We use kprinter (kde's printer tool) for printing. It's a one stop
solution for all applications that support it, ie. selecting 'print',
ctrl-p or whatever will open kprinter's dialog, where one can select the
printer from those available via cups, all printer options that are
supported by cups (like duplex, toner saving mode, 2 pages on one
sheet...) can be selected via a 'properties' button. It has all the
features as M$ plus the additional advantage that it shows only
printers, that are available via their corresponding cups server. All
printer configuration is done once on the computer that's directly
connected to the printer.