KDE4 printing: results of IRC meeting

[Kurt Pfeifle]

Bart Coppens wrote:

> On Saturday 15 September 2007 01:34, Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
>> I don't see where KIO was used with current way to provide Virtual
>> Printers. Can you give me an example?

> You misunderstood: I meant that you should be able to say: I want to save my 
> PDF to URLs like ftp://bcoppens@www.kde.org/print.pdf. 

Ah. Now I got it.

> That is, use KIO to 
> store the generated PDF file. If you start mixing non-KDE technology to write 
> the file (like doing the virtual PDF printer handling entirely in CUPS), 

You *can* do it already now if you want (even in parallel operation to
what KDEPrint's PDF printer provides; they don't conflict). So my list
of pros and cons up to now was:

 Advantages:
  - the printer can be shared with any CUPS print client (even with
    MS Windows), even via CUPS browsing
  - can utilize all CUPS print options, and all supported input for-
    mats for CUPS printing.
  - can take advantage of all other CUPS supported server options
    (access control, job accounting,...)
  - upgrade the server's software, and you've upgraded all clients
    too

 Disadvantages:
  - the PDF generating backend needs to run as root in order to be
    able to write resulting files into a user-private directory
  - only limited support for job options (yes, these are possible
    and sometimes essential in PDF creation -- see Acrobat Distiller
    settings), unless you write a fully fledged PDF printer ppd from
    scratch
  - needs CUPS in the first place, needs a *working* CUPS, and
    needs cupsd running

I have to add now to the disadvantage side:
  - doesn't work with KDE KIO

It never occurred to me to save a PDF output from the KDE PDF printer
via a fish:// or other network connection  :-)

> this 
> is probably non-trivial (I guess, I have no experience in that area). Does 
> this clear things up?

Yes, thanks.

> Bart

-- 
Kurt Pfeifle
System & Network Printing Consultant ---- Linux/Unix/Windows/Samba/CUPS
Infotec Deutschland GmbH  .....................  Hedelfinger Strasse 58
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