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439--></style>
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440 </head>
441 <body>
10d09e33 442<!--
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443 PostScript printer driver documentation for CUPS.
444
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445 Copyright © 2007-2012 by Apple Inc.
446 Copyright © 1997-2007 by Easy Software Products.
447
448 Licensed under Apache License v2.0. See the file "LICENSE" for more
449 information.
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450-->
451
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452<h1 class='title'>Developing PostScript Printer Drivers</h1>
453
8072030b 454<p>This document describes how to develop printer drivers for PostScript printers. Topics include: <a href='#BASICS'>printer driver basics</a>, <a href='#CREATE'>creating new PPD files</a>, <a href='#IMPORT'>importing existing PPD files</a>, <a href='#FILTERS'>using custom filters</a>, <a href='#COLOR'>implementing color management</a>, and <a href='#MACOSX'>adding macOS features</a>.</p>
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455
456<div class='summary'><table summary='General Information'>
457<tbody>
458<tr>
459 <th>See Also</th>
460 <td>Programming: <a href='raster-driver.html'>Developing Raster Printer Drivers</a><br>
461 Programming: <a href='api-filter.html'>Filter and Backend Programming</a><br>
462 Programming: <a href='ppd-compiler.html'>Introduction to the PPD Compiler</a><br>
463 Programming: <a href='api-raster.html'>Raster API</a><br>
464 References: <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html'>PPD Compiler Driver Information File Reference</a><br>
465 Specifications: <a href='spec-ppd.html'>CUPS PPD Extensions</a></td>
466</tr>
467</tbody>
468</table></div>
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469 <div class="contents">
470 <h2 class="title">Contents</h2>
471 <ul class="contents">
472 <li><a href="#BASICS">Printer Driver Basics</a></li>
473 <li><a href="#CREATING">Creating New PPD Files</a><ul class="subcontents">
474 <li><a href="#IMPORT">Importing Existing PPD Files</a></li>
475 </ul></li>
476 <li><a href="#FILTERS">Using Custom Filters</a></li>
477 <li><a href="#COLOR">Implementing Color Management</a></li>
478 <li><a href="#MACOSX">Adding macOS Features</a></li>
479 </ul>
480 </div>
481 <div class="body">
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482<h2 class='title'><a name='BASICS'>Printer Driver Basics</a></h2>
483
484<p>A CUPS PostScript printer driver consists of a PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file that describes the features and capabilities of the device, zero or more <em>filter</em> programs that prepare print data for the device, and zero or more support files for color management, online help, and so forth. The PPD file includes references to all of the filters and support files used by the driver.</p>
485
486<p>Every time a user prints something the scheduler program, <a href='man-cupsd.html'>cupsd(8)</a>, determines the format of the print job and the programs required to convert that job into something the printer understands. CUPS includes filter programs for many common formats, for example to convert Portable Document Format (PDF) files into device-independent PostScript, and then from device-independent PostScript to device-dependent PostScript. <a href='#FIGURE_1'>Figure 1</a> shows the data flow of a typical print job.</p>
487
488<div class='figure'><table summary='PostScript Filter Chain'>
489<caption>Figure 1: <a name='FIGURE_1'>PostScript Filter Chain</a></caption>
b0f6947b 490<tr><td><img src='../images/cups-postscript-chain.png' width='700' height='150' alt='PostScript Filter Chain'></td></tr>
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491</table></div>
492
493<p>The optional PostScript filter can be provided to add printer-specific commands to the PostScript output that cannot be represented in the PPD file or to reorganize the output for special printer features. Typically this is used to support advanced job management or finishing functions on the printer. CUPS includes a generic PostScript filter that handles all PPD-defined commands.</p>
494
495<p>The optional port monitor handles interface-specific protocol or encoding issues. For example, many PostScript printers support the Binary Communications Protocol (BCP) and Tagged Binary Communications Protocol (TBCP) to allow applications to print 8-bit ("binary") PostScript jobs. CUPS includes port monitors for BCP and TBCP, and you can supply your own port monitors as needed.</p>
