PPD Compiler Driver Information File Reference

The CUPS PPD compiler reads meta files that contain descriptions of one or more PPD files to be generated by ppdc(1) or the corresponding driver interface program drv(1). The source file format is plain ASCII text that can be edited using your favorite text editor.

Directives may be placed anywhere on a line and are followed by zero or more values.

Comments are supported using the C (/* ... */) and C++ (// ...) comment mechanisms.

Directives that accept expressions look for sequences of the form:

NAME: Evaluates to 1 if NAME is defined, otherwise 0.
number: Evaluates to the specified integer; the number can be preceded by a leading sign (+/-) followed by a decimal number (1234), octal number (01234), or hexidecimal number (0x1234) using the same rules as C and C++.
(NAME NAME ... number number ...): Evaluates to the bitwise OR of each named #define constant or number.
(NAME == OTHERNAME)
(NAME == number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is equal to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.
(NAME != OTHERNAME)
(NAME != number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is not equal to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.
(NAME < OTHERNAME)
(NAME < number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is less than to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.
(NAME <= OTHERNAME)
(NAME <= number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is less than or equal to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.
(NAME > OTHERNAME)
(NAME > number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is greater than to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.
(NAME >= OTHERNAME)
(NAME >= number): Evaluates to 1 if NAME is greater than or equal to the other named constant or number, otherwise 0.

Printer driver information can be grouped and shared using curley braces ({ ... }); PPD files are written when a close brace or end-of-file is seen and a PCFileName directive has been defined.

#define

Syntax

#define name expression

Examples

#define FOO 100
#define BAR "Bar, Inc."

Description

The #define directive assigns a value to a name which can be later referenced using $name. The name is case-insensitive and can be any sequence of letters, numbers, and the underscore. The value can be any valid expression.

Predefined Names

The following #define names are set by the PPD compiler:

CUPS_VERSION - The full CUPS version string, e.g. "1.4.0"
CUPS_VERSION_MAJOR - The major version number, e.g. "1"
CUPS_VERSION_MINOR - The minor version number, e.g. "4"
CUPS_VERSION_PATCH - The patch version number, e.g. "0"
PLATFORM_NAME - The operating system name used by the current system as reported by "uname" ("Windows" on Microsoft Windows)
PLATFORM_ARCH - The processor architecture used by the current system as reported by "uname -m" ("X86" or "X64" on Microsoft Windows)

#elif

Syntax

#elif expression

Examples

#if HAVE_FOO
...
#elif (HAVE_BAR >= 999)
...
#else
...
#endif

Description

The #elif directive allows portions of a driver information file to be used conditionally. #elif directives must appear after a corresponding #if directive.

#else

Syntax

#else

Examples

#if HAVE_FOO
...
#elif (HAVE_BAR >= 999)
...
#else
...
#endif

Description

The #else directive allows portions of a driver information file to be used conditionally when the corresponding #if and #elif expressions are non-zero.

#endif

Syntax

#endif

Examples

#if HAVE_FOO
...
#elif (HAVE_BAR >= 999)
...
#else
...
#endif

Description

The #endif directive ends a conditional block of a driver information file. It must appear after all of the #if, #elif, and #else directives for the current conditional block.

#font

Syntax

#font name encoding "version" charset status

Examples

#font Courier Standard "(1.05)" Standard ROM
#font Symbol Special "(001.005)" Special ROM
#font Barcode-Foo Special "(1.0)" Special Disk
#font Unicode-Foo Expert "(2.0)" Adobe-Identity ROM

Description

The #font directive defines a "base font" for all printer drivers. The name is the PostScript font name.

The encoding is the default encoding of the font, usually Standard, Expert, or Special, as defined in the Adobe PPD file specification.

The version is the PostScript string definition that corresponds to the font version number.

The charset defines the available characters in the font, usually Standard or Special, as defined in the Adobe PPD file specification.

The status is the installation status of the font and must be either the word ROM or Disk.

Base fonts differ from fonts defined using the Font directive in that they are not automatically associated with all drivers - you must use the special Font * directive to include them in a driver.

Currently the #font directive is used mainly for defining the standard raster fonts in the <font.defs> include file.

#if

Syntax

#if name or expression

Examples

#if HAVE_FOO
...
#elif (HAVE_BAR >= 999)
...
#else
...
#endif

Description

The #if directive allows portions of a driver information file to be used conditionally. When followed by a name, the data that follows is used only when the name is defined, otherwise the data is ignored. #if directives can be nested up to 100 times.

#include

Syntax

#include <filename>
#include "filename"

Examples

#include <font.defs>
#include "myfile.h"

Description

The #include directive reads the named driver information file. If the filename is included inside angle brackets (<filename>), then the PPD compiler will look for the file in all of the include directories it knows about. Otherwise, the file is opened in the current directory relative to the current driver information file, and if that fails then it looks in the include directories for the file.

The #include directive can be nested to as many files as are allowed by the host operating system, typically at least 100 files.

