[Xprint] FW: Adding Xprint to LSB

[Thomas Dodd]

anderson at freestandards.org wrote:
> I was raising the question as to wether Xprint is really used as the de facto
> printing model everywhere. I know a couple of things like Mozilla use it,
> but I'm not sure if the majority of the desktop applications are using it
> or not.
> 
> Ideally, what the LSB would like to adopt is the one de facto printing
> model that is used by just about everything, wether that is Xprint or
> not. First thing to do, is to decide if such a thing like this even
> exists yet.

There really is no defacto standard. Everyone does it their own way it 
seams. At least all the big apps do it their own way. KDE/QT apps have 
access to a library that is similar to xprint. 
<http://developer.kde.org/documentation/library/cvs-api/kdeprint/html/classKPrinter.html>
for printer setup and <http://doc.trolltech.com/3.2/qprinter.html> for 
the drawing commands.

GNOME has a print library, but it basicall a postscript interface to the 
developer. It can create output other than postscript, including a 
preview, but the API is still postscript-like.

Xprint would be great, if it supported better font management systems 
now common. Support for PPD configuration would be nice. A configuration 
sialog like KDEprint and CUPS, with resolution, plex, page, and such is 
needed too, but probably better left to the desktop/library guys so it 
fits the uses setup. PPDs use would help there, so the same options and 
values are available to xprint and the dialogs.

-Thomas