[Printing-architecture] Epson Question on the Common Print Dialog

[Printing-architecture] Epson Question on the Common Print Dialog

[Petrie, Glen]

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All,

 

As the Common Print Dialog (CPD) continues to mature, I felt is was time
to get feedback from Epson internal.  Therefore, I sent an email Epson
internally asking interested parties to review the current state of the
CPD and to send me any questions, comments or concerns, which I am now
forwarding to the open mailing list.

 

1.	Does the CPD support Watermarks?

	a.	I remember this being there at some point but it could
be confirmed.

2.	How does the CPD support the connection between borderless print
mode and media size/type.

	a.	Not all media sizes and media types are designed to
support borderless mode; is there a mechanism to handle this.

3.	How will the CPD allow vendors to display printer status, toner
(ink) levels, job status and support printing maintenance items like
nozzle check, nozzle clean and head alignment?

	a.	Is there a vendor zone or pane (panel) for this?

4.	Does changing the media size in the CPD "reflow" the document or
simple scale (perhaps with clip) the document content to the selected
media size in the CPD.

	a.	That is, an application (via the user) sets the document
page size (say letter) while the CPD (via the user) specifies the print
media size of the document page to be A4; in which case, the letter
sized content is scaled (maintaining aspect ratio) to A4.

 

I will forward your replies to internal Epson.

 

Glen

 


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Re: [Printing-architecture] Epson Question on the Common Print Dialog

[Till Kamppeter]

Petrie, Glen wrote:
> As the Common Print Dialog (CPD) continues to mature, I felt is was time 
> to get feedback from Epson internal.  Therefore, I sent an email Epson 
> internally asking interested parties to review the current state of the 
> CPD and to send me any questions, comments or concerns, which I am now 
> forwarding to the open mailing list.
> 
>  
> 
>    1. Does the CPD support Watermarks?
>          1. I remember this being there at some point but it could be
>             confirmed.

Watermark addition is currently only supported by certain printer models 
(mainly PostScript printers). These printers have appropriate options to 
control the watermarks in their PPD files. As the CPD is making all PPD 
options available to the user, printing with watermark is possible with 
the CPD.

As the names of watermark options and their choices are not standardized 
(or are their standards somewhere) we cannnot interpret the options and 
know how the watermark comes out on the paper. Therefore the watermarks 
will not appear in the preview of the CPD.

The printing system (CUPS) does not provide watermarks, therefore there 
are no general watermark options for all printers in the CPD. Options 
which CUPS provides will be in the CPD.

>    2. How does the CPD support the connection between borderless print
>       mode and media size/type.
>          1. Not all media sizes and media types are designed to support
>             borderless mode; is there a mechanism to handle this.

The only way the CPD can know that two settings are conflicting (here 
the settings of PageSize and Borderless) are conflict definitions (UI 
constraints) in the PPD. If certain paper sizes do not allow borderless 
printing and appropriate conflict definitions are supplied by the PPD, 
the dialog will warn the user and not allow to print when borderless is 
turned on and an unsuitable paper size is chosen.

>    3. How will the CPD allow vendors to display printer status, toner
>       (ink) levels, job status and support printing maintenance items
>       like nozzle check, nozzle clean and head alignment?
>          1. Is there a vendor zone or pane (panel) for this?

AFAIK this is not foreseen for the printing dialog, as the printing 
dialog gets opened out of an application for sending a print job and 
closes when the job is sent. The above tasks are best done by a separate 
application, like a job viewer or a printer setup tool.

The only of the above tasks which makes sense in the printing dialog is 
to show printer status, either for the selected printer or in the 
drop-down list to choose the printer, at the right of the printer name, 
in parentheses for example. This way a user knows before sending a job 
whether the printer will print the job immediately or not.

Peter, Lars, are we doing a thing like this.

>    4. Does changing the media size in the CPD “reflow” the document or
>       simple scale (perhaps with clip) the document content to the
>       selected media size in the CPD.
>          1. That is, an application (via the user) sets the document
>             page size (say letter) while the CPD (via the user)
>             specifies the print media size of the document page to be
>             A4; in which case, the letter sized content is scaled
>             (maintaining aspect ratio) to A4.
> 

Media size changes are reported back to the application and it is on the 
application what to do. A browser or plain text editor would reflow the 
document, a photo viewer would shrink or enlarge the photo, ...

Peter, Lars, I hope I have described everything correctly, please give 
your comments where needed.

    Till

Re: [Printing-architecture] Epson Question on the Common Print Dialog

[kate price]

Dear Glen

Thanks for getting the CPD out there in Epsom, naturally all feedback  
and questions are welcomed by us.
Til has already replied I know, but it's worth giving you some more  
answers from the perspective of us here at mmi-works, who are  
developing the UI.


>
> 	• Does the CPD support Watermarks?
> 		• I remember this being there at some point but it could be  
> confirmed.


Just as an appendage to Til's comments; we have developed aUI for  
watermarking in the CPD. please see: http://wiki.openusability.org/printing/index.php/Personal_laser_parameter_specifications#Watermarking 
   for details


> 	• How does the CPD support the connection between borderless print  
> mode and media size/type.
> 	• Not all media sizes and media types are designed to support  
> borderless mode; is there a mechanism to handle this.

We have created a new control (or actually set of controls called  
Print On. This integrates media type, media size  margins and color  
management into one inter-related group. Borderless printing comes as  
part of margins. We have created generic margin sizes - one of which  
can easily be "none" "minimum" or a term of your choice.

We felt there were a couple major of issues here:

*ensuring that borders  -i.e.  drawn borders and "border-less  
printing" i.e. minimum or no margins, were not able to be confused
*allowing specific feature names can be integrated here, whilst  
keeping it clear that margin sizes are always related to media type  
and size - literally what users are printing on.
*not forgetting that manufacturers will have the capacity to create  
tags which can big up unique printer features, whilst enabling  users  
to put together successful prints, for example there could be an "up  
to the edge" printing tag.

see http://wiki.openusability.org/printing/index.php/Photo_printers_parameter_specifications#Print_On_-_Media_Type_and_Size


> 	• How will the CPD allow vendors to display printer status, toner  
> (ink) levels, job status and support printing maintenance items like  
> nozzle check, nozzle clean and head alignment?
> 		• Is there a vendor zone or pane (panel) for this?

Actually, we are currently working on an icon to be shown next to the  
printer selection pop-up which will open all the relevant maintenance  
info.
Here we see a low ink warning icon also being appropriate, though not  
in any specific detail on the actual level 2/3 CPD pane.

The maintenance icon will open a new dialog pane, which can include  
all the maintenance information Manufacturers require, including the  
relevant images, user instructions or guides that are existence. We  
are therefore designing in a neat, visible and immediate way for users  
to access all the information manufacturers wish to provide relating  
to the chosen printer, directly from the CPD.

I will be updating the wiki with this addition in the next week or so  
so watch this space:
http://wiki.openusability.org/printing/index.php/Level_2_Dialog_zones_and_content#Printer_Zone

> 	• Does changing the media size in the CPD “reflow” the document or  
> simple scale (perhaps with clip) the document content to the  
> selected media size in the CPD.
> 		• That is, an application (via the user) sets the document page  
> size (say letter) while the CPD (via the user) specifies the print  
> media size of the document page to be A4; in which case, the letter  
> sized content is scaled (maintaining aspect ratio) to A4.


As Til wrote, generally media size changes by the user are always  
retransformed by the application. However, if the app has a page size  
concept it can set the values when the CPD launches. Advanced: the app  
would suppress the CPD controls and add it's own.

Best wishes,

Kate

mmi works