#media

Syntax

#media name width length
#media "name/text" width length

Examples

#media "Letter/Letter - 8.5x11in" 8.5in 11in
#media "A4/A4 - 210x297mm" 210mm 297mm
#media "w936h1368/Super B/A3 - 13x19in" 936 1368
#media Photo 4in 6in

Description

The #media directive defines a named media size for inclusion in a driver. The name with optional user text defines the name for the media size and is used with the MediaSize directive to associate the media size with the driver. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58). The user text, if supplied, may not exceed 80 bytes in length.

The width and length define the dimensions of the media. Each number is optionally followed by one of the following unit suffixes:

cm - centimeters
ft - feet
in - inches
m - meters
mm - millimeters
pt - points (72 points = 1 inch)

Points are assumed if no units are specified.

#po

Syntax

#po locale filename

Examples

#po es "es.po"
#po fr_CA "mydriver-fr_CA.po"

Description

The #po directive defines a message catalog to use for the given POSIX language abbreviation. Multiple #po directives can be specified to list multiple catalogs. The filename can be an absolute path or relative to the driver information file. GNU gettext and Mac OS X .strings files are supported.

Attribute

Syntax

Attribute name "" value
Attribute name keyword value
Attribute name "keyword/text" value

Examples

Attribute cupsInkChannels "" 1
Attribute cupsAllDither 600dpi "1.0"
Attribute fooProfile "Photo/Photographic Profile" "photopro.icc"

Description

The Attribute directive creates a PPD attribute. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

The selector can be the empty string ("") or text of up to 80 bytes.

The value is any string or number; the string may contain multiple lines, however no one line may exceed 255 bytes.

Choice

Syntax

Choice name "code"
Choice "name/text" "code"

Examples

Choice None "<</MediaType (None)>>setpagedevice"
Choice "False/No" "<</cupsCompression 0>>setpagedevice"

Description

The Choice directive adds a single choice to the current option. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The code is any string and may contain multiple lines, however no one line may exceed 255 bytes.

ColorDevice

Syntax

ColorDevice boolean-value

Examples

ColorDevice no
ColorDevice yes

Description

The ColorDevice directive tells the application if the printer supports color. It is typically used in conjunction with the ColorModel directive to provide color printing support.

DeprecatedColorModel

Syntax

ColorModel name colorspace colororder compression
ColorModel "name/text" colorspace colororder compression

Examples

ColorModel Gray/Grayscale w chunky 0
ColorModel RGB/Color rgb chunky 0
ColorModel CMYK cmyk chunky 0

Description

The ColorModel directive is a convenience directive which creates a ColorModel option and choice for the current printer driver. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The colorspace argument is one of the standard colorspace keywords defined later in this appendix in the section titled, "Colorspace Keywords".

The colororder argument is one of the standard color order keywords defined later in this appendix in the section titled, "Color Order Keywords".

The compression argument is any number and is assigned to the cupsCompression attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary.

DeprecatedColorProfile

Syntax

ColorProfile resolution/mediatype gamma density matrix

Examples

ColorProfile -/- 1.7 1.0
     1.0    0.0    0.0
     0.0    1.0    0.0
     0.0    0.0    1.0

ColorProfile 360dpi/- 1.6 1.0
     1.0   -0.05  -0.3
    -0.35   1.0   -0.15
    -0.095 -0.238  0.95

ColorProfile 720dpi/Special 1.5 1.0
     1.0    0.0   -0.38
    -0.4    1.0    0.0
     0.0   -0.38   0.9

Description

The ColorProfile directive defines a CMY transform-based color profile. The resolution and mediatype arguments specify the Resolution and MediaType choices which use the profile; the hyphen (-) is used to specify that any resolution or mediatype can be used with the profile.

The gamma argument specifies the gamma correction to apply to the color values (P = p^g) and is a real number greater than 0. Values larger than 1 cause a general lightening of the print while values smaller than 1 cause a general darkening of the print. A value of 1 disables gamma correction.

The density argument specifies the linear density correction to apply to the color values (P = d * p^g) and is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. A value 1 of disables density correction while lower values produce proportionately lighter output.

The matrix argument specifies a 3x3 linear transformation matrix in row-major order. The matrix is applied only to the CMY component of a RGB to CMYK transformation and is not used when printing in grayscale or CMYK mode unless the printer only supports printing with 3 colors.

Copyright

Syntax

Copyright "text"

Examples

Copyright "Copyright 2008 by Foo Enterprises"

Copyright
"This software is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public
License along with this software; if not, write to the Free
Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston,
MA 02111 USA"

Description

The Copyright directive adds text comments to the top of a PPD file, typically for use in copyright notices. The text argument can contain multiple lines of text, but no line may exceed 255 bytes.

