From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Michael Ekstrand Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Printing Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:46:08 -0500 Message-ID: <87ab75mz0f.fsf@jehiel.elehack.net> References: <5f0660120903280331y780c80b7i57a8115dc4b029eb@mail.gmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1238255453 20062 80.91.229.12 (28 Mar 2009 15:50:53 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:50:53 +0000 (UTC) To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Mar 28 16:52:10 2009 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1LnapN-0008MW-CP for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:52:09 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:48537 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Lnao0-0005tM-73 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:50:44 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Lnanh-0005k2-0O for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:50:25 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Lnanb-0005gK-Ge for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:50:24 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=50823 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Lnanb-0005gB-6L for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:50:19 -0400 Original-Received: from main.gmane.org ([80.91.229.2]:43335 helo=ciao.gmane.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1Lnana-00084v-Oe for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:50:18 -0400 Original-Received: from list by ciao.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.43) id 1LnanX-0004wW-F1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:50:15 +0000 Original-Received: from elehack.net ([216.243.177.100]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:50:15 +0000 Original-Received: from michael by elehack.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:50:15 +0000 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ Original-Lines: 56 Original-X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: elehack.net User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.91 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:nM+YkucgYfYF7Q5aPay7//Y7w4w= X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6, seldom 2.4 (older, 4) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:109891 Archived-At: Андрей Парамонов writes: > Having analysed mine and other users' experience, and having examined > how the printing works in modern applications, I propose the following > requirements for the Emacs printing mechanism: > > 1) Simple printing configuration should require no or almost no > knowledge and effort. The only user input that might be required is > the printer name. If you have your printer set up correctly on your system, this should be easy to do. Setting it up correctly can be a challenge, but A., that isn't an Emacs problem, and B., CUPS seems to do a good job of auto-detecting USB and network printers these days. > 2) It should not be necessary to install additional packages/files > solely for the Emacs printing. I hope you mean packages beyond the core things needed to get printing working on GNU/Linux systems in general (CUPS, GhostScript, hpijs for HP printers, etc.). > 3) Printing functionality should work equally good on PostScript and > non-PostScript printers. Already covered in a properly configured environment (provided your printer is supported by GhostScript/gimpprint/foomatic). > I can think of the following ways of how these requirements may be > achieved: > > a) Try to improve current functionality, making no or almost no > modifications to the current printing engine. This includes > simplifying the configuration interface. Not sure points 2) and 3) > can be fixed this way though. 2 and 3 are covered by this one as pretty much any Linux printing is going through Postscript, even for non-Postscript printers; the printing engine (e.g. CUPS) uses Ghostscript to render the PostScript to the appropriate printer language. The GTK+ printing systems are just creating PostScript with Cairo, so far as I know. If you can print on your GNU/Linux system, you either have the appropriate conversion tools or are talking to a PostScript printer (or print server doing the conversion for you). This solution also has the benefit of working in a TTY :). I wouldn't mind, however, seeing the GTK+ UI able to use the GTK print dialogs to select what printer to run the PostScript it generates through. - Michael -- mouse, n: A device for pointing at the xterm in which you want to type. Confused by the strange files? I cryptographically sign my messages. For more information see .