[Info-vax] Direct print of PDF files on PDF compatible printers.

[chris]

On 03/02/22 15:40, chris wrote:
> On 03/02/22 15:32, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
>> Den 2022-03-02 kl. 16:27, skrev chris:
>>> On 03/02/22 15:21, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
>>>> Den 2022-03-02 kl. 16:08, skrev chris:
>>>>> On 03/01/22 23:05, gah4 wrote:
>>>>>> On Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 9:16:42 AM UTC-8, Jan-Erik Söderholm
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Some of the Xerox laser printer models support direct print of PDF
>>>>>>> files.
>>>>>>> Now, we uses DCPS för most of our printing needs. So, should I
>>>>>>> look for
>>>>>>> a way to setup a DCPS queue that will be transparent and just let
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> PDF file through (DCPS itself dosn't support PDF input)? Or is it
>>>>>>> simpler to just setup a queue using the telnetsym, lpd_smb or such?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As well as I know it, PDF is a subset of PS.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Enough of a subset that there is an automated process to convert
>>>>>> PDF into PS, and the program pdftops to do it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Are there printers that support PDF, but not PS?
>>>>>
>>>>> One thing that might solve the problem long term would be to port
>>>>> cups. Pretty foolproof and works out of the box on all the systems
>>>>> and os's tried here. Just about every printer model supported as well.
>>>>>
>>>>> You could argue that it's not the os's task to process pdf or any
>>>>> other format, other than transparently passing the data. Pdf should be
>>>>> handled by the pdf reader itself, as with most systems these days...
>>>>
>>>> What "PDF reader"? Are you talking about the/a printer?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Chris
>>>>
>>>
>>> The reader is an application, either the free acrobat from Adobe, or in
>>> use here, the Foxit reader, also free. They do paid for apps that
>>> will edit exiting pdf files. Found that very useful where a pdf based
>>> form is to be filled in. Similar utils exist for unix, linux etc. The
>>> formatting for the printer is done within the app, and just talks to
>>> the printer via the os printer driver...
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>
>> What has that to do with getting a PDF file out on a printer from a
>> batch routine on an OpenVMS system?
>  >
>
> I just assume that vms would have the sort of common sense utilities
> that most of the mainstream world has taken for granted for decades
> now, but perhaps i'm wrong.
>
>>
>> Why do you think that I do not know what an *normal* PDF reader is?
>>
>>
>
> Well, you did ask the question as to what I meant, so I explained it
> to you, I'm sorry if you don't like the answer and not casting
> aspersions, but angry mode doesn't solve anything...
>
> Chris
>

Anyway, this gets away from the points I was trying to make, which are 
one: Is there a dedicated pdf reader available for vms; and two, how
easy would it be to port the cups printing subsystem to vms, which has
in built printing support for just about every printer known to man, 
much as the Windows printer subsystem has ?...

Chris