Open Printing Summit Summary
27 September 2007
The original of this document is archived at:
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/Sept2007_OPSummit
in the files:
Open-Printing-Summit-Summary-20070927.htm Open-Printing-Summit-Summary-20070927.pdf
The full agenda of the Open Printing Summit in Montreal (with links to
slides from most of the presentations) is at:
/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting/summitmontreal
This summary was originally presented verbally at the PWG/OPS Joint
Plenary in Montreal on Thursday morning 27 September 2007.
Part I: Printing System Core and Infrastructure
- Jaguar/10.2 - CUPS/1.1.15 - August 2002 - Panther/10.3 - CUPS/1.1.19 - October 2003 - Tiger/10.4 - CUPS/1.1.23 - April 2005 - Leopard/10.5 - CUPS/1.3.2 - October 2007 (tentative)
- Kerberos authentication - More authentication mechanisms for local access - SNMP printer discovery (now disabled by default) - DNS-SD/Bonjour/Zeroconf support - New cupsctl command-line utility (updates cupsd.conf settings) - Web interface improvements (help, discovery, sharing, etc.) - Localization (new locales, backends localized, multi-lingual PPDs) - New side-channel API (for port monitors and backends) - New cupsPreFilter attribute in PPD file - New cupsAdminGetServerSettings() and cupsAdminSetServerSettings() - New cupsRemoveDest() and cupsSetDefaultDest() - http_t structure is now completely private
- more open-ended - probably one year out as a release - More performance tuning - More printer drivers - Streaming print API (to avoid extra intermediate files) - Updated web interface (better localization, etc.) - New PDF filter(s) based on Poppler - New libusb version of USB backend - New banner file format for filter-generated banner pages
- Production Printing - Office Printing - Home Printing - Embedded/Handheld/Mobile/STB Printing
- Print Volume (number of sheets) - Print Job Type - Simple - Complex but Static - Variable Data - Incorporate Finishing - Print Location - Attached/Local Printer - Network Printer - Print Department - Print Shop - Computing System Resources - Run-Time Memory - Processor Speed
- Means the Users in all environments can (/will/shall/should??) have
the same experience
- Differences are mostly artificial
- Production can request the printing of a single sheet
- Print a missing or damaged sheet
- Handheld can request the printing of a 100 copies
- Kinko's prints 100 sets of presentation downloaded from customer
PDA
- Who generated the production job-ticket !!!
- Could (should?) the PDA do that? - Interesting
- Use a Scaleable Approach
- User Level
- Print Dialog - Common
- Print Attributes - Common representation and terminology
- Developer Level
- Print Attributes - Common representation and terminology
- Application Programming Interface (API) - Design, Format, Calls,
Error, etc.
- Code Module - Coding Style, Coding Structure, Variable Typing, etc.
- Extension: Planning for Change - Vendor, Code, Attributes, Modules
- Independent of
- Environment, Print Vendor, Solution Vendor, Operating System &
Application.
- Defining
- Terminology, Acronyms, Abbreviations Representation, Relationships,
Dependencies &, Mathematics (where applicable)
- Defining
- Code Level Variable, Object(Struct) Members, Range & Scope
- Being worked on ... (Open Usability) - Request 1: Provides for both GUI and GUI-less API's - Request 2: Scaleable down to Resource Limited Embedded/Handheld Solutions
- Types: Static Link Library, Dynamic Link Library, Remote Processor Call, Other ?? - Base Library API's: opInitLib_foo, opSuspendLib_foo, opReleaseLib_foo - Base Procedure API's: opInit_foo, opProc_foo, opRelease_foo
- Basic Types (OP_INT8, OP_INT32, OP_CHAR, etc) - Basic Objects (structs) (OP_RECT, OP_POINT, etc) - Basic Errors (OP_ERROR_NONE, OP_ERROR_MEMORY_ALLOCATION, OP_ERROR_INVALID_ARG, etc)
- Coding Style - Pick one and stay with it! - Coding Structure - Pick one and stay with it!
- Vendor, Code, Attributes, Modules
- Users in all environments can (/will/shall/should??) have the same experience - Limitation defined by Available Printer, System and/or Intended Features and Capabilities
- Print Dialog - Common feature and capability parametrics
- Coding
- API's ... or
- Printer/Printing capabilities ... or
- Attribute properties ...
- as strings-constants for XML based or resource rich environments
- as integter-constants for resource limited environments
- Features and Capabilities
- The scope, the fidelity and the inclusion based on resources and not
necessarily environment !
- Extension: Planning for Change
- The scope, the fidelity and the inclusion based on resources and not
necessarily environment !
- See slides
- What is it?
- Is it a Prototype? Less than but close
- Is it a Solution? No, not complete.
