Where to get ppd file for printer driver#
Listing 1 shows a driver information file for a black-and-white PostScript printer. For more information see the " Introduction to the PPD Compiler" document. Use the -m option with the lpinfo command to get a list of supported models. It also allows you to easily support multiple devices from a single source file. This option cannot be specified with the -P option (PPD file) and is intended for providing support for legacy printer drivers.-m model: Sets a standard System V interface script or PPD file for the printer from the model directory or using one of the driver interfaces. Each PPD file is placed in its own group of curly braces within the driver information file. ppd If the driver information file already exists, the new PPD file entries are appended to the end of the file. We recommend using the CUPS PPD compiler, ppdc(1), to create new PPD files since it manages many of the tedious (and error-prone!) details of paper sizes and localization for you. PPD file on the command-line: ppdi -o mydevice.drv mydevice1.ppd mydevice2.ppd ppdi -o mydevice.drv.
Where to get ppd file for printer drivers#
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.
Figure 2 shows the data flow of a typical command job. 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. The scheduler also supports a special "command" file format for sending maintenance commands and status queries to a printer or printer driver. 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. 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 port monitors for BCP and TBCP, and you can supply your own port monitors as needed.
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.
The optional port monitor handles interface-specific protocol or encoding issues. CUPS includes a generic PostScript filter that handles all PPD-defined commands. Typically this is used to support advanced job management or finishing functions on the printer. 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.