[jcifs] Shared printersy

[Allen, Michael B (RSCH)]

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	eglass1 at attbi.com [SMTP:eglass1 at attbi.com]
> 
> > > 
> > > It is certainly feasible to produce raw PostScript in Java; if we could get
> > > the printer stuff working, there could be some pretty cool uses for this.
> > 
> > I'll look at a printjob later but this FOP thing sounds like a major
> > headache. If I get printing working it's going to be RAW. Someone else
> > will have to figure out how to use it.
> > 
> 
> Yes, I would think the FOP stuff would be on the application side -- i.e.,
> they would process a document into PostScript (or for that matter, just
> stream a PostScript file from disk), and then dump the PostScript directly to
> the printer.  The application would have to bear the responsibility of
> obtaining printer-appropriate content; I was just suggesting a possible
> means of doing so.
> 
	It's going to be just as much of a headache for the application side. There's
	no infrastructure in Java for setting/getting printer attributes as near as I can
	tell.  For example I have an HP LaserJet 6L.

	http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-LaserJet_6L

	There would need to be a library that could retrieve the PPD information like
	that managed by linuxprinting.org above but even that data is non-windows
	oriented. It's just a massive job to the point where unless you're doing
	something like what Steve is doing it doesn't even make sense.

	If the user change driver properties or install new drivers (like a plain
	PostScript driver) on the print server then there are more possabilities
	because you can just print raw. But it's still limited and would ultimately be
	something that most people would play with only to end up asking
	questions here and being told that it doesn't do what they want (although I
	suppose that can be curbed with proper documentation).

	Printers are highly variable complicated machines.

	Mike