[cups.general] Re: A line printer to print text directly

[Helge Blischke]

Paul,

what I use in these cases (with CUPS 1.1.19) looks like this:
---snip---
*PPD-Adobe: "4.3"
*%
*% "$Id: prg.ppd,v 1.0 2000/06/12 /Bl$"
*%
*%   Sample program driver PPD file for the Common UNIX Printing
*%   System (CUPS).
*%
*%   Copyright 1997-2000 by Easy Software Products.
*%   Copyright 2000 by SRZ Berlin
*%
*%   These coded instructions, statements, and computer programs are the
*%   property of Easy Software Products and are protected by Federal
*%   copyright law.  Distribution and use rights are outlined in the
file
*%   "LICENSE.txt" which should have been included with this file.  If
this
*%   file is missing or damaged please contact Easy Software Products
*%   at:
*%
*%
*FormatVersion: "4.3"
*FileVersion:   "1.1"
*LanguageVersion: English
*LanguageEncoding: ISOLatin1
*PCFileName:    "PROGRAM.PPD"
*Manufacturer:  "SRZ"
*Product:       "(CUPS v1.1)"
*cupsVersion:   1.1
*cupsManualCopies: False
*cupsFilter:    "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 cups_fontfilter"
*ModelName:     "Program Pseudo Printer"
*ShortNickName: "Program Pseudo Printer"
*NickName:      "Program Pseudo Printer CUPS v1.1"
*PSVersion:     "(3011.000) 0"
*LanguageLevel: "3"
*ColorDevice:   True
*DefaultColorSpace: CMYK
*FileSystem:    True
*Throughput:    "8"
*VariablePaperSize: True
*TTRasterizer:  Type42

*%
*% End of "$Id: prg.ppd,v 1.0 2000/06/12 /Bl$"
*%
---snip---
It is used e.g. whith a print to file backend that does not impose any
media defaults
on the printed file but forces font including by the cupsFilter
statement.

If your CUPS version refuses to accetpt a PPD like this (see the ERROR
messages from
cupstestppd), you may need to add some more statements with dummy
values, e.g.

*DefaultPageSize: Unknown

etc.

Helge

Paul Dulaba wrote:
> 
> Helge,
> 
> You mentioned the minimal PPD again.......what is a minimal PPD? Can
> you post one that only contails a call for a filter?
> 
> Also, is it possible to specify 2 cupsfilters in a single PPD? So one
> can be the text/plain one and one can call a script of some sort?
> 
> Paul
> 
> On Mar 30, 2005 4:35 AM, Helge Blischke <h.blischke at srz.de> wrote:
> > Mohit Kumar wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > I was analysing cups for a past few days to figure out its applicability with my product, but there is one question to which I was not able to find the answer and hence in vain I am posting this question here in hope of getting some replies.
> > >
> > > I have understood the complete filtering architecture of CUPS and really appreciate it. But if the scenario is like we need to print to a line printer which understands text as it is, then would CUPS still do all the filter conversions or is there some API in CUPS library which would help me bypass the filter chain provided by CUPS?
> > >
> > > Any help in this regard would be highly appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Mohit
> >
> > You need a (minimal) PPD for your printer which contains the line
> >
> > *cupsFilter: "text/plain 0 -"
> >
> > which tells CUPS that the document format "text/plain" is the native
> > format for
> > your printer and doesn't require any other processing.
> >
> > Helge
> >


-- 
Helge Blischke
Softwareentwicklung
SRZ Berlin | Firmengruppe besscom
http://www.srz.de