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

[chris]

On 03/02/22 17:26, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> On 3/2/22 11:05, chris wrote:
>> On 03/02/22 15:53, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>> On 3/2/22 10:08, chris wrote:
>>>> 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...
>>>>
>>>
>>> Who would argue that? Most of us remember when printers were just
>>> dumb boxes. Used to have to put a loop of punched paper tape in just
>>> so it could find the beginning of the page!
>>>
>>> bill
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Different world now, isn't it ?. Similar problems with terminals on
>> unix, where the termcap file could be megabytes of special control
>> character sequences. As I said, the os cups system is very flexible
>> and keeps all the printer specific stuff in one place where it
>> belongs, but like the termcap example, is quite bulky because of the
>> myriad  of printer types. No easy way around that I guess.
>> Can also be managed with a browser for setups and monitoring as well.
>>
>> Might be worth looking at for vms.
>>
>
> Or buying a $35 Raspberry Pi 2 and building a simple printer engine
> sit between VMS and whatever printer you have.
>
> bill
>
>

Absolutely, a print server in a box...

Chris