Paul,
The reasons to include the dimensions in the Media Name (for UPnP MediaSize
parameter, IPP/1.1 "media" Job Template attribute, ...):
For Printer to client communication:
a. If the client software receives a size name that it doesn't recognize, it
can still deal with it, because the units are there.
b. If the client software receives a size name that it doesn't recognize, it
can still display something meaningful to the user (and the user can see
what the size is).
c. For UPnP (which REQUIRES support for XHTML-Print+xml) and any Printer
that supports XHTML-Print+xml, there doesn't have to be a driver that cares
about the size in the client. With XHTML-Print+xml, only the human user and
the Printer have to deal with the size, not the client software. The client
software just passes the token to the Printer that the user selected from
the Printer's supported list (which the client got either by querying the
Printer or from the UPDF/GPD/PPD file for that printer).
d. The Printer can use the same syntax to indicate that it supports a range
of custom sizes, that the client can make up.
For Client to Printer communication:
a. If the Printer receives a size that it doesn't recognize, it can find out
what the dimensions are from the string it gets from the client. This can
be useful for the Printer that wants to support custom sizes from the client
or that doesn't want to bother the user with configuring the Printer with
supported sizes.
Tom
-----Original Message-----
From: pmoore at netreon.com [mailto:pmoore at netreon.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 17:28
To: Wagner,William
Cc: 'Hastings, Tom N'; Bergman, Ron; 'Harry Lewis'; Don Wright (E-mail);
IPP Group; Norbert Schade; Mark VanderWiele; 'RonBergman at aol.com'
Subject: RE: IPP> global media; comment on yesterday's proposal [put
units field last]
I know I havent contributed much lately and apologize if I am rehashing
arguments that have already been covered.
Why does the name have to include the size - my name doesnt include my
telephone
number, if somebody needs my phone number they look it up using my name as a
'key'. Surely the correct solution is to allow a device to assign any name
it
likes to media (probably choosing well known ones for its market, B3,
Letter,
....). If the client app /driver needs to know the physical size then all
that
is needed is an operation to query the paper size, the response must include
the
units. Likewise the app more than likely needs to know the markable area -
it
should be provided with a mechanism for asking for that information.
Similarly
if you need to know the color, thickness, manufacturer, weight,
permiability,
date of purchase, etc. there should be queriable attributes to read these
things; lest we end up with don's
na_toilet_paper.continous.landscape.ruffled.4_4in.offpink.clockwise
Which tells you everything except the markable area and the manufacturer
If a device has more that one A4 available (say), then it can invent names
for
them (or even be operator assigned). To support this case there should also
be a
'standard name' attribute that can be queried - this would return A4, legal,
ASMEY14,...