diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 593bc088d5..2bda3f44d1 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1529,8 +1529,9 @@ else
     CUPS_API_MAJOR=`echo $ECHO_N $CUPS_API_VERSION | awk -F. '{print $1}'`
     CUPS_API_MINOR=`echo $ECHO_N $CUPS_API_VERSION | awk -F. '{print $2}'`
 
-    if test $CUPS_API_MAJOR -lt 2; then
-      AC_MSG_ERROR([CUPS >= 2.0 not found])
+    if test $CUPS_API_MAJOR -lt 1 -o \
+            $CUPS_API_MAJOR -eq 1 -a $CUPS_API_MINOR -lt 7; then
+      AC_MSG_ERROR([CUPS >= 1.7 not found])
     fi
 
     AC_SUBST(CUPS_API_MAJOR)
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/meson.build
index 930b9012a8..a83dbe0561 100644
--- a/modules/printbackends/meson.build
+++ b/modules/printbackends/meson.build
@@ -73,9 +73,10 @@ if enabled_print_backends.contains('cups')
   if cc.has_header('cups/cups.h')
     cups_major_version = cc.compute_int('CUPS_VERSION_MAJOR', prefix : '#include <cups/cups.h>')
     cups_minor_version = cc.compute_int('CUPS_VERSION_MINOR', prefix : '#include <cups/cups.h>')
-    message('Found CUPS version: @0@.@1@'.format(cups_major_version, cups_minor_version))
-    if cups_major_version < 2
-      cups_error = 'Need CUPS version >= 2.0'
+    cups_version = '@0@.@1@'.format(cups_major_version, cups_minor_version)
+    message('Found CUPS version: @0@'.format(cups_version))
+    if cups_version.version_compare('<1.7')
+      cups_error = 'Need CUPS version >= 1.7'
     else
       libcups = cc.find_library('cups', required : true)
     endif