open($printer);
printer_start_doc($handle, "My Document");
printer_start_page($handle);

$fp = fopen($file, 'rb');
$content = fread($fp, filesize($file));
printer_write($handle, $content);

printer_end_page($handle);
printer_end_doc($handle);
printer_close($handle);
?>