Subject: JMP> How should a PDF document be indicated in the Printer MIB, Job Monitoring MIB and IPP?

From: Tom Hastings <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 12:31:03 PST

Currently there is no enum registered for a PDF document-format for use
in the Printer MIB, the Job Monitoring MIB, and IPP.

How should a PDF document be indicated in the Printer MIB, Job Monitoring
MIB and IPP?

IPP is part of PostScript level 3, I understand, so that the PostScript
enum langPD(6) with a level of "3" in prtInterpreterLangLevel in the
Printer MIB could indicate a Printer that is capabile of consuming a PDF
file.  But what about the Job Monitoring MIB where we don't have level
and IPP where we don't have level?

Also it seems that a Printer might be able to consume PDF, but not any
PostScript level 3.  Finally, in a document repository, it would be useful
to know that a document is a PDF file, so that a PDF reader can be used
to image it.

We've discussed at several Printer Working Group meetings the idea of
registering combinations of language family and level in order to give them
distinct enums.  So we could register PS1, PS2, PS3, and PDF.  Also PCL5e,
PCL5, and PCL4 as separate enums for use when a particular level is important.
And we could keep the current langPCL(3) and langPS(6) for use when level
is not important, or when the level is specified by other attributes,
such as in the Printer MIB.

The advantage of keeping the family separate from the level, is that an old
application would still have a clue that a new level of document is really
an upwards compatible level with the enum that it understands, where as if
we register a new enum for each level, the old application will have no clue
that the document is PostScript.

For IPP, we might have a string, in which the family and level are syntactially
distinguished, so that an old application could separate the family from
the level.

In the Job Monitoring MIB we have the Printer MIB enum.  But we might
change to the text string that has both family and level, if that is the
way that IPP goes.  Then we wouldn't need to register the different levels
of PostScript and PCL.

However, we may still want to register a PDF enum, since it is such a 
common document format these days.

We need some help here from Adobe and HP on what is the best course to 
follow for the Printer MIB, Job Monitoring MIB, and IPP.

I'd like to see this issue come up in the PWG agenda, since it affect 
all three PWG progjects, if we can't resolve this via e-mail.

Thanks,
Tom

See the current 1.5 or 1.6 IPP Model and Semantics.

Here is the extracted text from that:

5.2.7.1 document-format (type2Enumformat)
This job attribute identifies the document format of this document, and may
be a per-document attribute.

This printer attribute indicates default value. It also indicates the values
of the attribute supported by this printer and the states of readiness for
each value. One possible supported and default value is "auto-sense".

The following standard values have been reviewed with the Printer Working
Group and are registered with IANA as part of the IETF Printer MIB project.
The token value assigned by the PWG starts with the four letters: "lang", in
order to follow SNMP ASN.1 rules that all enum symbols shall start with a
lower case letter.  The token values in IPP shall be the same as the IANA
token values, with the "lang" removed.  The MIB (integer) value is included
here for reference only, the MIB value shall not be used in IPP;  the token
value shall be used instead:

Token Value	MIB value	Description

other	1	

PCL	3	PCL.  Starting with PCL version 5, HP-GL/2 is included as part of the
PCL language.  PCL and HP-GL/2 are registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard
Company.

HPGL	4	Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language.  HP-GL is a registered trademark
of Hewlett-Packard Company.

PJL	5	Peripheral Job Language.  Appears in the data stream between data
intended for a page description language.  Hewlett-Packard Co.  

PS	6	PostScript Language (tm) Postscript - a trademark of Adobe Systems
Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions

IPDS	7	Intelligent Printer Data Stream Bi-directional print data stream for
documents consisting of data objects (text, image, graphics, bar codes),
resources (fonts, overlays) and page, form and finishing instructions.
Facilitates system level device control, document tracking and error
recovery throughout the print process.  Pennant Systems, IBM 

PPDS	8	IBM Personal Printer Data Stream.  Originally called IBM ASCII, the
name was changed to PPDS when the Laser Printer was introduced in 1989.
Lexmark International, Inc.

EscapeP	9	Epson Corp.

Epson	10	

DDIF	11	Digital Document Interchange Format Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard MA

Interpress	12	Xerox Corp.