- Goal is flush out the architecture, interface and internals
- We will define it as end-to-end executable that ...
- follows a single, usually the typically, path through the
architecture/design
- provides only limited error checking (memory allocate but not
parameters)
- assume resources are limited by the software architecture/design
not by actual system
- some functions/processes/procedures provide a single option
- Start with the ...
- simplest (feature/capability wise) Environment == Embedded/Handheld
- API defining features / capabilities == Job Ticketing
- API managing print == Print Manager
- API controlling the printer == Printer Driver
- API supporting printer == Print Channel Manager
- everything else...
- Refining the OpenPrinting Reference Model - Refining the OpenPrinting Detailed Architecture - Creating an OpenPrinting Dictionary - Creating the OpenPrinting Basic Software Header and Source Modules - Migrating existing work products to provide coherent, consistent, common - Software Elements - API - Solutions
- Provide applications print service or protocol independence - Allow a rich, extensible set of information to flow between application and print service - Support a rich enough set of operations to be useful to most applications with printing needs
- Print service independent - Provides available features
- GTK (GNOME) - Print commands (lp/lpr...) - Mozilla - Bug 317450 - patch submitted
- CUPS (IPP) - LP - LPD (RFC-1179)
- in progress - integrated solution
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/openprinting/ - openprinting-papi-dev@lists.sourceforge.net
- http://opensolaris.org/os/community/printing/ - mailto:printing-spool@linux-foundation.org
- /mailman/listinfo/printing-spool/ - printing-spool@linux-foundation.org
- ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/spool/papi-v1.0-2005-07-15.pdf
Topic - PDF instead of PostScript as standard print job format
- Ira - should consider ISO PDF/A and IEEE PDF/is support as profiles
- PostScript - imagetops and texttops - PDF - imagetopdf and (texttopdf)
- PostScript - pstops - PDF - pdftopdf
- PostScript - Ghostscript - PDF - pdftoopvp (Poppler-based)
- All PDF CUPS filters at http://opfc.sourceforge.jp - Reconsider Job Control Info - Modify PDF filters if needed - texttopdf (utf8topdf?) - Needs comments and VOLUNTEERS
- PostScript as print job format will be replaced by PDF - CUPS got new functionality, especially custom option settings - Automatic printer driver download from the Open Printing web site
- DTD/XSD for the XML database, can change database format - Auto-generate printer XML entries from PPD files - Easy way to turn user-contributed printer entries into official Foomatic entries
Part II: Printing on the Desktop: GUI and Applications
- Not much changed on the KDE printing front since Atlanta Summit
Google Summer of Code: - 1st topic: openprinting.org on-line driver support - succeeded - 2nd topic: KDE GUI renovation - not successful Work on KDE4 started: - Printing for KDE4 severely lagging New interest from KDE developers community - in last 3 weeks
- CUPS/1.1 and IPP - Other protocols very probably will be dropped - CUPS > 1.1 support still not implemented - Renovation of CUPS backend required - major rewrite - PDF printing flux not supported fully
Minimize centralized/shared library Move tools to optional workspace package Essential applications: - kprinter - ESSENTIAL: "lpr with a GUI" - Printer installation wizard - Job Viewer (actually very nice job manager - Kurt showed to Ira) - Dearly needed: better previewer - Dearly needed: PDF editor
KDE4 4.0:
- KDE3 code porting partially failed { lack of manpower
- Use Qt infrastructure directly
- Regressions and limitations over KDE3
- Very short time for implementation
KDE4 4.1:
- Back to full KDE platform:
- pre-filter, customizable dialog, printer wizard, etc.
- Using PDF as job format
- New GUI (usability driven)
- Look up wishes (and bugs)
- GUI redesign - wait for consensus?
- KDE3 GUI was serving well ("it ain't broken...")
- Pass as much of the job as possible to Qt (natural)
- CUPS 1.3 - Use greedily (PPD parsing?)
- CUPS 1.4 - PDF printing already required by developers
- Take a look at PAPI -> back to supporting many printing backends
KDE Printing is no more in acceptable shape High steam work in progress for KDE4: - KDE 4.0 -> placeholder - KDE 4.1 -> full (best) solution (again) Acute lack of manpower!
