[Info-vax] IPP utiltiy

[Mark Berryman]

Based on feedback, it would appear that a number of the printers out 
there are designed more for mobile printing than desktop printing.  This 
is indicated by the document formats they support.  Typically, such 
printers return a supported document format list similar to the following:

application/vnd.hp-PCL: this is HP’s Printer Control Language.  It is 
text with escape sequences although binary data can be included when 
graphics are involved.

image/jpeg: a standard JPEG file

application/PCLm: contrary to its name, PCLm has nothing to do with PCL. 
  It is a subset of PDF, basically the raster functions of PDF.  Any PDF 
viewer can view PCLm files, the reverse is not true.

image/urf: This is Apple’s raster format.  This is what AirPrint uses. 
Any file to be printed is converted to a raster and sent to the printer.

image/pwg-raster: This is the Printer Working Group’s raster format. 
Probably similar to Apple’s but documented and free to use.  This 
format, along with PCLm, is used by Mopria for printing from Android phones.

Some of these printers have also been known to accept text or postscript 
but some of the ones I've received feedback on do not.

Until VMS gets a rasterising utility, it can't really print much to such 
printers.  At least not directly.  There is, however, a work-around.

CUPS has a number of x-to-raster filters included with it and CUPS is 
also an IPP server.  Thus, if you have unix type system, such as a Mac, 
Raspberry Pi, Linux, etc. configured to talk to your printer, you can 
use the IPP utility I posted to print files through that system.

For example, here are the file types supported directly by my printer:

application/octet-stream, image/urf, image/pwg-raster, application/pdf, 
image/jpeg, application/postscript, application/vnd.hp-PCL, text/plain

But here are the file types supported when printing through my Mac:

application/octet-stream, 
application/pc-eps, application/pdf, 
application/postscript, 
application/vnd.apple-postscript, 
application/vnd.cups-banner, 
application/vnd.cups-pdf, 
application/vnd.cups-postscript, 
application/vnd.cups-raster, 
application/vnd.cups-raw, 
application/x-cshell, application/x-csource, 
       application/x-perl, application/x-shell, 
            image/fuji-raw, image/gif, image/imageio, 
                  image/jp2, image/jpeg, image/minolta-raw, 
                        image/openexr, image/pict, image/png, 
                          image/pwg-raster, image/rad, image/tiff, 
                               image/urf, image/x-alias, image/x-bitmap, 
                                     image/x-bmp, image/x-ico, 
image/x-icon,                                     image/x-photocd, 
image/x-portable-anymap, 
image/x-portable-bitmap, image/x-portable-graymap, 
               image/x-portable-pixmap, image/x-psd, 
                 image/x-qtif, image/x-sgi-rgb, 
            image/x-sun-raster, image/x-tga, 
         image/x-xbitmap, image/x-xpixmap, 
       text/plain

An updated version of my IPP utility is available at 
https://theberrymans.com/php_kits/ipp.zip

Among other things, this version adds the /device_url switch to the show 
command so that one can query a CUPS server.  It also no longer requires 
privilege to run.  See the included readme file for details.

Mark Berryman