[cups.general] How to create PS-to-file queue in CUPS 1.4, OS X 10.6

[Michael Sweet]

On Sep 10, 2009, at 4:36 AM, Ben BW wrote:
> I'm trying to use the backend described here:
> http://osdir.com/ml/printing.cups.devel/2004-10/msg00007.html
>
> to create a PostScript print-to-file print queue.
>
> However, Snow Leopard and CUPS 1.4 seems to have "improved"  
> security, and I can't get the backend to work.

See the security section in:

     http://www.cups.org/documentation.php/api-filter.html

Basically, you can't write to user home directories (not reliable,  
especially on Mac OS X where File Vault is commonly used to encrypt  
your home directory...) but otherwise it should work as long as you  
write to either a world-writable (temp) directory or use mode 500 or  
700 permissions to get your backend to run as root.

> It has also broken Adobe's PDF-generating print queue -- part of  
> Acrobat.

Yeah, we've been asking Adobe not to do what they are doing for many  
years now...

> I'm surprised that it isn't easier to use CUPS to create a PS-to- 
> file print queue, and also that there seems to be very little info  
> on how to achieve it.

Most apps already have this functionality.  In particular, you can  
print to PDF or PS from the Mac OS X print dialog (that funky looking  
PDF button does all of this...)

> The printing seems to work fine, but no file is produced and no  
> errors are reported.

You'll probably see some sandboxd errors in the console log.

>
>> I think I'm misinterpreting how to implement the bit at the end  
>> which says:
>> A more advanced "dirwrite" would write into a target directory
>> that you specify as a device URI like here "dir:/tmp/cupsfiles/"
>>
>> The magic line for this would be to use
>>
>> TARGETFILE=${DEVICE_URI#dir:}
>
> Any thoughts/advice?
>
> Thanks
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___________________________________________________
Michael Sweet, Senior Printing System Engineer