general inkjet, photo, personal laser workgroup laser, high volume wide format, impact printers
3 levels of Printing: - Level 1 - "printing does not exist" 80% or 90% - "will be OK" "just print" - an optional bypass of the dialog Print - just print - Level 2 - quick presets - level 3 - tweak printing parameters
- Screen shots of version 0.3 common printing dialog
- Gnome + GTK - KDE + Trolltech
System V and BSD command-line tools - Two tools: lp and lpr - Can print to the default printer or a named printer - All other details (spooler tech, network support, etc.) are implementation-dependent Generic System V/BSD interfaces are not sufficient - No way to discover what printers are available - No standards for discovering or supporting advanced printer capabilities - User interface is necessarily limited - Lack of backend standardization makes delivering a single driver framework nearly impossible
System V and BSD command-line tools - Pretty much unchanged CUPS/1.1 is now the de-facto standard for printing in Linux - No other spooler has captured the market - Newer versions of CUPS have not yet reached everywhere ABIs in CUPS - CUPS Convenience API - CUPS PPD API - CUPS Raster API GhostScript will be required by LSB/3.2 - Must support a standard set of options - Must support a standard set of drivers - CUPS Raster - IJS - pxlmono, pxlcolor - OpenPrinting Vector foomatic-rip will be required by LSB/3.2 Standard search path for PPDs will be required by LSB/3.2
Ideas for LSB 4 - Uplift of CUPS ABIs - SANE - PAPI - Others?
Topic - Printer Setup Tools
- hard for end users
- Ira - very nice tool
Part III: Printer Drivers and Printer Validation
- API Spec - released in 2003 - HP PCL5, Canon, Epson, and NEC Drivers have been released so far - Integrated in many distros as "opvp" driver with ESP GS - CUPS PDF filter "pdftoopvp" in 2006
- Current status: RC5 (almost done!) - ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/vector/pdapi-spec-1.0rc5.pdf - Implementation - opvp based on 1.0 is in beta status - Several vendors are already implemented drivers and testing ... so far so good!
- New "opvp" code for Ghostscript supports both 0.2 and 1.0 driver - Automatically detects the API version exported by each printer driver - Automatically changes the API calling sequence according to the API version - Then both the opvp 0.2 compliant printer driver and the opvp 1.0 compliant printer driver work under the new opvp 1.0 code w/o any modifications! - Sample driver "opvpnull" is already updated for 1.0 - Driver feasibility test has almost finished (6 months) - Soon available at http://opfc.sourceforge.jp
- Distributions do not ship all available printer drivers - Free drivers from upstream need to be compiled by users - Driver installation too complicated for inexperienced users - Manufacturers make packages only for a few major distributions - Driver packages often difficult to find on manufacturer's web sites - Testing/packaging effort for manufacturers and driver developers too high to ship binary driver packages for all distributions
- OpenPrinting database (former openprinting.org) - central database for printer/driver info - LSB provides tools and infrastructure to create distribution-independent binary packages
- Based on LSB 3.1 for binary format (later LSB 3.2)
- Using CUPS, Ghostscript (with IJS, CUPS Raster and OpenPrinting Vector
interfaces), Perl, and foomatic-rip which is in any distribution (and
will be required by LSB 3.2)
- Installing everything in /opt/<supplier>/ to avoid conflicts with
distribution
- Linking PPDs to /usr/share/ppd/
- Discovering system directory/file locations at install time
- maintainer scripts: pre/post (un)install) and symlinking system
files appropriately
- Make packages part of OpenPrinting database, so that they can be
easily found
- Infrastructure for automatic package lookup, download, and
installation through the internet by printer setup tools
Topic - Driver Development Reports since last OPS
- Currently Provide Completely Open Source Software
- Support over 1,200 Printer models with Connectivity Software
- Driver
- Toolbox
- Scan
- Fax
- Photocard
- Installer
- HPLIP Localized and adding Languages
- Current languages:
EFIGS
Braziliaan Portuguese
Simplified Chinese
Russian
- HP Adding Binary Plug-Ins to HPLIP
- HPLIP will continue to provide Open Source Code as we do now
- Some HP Printers require proprietary software technologies to allow
full access to printer features and performance
- These technologies cannot be open sourced
- Binary Plugs work in Conjunction with HP Open Source HPLIP
- Delivered via binary library
- Proprietary license between HP and customer
- Supported by HP Device Manager for Linux - PPDs - Firmware - Plug-Ins - Rules - License
- When Started?
- First Linux Printer Driver developed by Canon was released in
March 2001 (Ver.1.00)
- Inkjet Printers as well as Laser Printers
- Laser Printer Driver Ver.1.00 released in August 2003
- Cooperate with open source activities boosted by Japanese Agency
- For Overseas Market (outside Japan)
- Today, releasing from Europe, Australia sales companies for each
region market
- Study for the US market
- Color/Monochrome Laser Printers and Multifunctionals
- Ver.1.50 (Released on May 22nd, 2007)
- Over 140 models Color and Monochrome - imageRUNNER, imagePRESS,
LaserBase, and LaserShot series supported
- PostScript, UFR II, CAPT, LIPS IV(Japanese) and LIPS LX (Japanese)
models
- "x86" as well as "x86_64" supported
- Both "rpm" and "deb" packages released
- Photo Inkjet Printers and Multifunctionals
- Ver.2.70 (Released on Apr. 26th, 2007)
- Scanner driver Ver.1.00 for MFPs also released
- Download Sites:
http://cweb.canon.jp/drv-upd/lasershot/drv_linux.html
http://www.canon.com.au/drivers/index.html
http://software.canon-europe.com/
- Larger Multi-function devices - scanner, fax modems - Smart handhelds - PictBridge
- How we did it: - print to FILE: - USB snoop - How others do it: - Guest OS in Boch/VMware virtualization - Hardware signal analyzer
- IDA Pro - .NET : Reflector - Java : ??
