diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/meson.build
deleted file mode 100644
index f5217cbc46..0000000000
--- a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/meson.build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-shared_module('printbackend-cloudprint',
-              'gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c',
-              'gtkprintercloudprint.c',
-              'gtkcloudprintaccount.c',
-              c_args: [
-                '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
-                '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
-              ],
-              dependencies: [ libgtk_dep, rest_dep, json_glib_dep ],
-              install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
-              install : true)
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/cups/meson.build
deleted file mode 100644
index ef7a30ee9a..0000000000
--- a/modules/printbackends/cups/meson.build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-enable_colord = get_option('colord')
-if enable_colord != 'no'
-  want_colord = enable_colord == 'yes'
-  colord_dep = dependency('colord', version: '>= 0.1.9', required: want_colord)
-  cdata.set('HAVE_COLORD', colord_dep.found())
-else
-  colord_dep = []
-endif
-
-shared_module('printbackend-cups',
-              'gtkprintbackendcups.c',
-              'gtkprintercups.c',
-              'gtkcupsutils.c',
-              'gtkcupssecretsutils.c',
-              c_args: [
-                '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
-                '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
-                '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
-              ],
-              dependencies: [libgtk_dep, libcups, colord_dep],
-              install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
-              install : true)
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/file/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/file/meson.build
deleted file mode 100644
index b1604be0f6..0000000000
--- a/modules/printbackends/file/meson.build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-shared_module('printbackend-file',
-              'gtkprintbackendfile.c',
-              c_args: [
-                '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
-                '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
-                '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
-              ],
-              dependencies: libgtk_dep,
-              install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
-              install : true)
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkcloudprintaccount.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkcloudprintaccount.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkcloudprintaccount.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcloudprintaccount.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkcloudprintaccount.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkcloudprintaccount.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkcloudprintaccount.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcloudprintaccount.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupssecretsutils.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkcupssecretsutils.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupssecretsutils.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcupssecretsutils.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupssecretsutils.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkcupssecretsutils.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupssecretsutils.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcupssecretsutils.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupsutils.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkcupsutils.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupsutils.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcupsutils.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupsutils.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkcupsutils.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkcupsutils.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkcupsutils.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcloudprint.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintbackendcups.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcups.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintbackendcups.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcups.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintbackendcups.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcups.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintbackendcups.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendcups.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendfile.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendfile.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendfile.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendfile.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/lpr/gtkprintbackendlpr.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendlpr.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/lpr/gtkprintbackendlpr.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendlpr.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/lpr/gtkprintbackendlpr.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendlpr.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/lpr/gtkprintbackendlpr.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintbackendlpr.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintercloudprint.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintercloudprint.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintercloudprint.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintercloudprint.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintercloudprint.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintercloudprint.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cloudprint/gtkprintercloudprint.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintercloudprint.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintercups.c b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintercups.c
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintercups.c
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintercups.c
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintercups.h b/modules/printbackends/gtkprintercups.h
similarity index 100%
rename from modules/printbackends/cups/gtkprintercups.h
rename to modules/printbackends/gtkprintercups.h
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/lpr/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/lpr/meson.build
deleted file mode 100644
index 581ca77a48..0000000000
--- a/modules/printbackends/lpr/meson.build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-shared_module('printbackend-lpr',
-              'gtkprintbackendlpr.c',
-              c_args: [
-                '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
-                '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
-                '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
-              ],
-              dependencies: libgtk_dep,
-              install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
-              install : true)
diff --git a/modules/printbackends/meson.build b/modules/printbackends/meson.build
index f8a363a668..76b5c3789e 100644
--- a/modules/printbackends/meson.build
+++ b/modules/printbackends/meson.build
@@ -84,6 +84,68 @@ printbackends_install_dir = join_paths(get_option('libdir'), printbackends_subdi
 
 cdata.set_quoted('GTK_PRINT_BACKENDS', ','.join(print_backends))
 
-foreach print_backend : print_backends
-  subdir(print_backend)
-endforeach
+
+enable_colord = get_option('colord')
+if enable_colord != 'no'
+  want_colord = enable_colord == 'yes'
+  colord_dep = dependency('colord', version: '>= 0.1.9', required: want_colord)
+  cdata.set('HAVE_COLORD', colord_dep.found())
+else
+  colord_dep = []
+endif
+
+if print_backends.contains('cups')
+  shared_module('printbackend-cups',
+                'gtkprintbackendcups.c',
+                'gtkprintercups.c',
+                'gtkcupsutils.c',
+                'gtkcupssecretsutils.c',
+                c_args: [
+                  '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
+                  '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
+                  '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
+                ],
+                dependencies: [libgtk_dep, libcups, colord_dep],
+                install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
+                install : true)
+endif
+
+if print_backends.contains('cloudprint')
+  shared_module('printbackend-cloudprint',
+                'gtkprintbackendcloudprint.c',
+                'gtkprintercloudprint.c',
+                'gtkcloudprintaccount.c',
+                c_args: [
+                  '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
+                 '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
+                ],
+                dependencies: [ libgtk_dep, rest_dep, json_glib_dep ],
+                install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
+                install : true)
+endif
+
+if print_backends.contains('file')
+  shared_module('printbackend-file',
+                'gtkprintbackendfile.c',
+                c_args: [
+                  '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
+                  '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
+                  '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
+                ],
+                dependencies: libgtk_dep,
+                install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
+                install : true)
+endif
+
+if print_backends.contains('lpr')
+  shared_module('printbackend-lpr',
+                'gtkprintbackendlpr.c',
+                c_args: [
+                  '-DGTK_COMPILATION',
+                  '-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS',
+                  '-DGTK_PRINT_BACKEND_ENABLE_UNSUPPORTED',
+                ],
+                dependencies: libgtk_dep,
+                install_dir: printbackends_install_dir,
+                install : true)
+endif
\ No newline at end of file