[cups.general] MacOS X client misbehaving

[Marc Lanctot]

Helge Blischke wrote:
> Marc Lanctot wrote:
>> Michael Sweet wrote:
>>
>>> Marc Lanctot wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi guys,
>>>>
>>>> I've recently setup a printing system here at the department of 
>>>> Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.
>>>>
>>>> I have a SUSE Linux 9.2 server running CUPS 1.1.23.
>>>>
>>>> I have a department full of printing clients, with a good variety of 
>>>> operating systems, all of which must print via the print server 
>>>> (printing directly to the printers is disbled).
>>>>
>>>> My Linux clients are all using CUPS as well, all different versions 
>>>> from different Linux distros, but they're working like a charm. My 
>>>> SGI IRIX machines use lp and communicate through the CUPS lpd 
>>>> compatibility server. For various reasons particular to my setup I 
>>>> could not get Windows clients to work through Samba nor IPP, so they 
>>>> use LPR to connect as well.
>>>>
>>>> I have an HP Color Laserjet 4700 using the latest postscript PPD 
>>>> driver from LinuxPrinting.org, and a queue called say 'Eg-BW' which 
>>>> has the "Print Color as Gray" flag turned on so that black-and-white 
>>>> printing is forced when using this queue.
>>>>
>>>> Here's my problem: when I print from Adobe Reader 7.07 on a MacOS 
>>>> 10.3.9 client connecting through LPR to my Linux print server, it 
>>>> overrides the forced black-and-white setting and prints in color 
>>>> anyway. We charge each of our users depending on the queue used, so 
>>>> it's important that the restrictions for each queue work on all 
>>>> clients. This only happens on the Mac -- I can print properly from 
>>>> all my other clients.
>>>>
>>>> Anybody know how to fix this problem?
>>>
>>>
>>> Print from Preview instead.  Adobe applications use a legacy print
>>> API (the old MacOS 9 LaserWriter print API) so they can produce their
>>> own PostScript code. As a result, you can end up with PostScript print
>>> data without the "print as grayscale" command in it... :(
>>
>> Actually, Preview gives me the same problem. It's the only reason I 
>> tried Adobe :(
>>
>> Can you tell me what the "print color as gray" option does? I was under 
>> the impression that the print job is modified server-side before it was 
>> sent to the printer.
>>
>> Marc
>>
>>
> Marc Lanctot wrote:
> 
>  > Helge Blischke wrote:
>  >
>  >>
>  >> Look at the following excerpt of this printer's PPD:
>  >> ---snip---
>  >> *% =================================
>  >> *% Print Color as Gray
>  >> *% Chose NOT to use standard *ColorModel keyword because color on or off is simpler
>  >> *% =================================
>  >> *OpenUI *ColorModel/Print Color as Gray:  PickOne
>  >> *OrderDependency: 20 AnySetup *ColorModel
>  >> *DefaultColorModel: CMYK
>  >> *ColorModel Gray/On: "<</ProcessColorModel /DeviceGray>> setpagedevice"
>  >> *ColorModel CMYK/Off: "<</ProcessColorModel /DeviceCMYK>> setpagedevice"
>  >> *?ColorModel: "
>  >>    save
>  >>      currentpagedevice /ProcessColorModel get
>  >>     /DeviceGray eq {(Gray)}{(CMYK)}ifelse = flush
>  >>    restore
>  >> "
>  >> *End
>  >> *CloseUI: *ColorModel
>  >> ---snip---
>  >> By using e.g. a job patch file in the PPD, you may force the printer to gray mode
>  >> independent of whatever the PS job requests otherwise.
>  >>
>  >
>  > Can you elaborate? I don't really understand what you mean but "using a job patch file in the 
> PPD". Is it doing that already, you mean?
>  >
>  > Marc
>  >
> 
> Insert the following into your printer's PPD, e.g. just after the following snippet:
> ---snip---
> *% =================================
> *% Emulations and Protocols
> *% =================================
> *Protocols: TBCP
> 
> *% =================================
> *% Force gray mode
> *% =================================
> *JobPatchFile 1: "
>     % first, set the color model to gray only
>     <</ProcessColorModel /DeviceGray>> setpagedevice
>     % now, redefine setpagedevice as to ignore this key
>     % whenever is is specified
>     userdict begin
>     /setpagedevice
>     {
>        dup /ProcessColorModel undef
>        setpagedevice
>     }bind def
>     end
> "
> 
> ---snip---
> 
> Note, this will only work if the spooler you use supports this PPD
> feature, as CUPS does.
> 

I modified the PPD as stated, gzip'd it, replaced it in 
/usr/share/cups/model/HP and then restarted cups. I still have the same 
problem. Do I have to delete and re-add the printer for it to take the 
new settings?

I will look on the printer to see if it is overriding or ignoring this 
setting. It still boggles me that MacOS is the only one giving this 
problem.

Marc