[WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver

  • From: Jeff Harmon <curveto@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:20:43 -0700 (PDT)

Technically, yes. But clients have to have GhostScript and the RedMon port hack 
installed (which is no small task, btw). That, plus I don't believe the RedMon 
hack will work for certain "modern" systems (Microsoft is slowly removing raw 
sockets support which this relies upon). But for developers in a university 
setting it should be do-able. You should know that GhostScript isn't something 
you can just blindly package up (for sale) either (unless you enjoy speaking 
with attorneys).

As you've figured out "getting to PDF" on the client's machine is a serious 
challenge and "getting to PDF" sevrer side (if you elect to capture/send 
PostScript to a service and then transform there has it's challenges too.

Look at CUPS (*nix print server technology) for some inspiration. There are 
various ways to smooth out the path (with commercial bits like those from 
DataLogics et al.) but they aren't free (and you cannot just "package/ship" 
them out to clients to make the process easier).

FWIW,
JR

--- On Tue, 4/6/10, Sam Elamin <hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Sam Elamin <hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 8:56 AM




Dear All
Its been awhile since I last sent an email, I have been spending the time 
reading up on RedMon and GhostScript. Turns out that what I am trying to 
acheive isnt as impossible as I first thought. The RedMon Redirect port 
redircts PostScript files to GhostScript which creates the PDF.
Now my question is can I modify the GhostScript files to save a document to a 
default location instead of promting the user to choose a path? Also is there 
anyway we can actually get the nname of the document, From the PostScript File 
(this isnt really crucial I just thought each document having its unique name 
might be better than having the output overwritten each time a document is 
printed)
Finally when the pdf is created i need to triggermy application, do i do that 
after ghost script is called or do I modify redmon to do it?
I figured since RedMon is already a ready made port monitor its best that i 
play about with ghostscript to produce and save the PDF created to "Test.PDF" 
and then trigger my application to take the path of "Test.PDF" and pass the 
parameters to the server.
Does that make sense, so the crucial issue is can i set GhostScript to save to 
a default location?
RegardsSam

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 08:50:27 -0700
From: tdemjen@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver
To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx




#yiv46204019 .ExternalClass DIV
{}
I assume you have a PDF printer driver, or metafile to PDF converter, or PS to 
PDF. In that tool you can theoretically go from color to grayscale or bilevel. 
You can even convert a color PDF or XPS into a grayscale one. You can't go from 
grayscale to color, though, and you can't change the paper size, at least it 
would be terribly hard to reflow the text afterwards.
I haven't tried this, but here's how you're supposed to go grayscale in 
GhostScript:http://handyfloss.net/2008.09/making-a-pdf-grayscale-with-ghostscript/
For the XPS to PDF route, the easiest would be to print the XPS document to a 
PDF printer driver. That won't preserve the hyperlinks and bookmarks, but you 
can parse those from the XML and put them into the PDF.
Tom

From: Sam Elamin <hussam_88@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: winprndev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu, April 1, 2010 7:22:54 AM
Subject: [WinPrnDev] Re: Creating a Printer Driver





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{padding:0px;}
#yiv46204019 .ExternalClass body.ecxhmmessage
{font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;}



Hey All
Here is another question I have been pondering with for awhile, once a job is 
printed and spooled, is there any way to change its job properties?
For example from colour to mono? 
RegardsSam




                                          
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