496
497<p>The backend handles communications with the printer, sending print data from the last filter to the printer and relaying back-channel data from the printer to the upstream filters. CUPS includes backend programs for common direct-connect interfaces and network protocols, and you can provide your own backend to support custom interfaces and protocols.</p>
498
499<p>The scheduler also supports a special "command" file format for sending maintenance commands and status queries to a printer or printer driver. Command print jobs typically use a single command filter program defined in the PPD file to generate the appropriate printer commands and handle any responses from the printer. <a href='#FIGURE_2'>Figure 2</a> shows the data flow of a typical command job.</p>
500
501<div class='figure'><table summary='Command Filter Chain'>
502<caption>Figure 2: <a name='FIGURE_2'>Command Filter Chain</a></caption>
b0f6947b 503<tr><td><img src='../images/cups-command-chain.png' width='575' height='150' alt='Command Filter Chain'></td></tr>
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504</table></div>
505
506<p>PostScript printer drivers typically do not require their own command filter since CUPS includes a generic PostScript command filter that supports all of the standard functions using PPD-defined commands.</p>
507
508
509<h2 class='title'><a name='CREATING'>Creating New PPD Files</a></h2>
510
511<p>We recommend using the CUPS PPD compiler, <a href='man-ppdc.html'>ppdc(1)</a>, to create new PPD files since it manages many of the tedious (and error-prone!) details of paper sizes and localization for you. It also allows you to easily support multiple devices from a single source file. For more information see the "<a href='ppd-compiler.html'>Introduction to the PPD Compiler</a>" document. <a href='#LISTING_1'>Listing 1</a> shows a driver information file for a black-and-white PostScript printer.</p>
512
513<p class='example'>Listing 1: <a name='LISTING_1'>"examples/postscript.drv"</a></p>
514
515<pre class='example'>
516// Include standard font and media definitions
517<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
518<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
519
520// Specify this is a PostScript printer driver
521<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#DriverType'>DriverType</a> ps
522
523// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts
524<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
525
526// Manufacturer, model name, and version
527<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
528<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "Foo LaserProofer 2000"
529<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
530
531// PostScript printer attributes
532<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> DefaultColorSpace "" Gray
533<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> LandscapeOrientation "" Minus90
534<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> LanguageLevel "" "3"
535<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> Product "" "(Foo LaserProofer 2000)"
536<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> PSVersion "" "(3010) 0"
537<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> TTRasterizer "" Type42
538
539// Supported page sizes
540*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
541<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Legal
542<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
543
544// Query command for page size
545<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> "?PageSize" "" "
546 save
547 currentpagedevice /PageSize get aload pop
548 2 copy gt {exch} if (Unknown)
549 23 dict
550 dup [612 792] (Letter) put
551 dup [612 1008] (Legal) put
552 dup [595 842] (A4) put
f3c17241 553 {exch aload pop 4 index sub abs 5 le exch
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554 5 index sub abs 5 le and
555 {exch pop exit} {pop} ifelse
556 } bind forall = flush pop pop
557 restore"
558
559// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate
560<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "fooproof.ppd"
561</pre>
562
563<h3>Required Attributes</h3>
564
565<p>PostScript drivers require the attributes listed in <a href='#TABLE_1'>Table 1</a>. If not specified, the defaults for CUPS drivers are used. A typical PostScript driver information file would include the following attributes:</p>
566
567<pre class='example'>
568<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> DefaultColorSpace "" Gray
