formatting by printer drivers considered harmful

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax (More info?)

I have recently had to take over support for printing in an application. I
didn't have a clue about this area a couple of weeks ago. However, now, I am
starting to form the distinct impression that most of the difficult
questions surrounding printing don't have anything to do with 'printing',
per se, at all. It seems there are many printer drivers out there that don't
actually drive printers. Instead, some clever programmer recognized that
almost all applications support printing, so why not write printer drivers
that output files formatted as HTML, or PDF or something? This way,
applications that weren't designed to produce HTML or PDF or whatever in the
first place will now have this ability.

This is pathological in my view. The application doesn't have any real
control over the output. And yet users somehow get it in their heads that
the application *should*. They request enhancements or customizations that
are impossible.

The correct way to modularize formatting support, I think, is illustrated by
the XEP rendering engine http://xep.xattic.com/xep/index.html for example.

Are there any trade articles or antipattern descriptions, or
patterns-and-practices guides, or Windows logo guidelines out there that
discourage this horrible practice of formatting via printer drivers?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax (More info?)

Interesting point of view. Obviously, not everyone agrees with you. Adobe
and Scansoft, and developers of "pseudo-printer" fax drivers, for example.

You might get more information/comment by posting to
microsoft.public.development.device.drivers or
microsoft.public.windowsxp.device_driver.dev

Tom
MSMVP-DTS



"API police" <nonExist@spamless.com> wrote in message
news:uJpdWV9dEHA.3632@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>I have recently had to take over support for printing in an application. I
> didn't have a clue about this area a couple of weeks ago. However, now, I
> am
> starting to form the distinct impression that most of the difficult
> questions surrounding printing don't have anything to do with 'printing',
> per se, at all. It seems there are many printer drivers out there that
> don't
> actually drive printers. Instead, some clever programmer recognized that
> almost all applications support printing, so why not write printer drivers
> that output files formatted as HTML, or PDF or something? This way,
> applications that weren't designed to produce HTML or PDF or whatever in
> the
> first place will now have this ability.
>
> This is pathological in my view. The application doesn't have any real
> control over the output. And yet users somehow get it in their heads that
> the application *should*. They request enhancements or customizations that
> are impossible.
>
> The correct way to modularize formatting support, I think, is illustrated
> by
> the XEP rendering engine http://xep.xattic.com/xep/index.html for example.
>
> Are there any trade articles or antipattern descriptions, or
> patterns-and-practices guides, or Windows logo guidelines out there that
> discourage this horrible practice of formatting via printer drivers?
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax (More info?)

No, obviously not. But I wonder if any one of them would tout their solution
as a 'best practice'. Thanks for the pointers to better newsgroups.

"Thomas Ferguson" <tomf@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:%23MAP1pKeEHA.2812@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Interesting point of view. Obviously, not everyone agrees with you. Adobe
> and Scansoft, and developers of "pseudo-printer" fax drivers, for example.
>
> You might get more information/comment by posting to
> microsoft.public.development.device.drivers or
> microsoft.public.windowsxp.device_driver.dev
>
> Tom
> MSMVP-DTS
>
>
>
> "API police" <nonExist@spamless.com> wrote in message
> news:uJpdWV9dEHA.3632@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> >I have recently had to take over support for printing in an application.
I
> > didn't have a clue about this area a couple of weeks ago. However, now,
I
> > am
> > starting to form the distinct impression that most of the difficult
> > questions surrounding printing don't have anything to do with
'printing',
> > per se, at all. It seems there are many printer drivers out there that
> > don't
> > actually drive printers. Instead, some clever programmer recognized that
> > almost all applications support printing, so why not write printer
drivers
> > that output files formatted as HTML, or PDF or something? This way,
> > applications that weren't designed to produce HTML or PDF or whatever in
> > the
> > first place will now have this ability.
> >
> > This is pathological in my view. The application doesn't have any real
> > control over the output. And yet users somehow get it in their heads
that
> > the application *should*. They request enhancements or customizations
that
> > are impossible.
> >
> > The correct way to modularize formatting support, I think, is
illustrated
> > by
> > the XEP rendering engine http://xep.xattic.com/xep/index.html for
example.
> >
> > Are there any trade articles or antipattern descriptions, or
> > patterns-and-practices guides, or Windows logo guidelines out there that
> > discourage this horrible practice of formatting via printer drivers?
> >
> >
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax (More info?)

Glad I could help.

I don't know if they consider their "solutions" best practice but they seem
to have no hesitation in selling the products for their various intended
purposes,

Tom
MSMVP-DTS

"API police" <nonExist@spamless.com> wrote in message
news:OfYRuIOeEHA.2352@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> No, obviously not. But I wonder if any one of them would tout their
> solution
> as a 'best practice'. Thanks for the pointers to better newsgroups.
>
> "Thomas Ferguson" <tomf@mvps.org> wrote in message
> news:%23MAP1pKeEHA.2812@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>> Interesting point of view. Obviously, not everyone agrees with you. Adobe
>> and Scansoft, and developers of "pseudo-printer" fax drivers, for
>> example.
>>
>> You might get more information/comment by posting to
>> microsoft.public.development.device.drivers or
>> microsoft.public.windowsxp.device_driver.dev
>>
>> Tom
>> MSMVP-DTS
>>
>>
>>
>> "API police" <nonExist@spamless.com> wrote in message
>> news:uJpdWV9dEHA.3632@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> >I have recently had to take over support for printing in an application.
> I
>> > didn't have a clue about this area a couple of weeks ago. However, now,
> I
>> > am
>> > starting to form the distinct impression that most of the difficult
>> > questions surrounding printing don't have anything to do with
> 'printing',
>> > per se, at all. It seems there are many printer drivers out there that
>> > don't
>> > actually drive printers. Instead, some clever programmer recognized
>> > that
>> > almost all applications support printing, so why not write printer
> drivers
>> > that output files formatted as HTML, or PDF or something? This way,
>> > applications that weren't designed to produce HTML or PDF or whatever
>> > in
>> > the
>> > first place will now have this ability.
>> >
>> > This is pathological in my view. The application doesn't have any real
>> > control over the output. And yet users somehow get it in their heads
> that
>> > the application *should*. They request enhancements or customizations
> that
>> > are impossible.
>> >
>> > The correct way to modularize formatting support, I think, is
> illustrated
>> > by
>> > the XEP rendering engine http://xep.xattic.com/xep/index.html for
> example.
>> >
>> > Are there any trade articles or antipattern descriptions, or
>> > patterns-and-practices guides, or Windows logo guidelines out there
>> > that
>> > discourage this horrible practice of formatting via printer drivers?
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>