Printing interface under linux

[Mark Aitchison]

Printing (in firefox and thunderbird) under linux has always had a limited interface
compared with the Windows versions, but I have a particular problem at the moment:

Before I can print (or even select what to print, or which printer to use) I have to wait
for the printer status to be determined, which can take a few seconds when my default
printer is connected to another computer. Is there a way to work around this,
or add-ons to provide a better printing interface, or is it always going to be limited
under Linux? (I could describe printing dialog limitations in greater detail, but I
guess everyone who has used both Windows and Linux will know the differences).

I am using Fedora 12 at the moment.

Mark