In Mac OS X v10.5 and later, it’s impossible to remove (clear) information about completed print jobs without this tip.
Products Affected: Mac OS Printing/Fax (any version), Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.6, OS X Lion
If you would like to clear the list of completed print jobs for any print queues (which will also clear any pending or active print jobs), Apple says to: Delete the printer, then add it again.
Wow, that’s a bit of a hassle. Instead, you can Clear the entire print queue in OS X with a Terminal command. Launch Terminal and type:
cancel -a -
Preventing future print jobs from appearing in the completed jobs list (advanced)
If you would like to prevent all future print jobs from being included in the list of completed jobs, open Terminal and execute this command:
cupsctl PreserveJobHistory=No
You can later restore the default behavior of retaining a list of completed print jobs by resetting the printing system, or by opening Terminal and entering the command:
cupsctl PreserveJobHistory=Yes
Too bad Apple didn’t make the Delete button actually work in the Printer Manager!
It works for me on Mac OS X 10.6.8. Thank you!!!
Typing “cancel -a-” cleared my Print Queue just fine (OS 10.5.8). Thanks!
I recently discovered an fsck command using lpq or rmpq to show or hide completed jobs on my Mac HP 8600. I neglected to save the command. Are you familiar with it and how to execute it?
Worked for me! Thank you so much!
Actually on sierra its “cancel -a ” that worked, the second hyphen was not recognized