[WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
- From: garyp@xxxxxxxxxx
- To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:06:17 +0100
Dear Sam,
Ah, you mean the path to the Output file. But you can do this in Windows
anyway. One of the standard ports in Windows is FILE: (open the Port option
for any of your print queues and you can choose that) which will then put up
a dialog asking where you want to save the resultant file. The format of
that file will of course depend upon what your driver generates (PCL,
PostScript, XPS etc.). If you don't want a prompt everytime then you can
create a new port in Windows, choose "Local port", and then type in a path
to a file name. It'll keep getting overwritten each time you print to it
though.
Most print drivers that produce PDF (as you are referring to) are usually
based around a PostScript driver, and they use a custom port monitor to grab
the PostScript output and distil this into PDF at which point they can
prompt you for a destination file. There are also "pure" PDF solutions out
there that accept the GDI printed by the Windows application and they
generate PDF without going though the interim PostScript stage.
Regards,
Gary
-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Elamin [mailto:hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 31 March 2010 13:46
To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
Gary
Then it was a misunderstand and I appologise if my questions are getting
repetitve, maybe I did not phrase it properly. I understand that if a
document is printed to a print driver, the driver has no idea what the
source is.
What I am asking about is a driver that creates a PDF document from anything
that is printed to it, so you would print a PPT power point document and the
output would be a PDF of the PPT.
Wont the driver know where its supposed to save the output pdf and hence has
the PATH?
Regards
Sam
> From: garyp@xxxxxxxxxx
> To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:01:22 +0100
>
> Dear Sam,
> You're like a dog with a new bone! As a previous respondent said, the
> printer driver is just given a bunch of drawing commands, text etc. It
then
> renders those drawing commands into a language that the printer can
> understand. The printer driver knows nothing of "documents". It would be
> like looking at a piece of printed paper and knowing from that the path to
> the original Word document that it came from. There is no relational link
> between the source document and the output print job. Please don't think
> that PDF or XPS or EMF or anything else would make any difference! The
only
> thing that knows the path to the original document is - somewhat obviously
-
> the application that handles it.
> Regards,
> Gary
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sam Elamin [mailto:hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: 31 March 2010 12:25
> To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
>
>
> Gary
>
>
> I thought so, thanks. But quick question arent there PDF print drivers
that
> will create a pdf of any document printed to it. Which means the driver
> knows which path its creating the document to, correct?
>
>
>
>
> Regards
> Sam
>
> > From: garyp@xxxxxxxxxx
> > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:15:34 +0100
> >
> > Dear Sam,
> > That's about the long and the short of it, yes.
> > Regards,
> > Gary
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Sam Elamin [mailto:hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> > Sent: 31 March 2010 12:12
> > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> >
> >
> > Gary
> >
> >
> > So the bulk of the work will be developing the port monitor. Once that
is
> > done we can then look at the "print ticket" which passes the right
> > properties.
> >
> >
> > To put it simply my custom print monitor will upload the XPS file which
> will
> > probably contain the print ticket (where the properties are held) and
then
> > the server handles the job.
> >
> >
> > Regards
> > Sam
> >
> > > From: garyp@xxxxxxxxxx
> > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:07:50 +0100
> > >
> > > Dear Sam,
> > > "what i need to do is develop a port monitor that can transfer that
file
> > up
> > > to the server?." - yes.
> > > "Since the document has already been printed I wont need to supply the
> job
> > > properties (Color,Mono)." - this depends upon what options you offer
in
> > your
> > > XPS "printer" driver, and which of those choices the user chooses. As
> with
> > > any printer.
> > > "is the XPS file i am sending a spool file and not an actual document
> like
> > a
> > > pdf? " - well the simple answer is that it's both. Read up on the XPS
> > > documentation. The feature you are looking for regarding colour etc.
is
> in
> > > the Print Ticket which you can pass to the API for printing your XPS
> file
> > on
> > > the server - subject to the PrintCapabilities of the printer you're
> trying
> > > to send it to of course.
> > > Regards,
> > > Gary
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Sam Elamin [mailto:hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> > > Sent: 31 March 2010 12:01
> > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > >
> > >
> > > Gary
> > >
> > >
> > > So what your saying is the XPS driver will provide me with the file,
> what
> > i
> > > need to do is develop a port monitor that can transfer that file up to
> the
> > > server?. Since the document has already been printed I wont need to
> supply
> > > the job properties (Color,Mono).
> > >
> > >
> > > But what if i am printing a document which has colour in it to my XPS
> > > driver, and i choose to print in mono, then technically the XPS file
> > > produced wont have any colour on it right? and where will the other
data
> > be
> > > stored (Duplex or a4 or a3) or is the XPS file i am sending a spool
file
> > and
> > > not an actual document like a pdf?
> > >
> > >
> > > Regards
> > > Sam
> > >
> > > > From: garyp@xxxxxxxxxx
> > > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > > Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:54:06 +0100
> > > >
> > > > Dear Sam,
> > > > For the overwhelming majority of devices you cannot just send them
XPS
> -
> > > > they don't understand it. But using an XPS print driver will provide
> you
> > > > with a file that has all the resources required to print that job at
> the
> > > > server end (check out MSDN for how to submit XPS to a device with
the
> > > > settings you are after). There is no need to convert XPS to PDF by
the
> > > way,
> > > > it's completely unnecessary. You are correct about the mechanism for
> > > > replaying a metafile but I wouldn't recommend EMF because better
> > > > technologies are available (i.e. PDF or XPS) that address the font
and
> > > file
> > > > size implications.