ISO6429	13	ISO 6429.  Control functions for Coded Character Sets (has ASCII
control characters, plus additional controls for character imaging devices.)
ISO Standard, Geneva, Switzerland

LineData	14	line-data: Lines of data as separate ASCII or EBCDIC records and
containing no control functions (no CR, LF, HT, FF, etc.).  For use with
traditional line printers.  May use CR and/or LF to delimit lines, instead
of records.  See ISO 10175 Document Printing Application (DPA) ISO standard,
Geneva, Switzerland

MODCA	15	Mixed Object Document Content Architecture Definitions that allow
the composition, interchange, and presentation of final form documents as a
collection of data objects (text, image, graphics, bar codes), resources
(fonts, overlays) and page, form and finishing instructions.  Pennant
Systems, IBM

REGIS	16	Remote Graphics Instruction Set, Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard MA

SCS	17	SNA Character String Bi-directional print data stream for SNA LU-1
mode of communications IBM

SPDL	18	ISO 10180 Standard Page Description Language ISO Standard

TEK4014	19	Tektronix Corp.

PDS	20	

IGP	21	Printronix Corp.

CodeV	22	Magnum Code-V, Image and printer control language used to control
impact/dot- matrix printers.  QMS, Inc., Mobile AL

DSCDSE	23	DSC-DSE: Data Stream Compatible and Emulation Bi-directional print
data stream for non-SNA (DSC) and SNA LU-3 3270 controller (DSE)
communications IBM

WPS	24	Windows Printing System, Resource based command/data stream used by
Microsoft At Work Peripherals.  Developed by the Microsoft Corporation.
LN03	25	Early DEC-PPL3, Digital Equipment Corp.

CCITT	26	

QUIC	27	QUIC (Quality Information Code), Page Description Language for laser
printers.  Included graphics, printer control capability and emulation of
other well- known printer .  QMS, Inc.

CPAP	28	Common Printer Access Protocol Digital Equipment Corp

DecPPL	29	Digital ANSI-Compliant Printing Protocol (DEC-PPL) Digital
Equipment Corp

SimpleText	30	simple-text: character coded data, including NUL, CR , LF, HT,
and FF control characters.  See ISO 10175 Document Printing Application
(DPA) ISO standard, Geneva, Switzerlan

NPAP	31	Network Printer Alliance Protocol (NPAP).  This protocol has been
superseded by the IEEE 1284.1 TIPSI standard.  (ref.  LangTIPSI(49)).

DOC	32	Document Option Commands, Appears in the data stream between data
intended for a page description .  QMS, Inc

imPress	33	imPRESS, Page description language originally developed for the
ImageServer line of systems.  A binary language providing representations
for text, simple graphics (rules, lines, conic sections), and some large
forms (simple bit-map and CCITT group 3/4 encoded).The language was intended
to be sent over an 8-bit channel and supported early document preparation
languages (e.g.  TeX and TROFF).  QMS, Inc.

Pinwriter	34	24 wire dot matrix printer for USA, Europe, and Asia except
Japan.  More widely used in Germany, and some Asian countries than in US.  NEC

NPDL	35	Page printer for Japanese market.  NEC

NEC201PL	36	Serial printer language used in the Japanese market.  NEC

Automatic	37	Automatic PDL sensing.  Automatic sensing of the interpreter
language family by the printer examining the document content.  Which actual
interpreter language families are sensed depends on the printer implementation.

Pages	38	Page printer Advanced Graphic Escape Set IBM Japan

LIPS	39	LBP Image Processing System

TIFF	40	Tagged Image File Format (Aldus)

Diagnostic	41	A hex dump of the input to the interprete

PSPrinter	42	The PostScript Language used for control (with any PDLs) Adobe
Systems Incorporated

CaPSL	43	Canon Print Systems Language

EXCL	44	Extended Command Language Talaris Systems Inc

LCDS	45	Line Conditioned Data Stream Xerox Corporatio

XES	46	Xerox Escape Sequences Xerox Corporation

PCLXL	47	Printer Control Language.  Extended language features for printing,
and printer control.  Technical reference manual # TBD.  Hewlett-Packard Co.

ART	48	Advanced Rendering Tools (ART).  Page Description language originally
developed for the Laser Press printers.  Tehnical reference manual: "ART IV
Reference Manual", No F33M.  Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

TIPSI	49	Transport Independent Printer System Interface (ref.  IEEE Std.
1284.1)

Prescribe	50	Page description and printer control language.  It can be
described with ordinary ASCII characters.  Technical reference manual:
"PRESCRIBE II Programming Manual"

LinePrinter	51	A simple-text character stream which supports the control
codes LF, VT, FF and CR plus Centronics or Dataproducts Vertical Format Unit
(VFU).  language is commonly used on many older model line and matrix printers.

IDP	52	Imaging Device Protocol Apple Computer.

XJCL	53	Xerox Corp.