- Fact: Manufacturers are out for making money - hardware - consumables e.g. ink/toner cartridges - support contracts
- Fact: Manufacturers are out for making money
- Question: Does it make financial sense?
- IP, Patents, business advantage, 3rd party sub-contract/licensing
- Justifying up-front business cost, and subsequent revenue projection
- Hardware/software co-developed at close proximity - i.e., no specs
- Cannot admit to hardware design faults and subsequent software work
arounds, etc.
- Sale opportunities: print servers
- New emerging market segments:
- Commodities- tied-in with Bluetooth, mobile+phone, embedded devices,
PDA, WebPAD
- PictBridge
- Product/Market Differentiator - same product class, more OSes
supported
- Hardware/Consumables - Funding - Specs - Engineering resources/contacts - Source code
- Wine - native bridge? - XEN - Mingw
- Cups - Samba - Redmon - Gsprint (Win32 ghostscript mswinpr2 driver)
Topic - Printer Driver Validation
- Mihara<osamu.mihara@fujixerox.co.jp> - Miyata<akiyoshi.miyata@avasys.jp> - Nagasaka<nagasaka.fumio@exc.epson.co.jp> - Ogasawara<naruoga@nts.ricoh.co.jp> - Sekiguchi<atsushi.sekiguchi@konicaminolta.jp> - Shida<shida.keisho@canon.co.jp> - drafting/arrangement - Toratani<toratani.yasumasa@canon.co.jp>
- Collected each member's comment about the Linux printer driver validation from the view point of: - What kind of things should be validated - Who validate - How to validate a printer driver - Validation cost
- Too early to start the Linux printer driver validation - We need more discussion first...
- First, discussion for defining the validation items should be started - Printing result? - Printing performance? - Printing options? - Printing from particular applications? - Language? ---> Test cases for printing validation
- Next, the validation tool, data and environment should be discussed, for instance: - OS and Application - Test Print Data (text? photo? graph?) - Languages - and more...
- Depending on the printing use cases... - In many cases, whether the driver works correctly or not can be validated only by the driver developer (printer vendor) ---> Self Validation
- On the other hand, we should also consider that the Linux desktop
market is still smaller than that of the major Desktop OSs
---> Validation is good, but the balance between the test cases and
testing/validating cost should be considered
- Multiple test case clusters - Multiple validation tools for test case clusters - And further discussion is being considered at The Linux Symposium Tokyo in November, 2007
Part IV: The OpenPrinting Summit 2007 is Over - Final Thoughts
- "There is no such thing as printing" - Peter Sikking - "There is no printer in the printing system" - Johannes Meixner
Wednesday afternoon 26 September 2007.
wrap-up session on Wednesday afternoon 26 September 2007.
- Please publish specifications (not for the proprietary features)
- Please make Linux drivers easy to package - Distribution-independent drivers - Distribution-friendly driver installation - CUPS-friendly drivers (for Linux environments)
- Please implement Port Monitor MIB (PWG 5107.1) - IEEE 1284 Device ID - Please implement coherent printer metadata (USB, parallel, network) - Please use standard tokens for languages (PDF, etc.) - action to OP
This section updates last year's presentation at the PWG/OPS Joint Plenary in Lexington in October 2006.
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/architecture/Reference-Model
in the file:
LF-OpenPrinting-Reference-Model-Diagram-20060410.pdf
and CUPS 1.3
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/spool
in the file:
papi-v1.0-2005-07-15.pdf
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/jobticket/JTAPI_Spec
in the file:
fsg-openprinting-job-ticket-api-v0100-20050315.pdf
drivers for several printer models from multiple manufacturers
namespace and excluded Text/Font API support)
by OP before end-of-2007
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/vector
in the files:
pdapi-spec-1.0rc5.pdf pdapi-changes-0.2to1.0rc5.pdf
etc.) to local or network printers
out separately (to PCMAPI)
OP PCMAPI
ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/fsg/status_monitoring
in the file:
SMAPI_draft_20040522.pdf
properties (in an abstract manner analogous to OP JTAPI)
etc.)
document formats (source, intermediate, or print-ready) for use by OP PAPI implementations and applications