> > > > A port monitor is just a port, the same as printing to LPT1, or
COM1,
> or
> > a
> > > > file, or port 9100 on an IP address. In your case it's a bit of code
> > that
> > > > you want to run as the (XPS) file spools off the queue in order to
> > trigger
> > > > your client / server communication. It's completely independent of
> your
> > > > driver. Google "RedMon" for an example of one.
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Gary
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: Sam Elamin [mailto:hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> > > > Sent: 31 March 2010 10:45
> > > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Jason/Gary
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Thanks Jason I got the sample working, now I am trying to understand
> > what
> > > a
> > > > port monitor is and how to implement it into the sample driver
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Gary thank you for your detailed email and I understand your
concerns.
>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > But what i dont get is the print driver that will sit on the client
> > side,
> > > if
> > > > it converts documents to XPS then the print driver compatibility is
> not
> > > > really an issue because XPS can be understood by most printers
right?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > and if its not why not use an XPS to PDF converter then print it at
> the
> > > > server.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The question is when you print it how do you know what properties to
> > give
> > > it
> > > > ( Color, Mono, Duplex, Simplex, etc) I am assuming there will be no
> > > printing
> > > > done at the client side so no spool file is generated.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > But if we go down the EMF route, then printing will be done, a spool
> > file
> > > > will be generated and then the EMF will be extracted from that spool
> > file.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The EMF then has to be transfered to a print server where it will be
> > > played
> > > > back into a spool file so it can be printed.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Does that seem right?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Regards
> > > > Sam
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From: jharrison@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > > Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:44:50 -0700
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Hey Sam,
> > > >
> > > > With the WDK 7600 there is an XPS printer sample, and much older
port
> > > > monitor sample. The harder part is connecting them and installing
> them.
> > > > But all of the code is there and I believe working.
> > > >
> > > > -Jason
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Jason Harrison
> > > > Sr Software Developer
> > > > PDFTron Systems, Inc.
> > > > www.pdftron.com
> > > > Tel: 1-604-730-8989
> > > > Fax: 1-604-676-2477
> > > > Email: jharrison@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> > > > exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any reproduction,
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> > > > modification or use of the contents of this message (and any
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > > P Please think before you print!
> > > >
> > > > From: winprndev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > [mailto:winprndev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> > > > On Behalf Of Sam Elamin
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 4:55 AM
> > > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > >
> > > > Hey Clinton
> > > >
> > > > Sorry for the late reply but Iw as rebuilding my PC with Windows 7
> > because
> > > I
> > > > heard that it is better as a printer driver building enviroment.
> > > >
> > > > I have read your email and have a few questions:
> > > >
> > > > 1) Did you use WDK to develop your driver? Did you write your driver
> > > > yourself?
> > > >
> > > > 2) How do I start devloping this PostScript parser? and since its
> > > Postscript
> > > > does it mean that I wont be ableto print to PCL drivers? Or
> > willconverting
> > > > it to PDF do the trick?
> > > >
> > > > 3) I have no idea what you mean by using Port monitors, is there any
> > > > reference I can go back to and learn from?
> > > >
> > > > 4) I think for testing purposes we might have to assume no errors
and
> > get
> > > > the actual driver working before installing checks to look for
errors
> > > >
> > > > I just feel really lost and overwhelmed, where is the best place to
> > start?
> > > >
> > > > Regards
> > > > Sam
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From: clinton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
> > > > Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:32:58 +0100
> > > > Hi Sam,
> > > > I'm doing this off the tail end of what seems like a long
discussion.
> > > > Not sure if you have your answer yet but might have a few design
ideas
> > for
> > > > you.
> > > > What you are trying to achieve has been done before and is possible.
> > > > Back in 2002 I was faced with a similar issue. Getting a document
off
> > the
> > > > client PC and sending it round the world to an unknown print server.
> > > > The solution is a combination of technologies that each do their own
> > > part..
> > > >
> > > > 1.) I used a PostScript print driver ( Generic PPD will do the job )
> > that
> > > > pass the print stream onto a portmonitor ( this gives you the
control
> to
> > > > assign to random filename and pass onto the next module either
> > WebService
> > > or
> > > > in my case a socket service client ).
> > > >
> > > > THINGS TO REMEMBER:
> > > > If you are to allow for duplex, orientation, colour etc, then you
will
> > > need
> > > > to gather this info and "drag" it along. I developed a PostScript
> parser
> > > > that drives through the spool file ( PostScript ) extracts these
bits
> > and
> > > > then passes this with the file along ( make use of network sockets
and
> > > send
> > > > as parameters or HASH index - a WenService or Socket listener would
> need
> > > to
> > > > manage these parameters ). OR in the world of WebServices pass over
an
> > XML
> > > > stream that can be managed.
> > > >
> > > > On the "Server" side either convert to a generic format i.e. PDF
which
> > > then
> > > > can be converted over to MOST printer specific languages
> > > >
> > > > 2.) Develop a portmonitor that manages the spoolfile and controls
> > calling
> > > > the "service client" either webservice or sockets. Remember to
remove
> > the
> > > > file and close portinfo thus removing the JOB off the print queue.
> > > >
> > > > 3.) The bigest problem with transmitting data around is that we
forget
> > > about
> > > > the wonderful worl of TCP/IP packets and ERROR checking. What
happens
> if
> > > > network goes down during transmission, do I restart, fail, notify
user
> > or
> > > > cycle through a number of socket trying to establish connection.
> > > >
> > > > Hope this helps for starters.
> > > > Clinton Bessesen
> > > > check out www.pdqit.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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