569<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> LandscapeOrientation "" Minus90
570<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> LanguageLevel "" "3"
571<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> Product "" "(Foo LaserProofer 2000)"
572<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> PSVersion "" "(3010) 0"
573<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> TTRasterizer "" Type42
574</pre>
575
576<div class='table'><table summary='Required PostScript Printer Driver Attributes'>
577<caption>Table 1: <a name='TABLE_1'>Required PostScript Printer Driver Attributes</a></caption>
578<thead>
579<tr>
580 <th>Attribute</th>
581 <th>Description</th>
582</tr>
583</thead>
584<tbody>
585<tr>
586 <td><tt>DefaultColorSpace</tt></td>
587 <td>The default colorspace:
588 <tt>Gray</tt>, <tt>RGB</tt>, <tt>CMY</tt>, or
589 <tt>CMYK</tt>. If not specified, then <tt>RGB</tt> is
590 assumed.</td>
591</tr>
592<tr>
593 <td><tt>LandscapeOrientation</tt></td>
594 <td>The preferred landscape
595 orientation: <tt>Plus90</tt>, <tt>Minus90</tt>, or
596 <tt>Any</tt>. If not specified, <tt>Plus90</tt> is
597 assumed.</td>
598</tr>
599<tr>
600 <td><tt>LanguageLevel</tt></td>
601 <td>The PostScript language
602 level supported by the device: 1, 2, or 3. If not
603 specified, 2 is assumed.</td>
604</tr>
605<tr>
606 <td><tt>Product</tt></td>
607 <td>The string returned by
608 the PostScript <tt>product</tt> operator, which
609 <i>must</i> include parenthesis to conform with
610 PostScript syntax rules for strings. Multiple
611 <tt>Product</tt> attributes may be specified to support
612 multiple products with the same PPD file. If not
613 specified, "(ESP Ghostscript)" and "(GNU Ghostscript)"
614 are assumed.</td>
615</tr>
616<tr>
617 <td><tt>PSVersion</tt></td>
618 <td>The PostScript
619 interpreter version numbers as returned by the
620 <tt>version</tt> and <tt>revision</tt> operators. The
621 required format is "(version) revision". Multiple
622 <tt>PSVersion</tt> attributes may be specified to
623 support multiple interpreter version numbers. If not
624 specified, "(3010) 705" and "(3010) 707" are
625 assumed.</td>
626</tr>
627<tr>
628 <td><tt>TTRasterizer</tt></td>
629 <td>The type of TrueType
630 font rasterizer supported by the device, if any. The
631 supported values are <tt>None</tt>, <tt>Accept68k</tt>,
632 <tt>Type42</tt>, and <tt>TrueImage</tt>. If not
633 specified, <tt>None</tt> is assumed.</td>
634</tr>
635</table></div>
636
637<h3>Query Commands</h3>
638
639<p>Most PostScript printer PPD files include query commands (<tt>?PageSize</tt>, etc.) that allow applications to query the printer for its current settings and configuration. Query commands are included in driver information files as attributes. For example, the example in <a href='#LISTING_1'>Listing 1</a> uses the following definition for the <tt>PageSize</tt> query command:</p>
640
641<pre class='example'>
642<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> "?PageSize" "" "
643 save
644 currentpagedevice /PageSize get aload pop
645 2 copy gt {exch} if (Unknown)
646 23 dict
647 dup [612 792] (Letter) put
648 dup [612 1008] (Legal) put
649 dup [595 842] (A4) put
f3c17241 650 {exch aload pop 4 index sub abs 5 le exch
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651 5 index sub abs 5 le and
652 {exch pop exit} {pop} ifelse
653 } bind forall = flush pop pop
654 restore"
655</pre>
656
657<p>Query commands can span multiple lines, however no single line may contain more than 255 characters.</p>
658
659<h3><a name='IMPORT'>Importing Existing PPD Files</a></h3>
660
661<P>CUPS includes a utility called <a href='man-ppdi.html'>ppdi(1)</a>
662which allows you to import existing PPD files into the driver information file
663format used by the PPD compiler <a href='man-ppdc.html'>ppdc(1)</a>. Once
664imported, you can modify, localize, and regenerate the PPD files easily. Type
665the following command to import the PPD file <VAR>mydevice.ppd</VAR> into the
666driver information file <VAR>mydevice.drv</VAR>:</P>
667
668<pre class='command'>
669ppdi -o mydevice.drv mydevice.ppd
670</pre>
671
672<P>If you have a whole directory of PPD files that you would like to import,
673you can list multiple filenames or use shell wildcards to import more than one
674PPD file on the command-line:</P>
675
676<pre class='command'>
677ppdi -o mydevice.drv mydevice1.ppd mydevice2.ppd
678ppdi -o mydevice.drv *.ppd
679</pre>
680
681<P>If the driver information file already exists, the new PPD
682file entries are appended to the end of the file. Each PPD file
683is placed in its own group of curly braces within the driver
