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

[Jan-Erik Söderholm]

Den 2022-03-06 kl. 02:39, skrev Paul Anderson:
> On 3/2/22 11:05 AM, chris wrote:
> 
>  > 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.
> 
> Printing PDF files from VMS has been discussed for years, even back in the 
> Compaq and HP days.
> 
> I have had no problem printing PDF files to my home HP LaserJet printer. 
>   Forget if I used an LPD or a Telnetsym queue, but just throwing a PDF 
> file at a printer that understands PDF works just fine.  DCPS does not work 
> in this environment today, since it controls the printer with PostScript 
> commands and knows nothing about PDF.
> 
> One problem, mentioned earlier here, is that such a print job would be 
> printed strictly with printer defaults of input and output trays, 
> duplexing, and a lack of other nice DCPS features.
> 
> If customers have a need for PDF printing on VMS, VSI would like to hear 
> from you.  Talk to your support person, or send mail to 
> info at vmssoftware.com.  Porting CUPS to VMS would certainly be one 
> solution.  Enhancing DCPS to include hooks for a converter to handle PDF 
> files would be another.
> 
> Paul

We have good tools to create PDF documents (ReportLab i Python) so yes,
being able to print these to PS compatible printers shoudl be nice.

To print PDF files on PDF compatible printers is not real an issue, if you
use something else then DCPS. One can cimply create a TNA device pointing
the the 9100 port in the printer and COPY the PDF file to that device.
Most printers 9100 ports has many concurrent sessions, so there is not
really any risk for the port being blocked. Sure, the printer can be
shutdown, but...

But sure, DCPS might help to use non PDF compatible printers.

And having PDF as the printing format also makes it easy to save the
files on a web served directory, so re-printing or just viewing the
files becomes easy.