[cups.general] CUPS 1.1.23 pstops and %%BeginFeature...%%EndFeature

[Johannes Meixner]

Hello,

On May 16 07:13 Michael Sweet wrote (shortened):
> Johannes Meixner wrote:
> > ...
> > We have many user problem reports because applications
> > (in particular Mozilla/Firefox and OOo) like to add whatever
> > %%BeginFeature...%%EndFeature stuff to their PostScript output
> > and then this interferes with what pstops will add.
> 
> Normally this is not an issue - the worst issues come with
> Foomatic-based drivers and Level 1 PS printers, which don't
> implement options the same way as other drivers/printers...

Unfortunately it is an issue - in particular with
PostScript printers - see what I wrote in my first mail:

#################################################################
And even if it is the same printer, it must remove it because
for example whe I use OpenOffice_org-1.9.125 and print into
a file I get in the OOo PostSCript output for example
---------------------------------------------------------------
%%BeginFeature: *PageSize Letter
<</PageSize[612 792]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice
%%EndFeature
---------------------------------------------------------------

When I want to print this file later on a printer which
has only A4 paper ("letter"-pages print o.k. on A4 paper),
the output of pstops is:
---------------------------------------------------------------
%%BeginFeature: *PageSize A4
<</PageSize[595 842]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice
%%EndFeature
....
%%BeginFeature: *Resolution 300dpi
<</HWResolution[300 300]>>setpagedevice
%%EndFeature
..
..
..
%%BeginFeature: *PageSize Letter
<</PageSize[612 792]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice
%%EndFeature
---------------------------------------------------------------
#################################################################

In particular a PostScript printer may now stop to print
and request Letter paper (depending on the "paper policy"
which is set inside the printer).

This is annoying for network printers because usually those
printers work unattended and then such a OOo print job
would prevent any subsequent job to be printed because the
printer has stopped and waits for Letter paper.

Therefore I think that pstops should at least remove those
feature settings from its input where the main keyword matches
(i.e. the second "*PageSize" feature in the above example).
This would additionally make sure that the ordering of the
feature settings matches to what is defined in the PPD.


> > Isn't it in fact for CUPS always the case that pstops can assume
> > that it is "sent to a different printer than originally intended"
> > when there is %%BeginFeature...%%EndFeature stuff in the pstops input?
> 
> No, applications like OOo use the PPD file and are formatted for
> the printer.

Again see the above example which I wrote in my first mail
(intentionally I wrote "even if it is the same printer").


Kind Regards
Johannes Meixner
-- 
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