684information file.</P>
685
686
687<h2 class='title'><a name='FILTERS'>Using Custom Filters</a></h2>
688
689<p>Normally a PostScript printer driver will not utilize any additional print filters. For drivers that provide additional filters such as a CUPS command file filter for doing printer maintenance, you must also list the following <tt>Filter</tt> directive to handle printing PostScript files:</p>
690
691<pre class='example'>
692<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 -
693</pre>
694
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695<h3>Custom Command Filters</h3>
696
697<p>The <tt>application/vnd.cups-command</tt> file type is used for CUPS command files. Use the following <tt>Filter</tt> directive to handle CUPS command files:</p>
698
699<pre class='example'>
700<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-command 100 /path/to/command/filter
701</pre>
702
703<p>To use the standard PostScript command filter, specify <var>commandtops</var> as the path to the command filter.</p>
704
705<h3>Custom PDF Filters</h3>
706
707<p>The <tt>application/pdf</tt> file type is used for unfiltered PDF files while the <tt>application/vnd.cups-pdf</tt> file type is used for filtered PDF files. Use the following <tt>Filter</tt> directive to handle filtered PDF files:</p>
708
709<pre class='example'>
710<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-pdf 100 /path/to/pdf/filter
711</pre>
712
713<p>For unfiltered PDF files, use:</p>
714
715<pre class='example'>
716<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/pdf 100 /path/to/pdf/filter
717</pre>
718
719<p>Custom PDF filters that accept filtered data do not need to perform number-up processing and other types of page imposition, while those that accept unfiltered data MUST do the number-up processing themselves.</p>
720
721<h3>Custom PostScript Filters</h3>
722
723<p>The <tt>application/vnd.cups-postscript</tt> file type is used for filtered PostScript files. Use the following <tt>Filter</tt> directive to handle PostScript files:</p>
724
725<pre class='example'>
726<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-postscript 100 /path/to/postscript/filter
727</pre>
728
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729
730<h2 class='title'><a name='COLOR'>Implementing Color Management</a></h2>
731
178cb736 732<p>CUPS uses ICC color profiles to provide more accurate color reproduction. The <a href='spec-ppd.html#cupsICCProfile'><tt>cupsICCProfile</tt></a> attribute defines the color profiles that are available for a given printer, for example:</p>
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734<pre class='example'>
735<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsICCProfile "ColorModel.MediaType.Resolution/Description" /path/to/ICC/profile
736</pre>
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738<p>where "ColorModel.MediaType.Resolution" defines a selector based on the corresponding option selections. A simple driver might only define profiles for the color models that are supported, for example a printer supporting Gray and RGB might use:</p>
739
740<pre class='example'>
741<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsICCProfile "Gray../Grayscale Profile" /path/to/ICC/gray-profile
742<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsICCProfile "RGB../Full Color Profile" /path/to/ICC/rgb-profile
743</pre>
28b9d139 744
178cb736 745<p>The options used for profile selection can be customized using the <tt>cupsICCQualifier2</tt> and <tt>cupsICCQualifier3</tt> attributes.</p>
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746
747
8072030b 748<h2 class='title'><a name='MACOSX'>Adding macOS Features</a></h2>
178cb736 749
8072030b 750<p>macOS printer drivers can provide <a href='spec-ppd.html#MACOSX'>additional attributes</a> to specify additional option panes in the print dialog, an image of the printer, a help book, and option presets for the driver software:</p>
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752<pre class='example'>
753<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> APDialogExtension "" /Library/Printers/Vendor/filename.plugin
754<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> APHelpBook "" /Library/Printers/Vendor/filename.bundle
755<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> APPrinterIconPath "" /Library/Printers/Vendor/filename.icns
756<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> APPrinterPreset "name/text" "*option choice ..."
757</pre>
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758 </div>
759 </body>
28b9d139 760</html>