CustomMedia

Syntax

CustomMedia name width length left bottom right top
    "size-code" "region-code"

CustomMedia "name/text" width length left bottom right top
    "size-code" "region-code"

Examples

CustomMedia Letter 8.5in 11in 0.25in 0.46in 0.25in 0.04in
    "<</PageSize[612 792]/ImagingBBox null/ManualFeed false>>
     setpagedevice"
    "<</PageSize[612 792]/ImagingBBox null/ManualFeed true>>
     setpagedevice"

CustomMedia "A4/A4 - 210x297mm" 210mm 297mm 12 12 12 12
    "<</PageSize[595 842]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice"
    "<</PageSize[595 842]/ImagingBBox null>>setpagedevice"

Description

The CustomMedia directive adds a custom media size to the driver. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The width and length arguments specify the dimensions of the media as defined for the #media directive.

The left, bottom, right, and top arguments specify the printable margins of the media.

The size-code and region-code arguments specify the PostScript commands to run for the PageSize and PageRegion options, respectively. The commands can contain multiple lines, however no line may be more than 255 bytes in length.

Cutter

Syntax

Cutter boolean-value

Examples

Cutter yes
Cutter no

Description

The Cutter directive specifies whether the printer has a built-in media cutter. When a cutter is present, the printer's PPD file will contain a CutMedia option that allows the user to control whether the media is cut at the end of the job.

DeprecatedDarkness

Syntax

Darkness temperature name
Darkness temperature "name/text"

Examples

Darkness 0 Light
Darkness 2 "Normal/Standard"

Description

The Darkness directive defines a choice for the cupsDarkness option which sets the cupsCompression attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary. It is used with the CUPS rastertolabel sample driver to control the print head temperature and therefore the darkness of the print.

The temperature argument specifies a temperature value for the Dymo driver from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest), with 2 representing the normal setting.

The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

DriverType

Syntax

DriverType type

Examples

DriverType custom
DriverType escp
DriverType pcl
DriverType ps

Description

The DriverType directive tells the PPD compiler which DDK filters to include in the PPD file. The following types are supported:

custom - Use only those filters that are defined in the driver information file
epson - Use the CUPS sample Epson driver filter rastertoepson
escp - Use the ESC/P DDK driver filters commandtoescpx and rastertoescpx
hp - Use the CUPS sample HP driver filter rastertohp
label - Use the CUPS sample label driver filter rastertolabel
pcl - Use the HP-PCL DDK driver filters commandtopclx and rastertopclx
ps - Use no filters; this driver is for a standard PostScript device

Duplex

Syntax

Duplex type

Examples

Duplex none
Duplex normal
Duplex flip
Duplex rotated
Duplex manualtumble

Description

The Duplex directive determines whether double-sided printing is supported in the current driver. The type argument specifies the type of duplexing that is supported:

none - double-sided printing is not supported
normal - double-sided printing is supported
flip - double-sided printing is supported, but the back side image needs to be flipped vertically (used primarily with inkjet printers)
rotated - double-sided printing is supported, but the back side image needs to be rotated 180 degrees for DuplexNoTumble
manualtumble - double-sided printing is supported, but the back side image needs to be rotated 180 degrees for DuplexTumble

FileName

Syntax

FileName "filename"

Examples

FileName "Acme Laser Printer 2000"
FileName "Acme Ink Waster 1000"

Description

The FileName attribute specifies the "long" name of the PPD file for the current driver.

Filter

Syntax

Filter mime-type cost program

Examples

Filter application/vnd.cups-raster 50 rastertofoo
Filter application/vnd.hp-HPGL 25 /usr/foo/filter/hpgltofoo

Description

The Filter directive adds a filter for the current driver. The mime-type argument is a valid MIME media type name as defined in a CUPS mime.types file.

The cost argument specifies the relative cost of the filter. In general, use a number representing the average percentage of CPU time that is used when printing the specified MIME media type.

The program argument specifies the program to run; if the program is not an absolute filename, then CUPS will look for the program in the CUPS filter directory.

DeprecatedFinishing

Syntax

Finishing name
Finishing "name/text"

Examples

Finishing None
Finishing "Glossy/Photo Overcoat"

Description

The Finishing directive adds a choice to the cupsFinishing option. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The name is stored in the OutputType attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary.

Font

Syntax

Font name encoding "version" charset status
Font *

Examples

Font *
Font Courier Standard "(1.05)" Standard ROM
Font Symbol Special "(001.005)" Special ROM
Font Barcode-Foo Special "(1.0)" Special Disk
Font Unicode-Foo Expert "(2.0)" Adobe-Identity ROM

Description

The Font directive defines a "device font" for the current printer driver. The name is the PostScript font name.

The encoding is the default encoding of the font, usually Standard, Expert, or Special, as defined in the Adobe PPD file specification.

The version is the PostScript string definition that corresponds to the font version number.

The charset defines the available characters in the font, usually Standard or Special, as defined in the Adobe PPD file specification.

The status is the installation status of the font and must be either the word ROM or Disk.

Device fonts differ from fonts defined using the #font directive in that they are automatically associated with the current driver. Fonts defined using #font may be imported into the current driver using the Font * form of this directive.

Group

Syntax

Group name
Group "name/text"

Examples

Group General
Group "InstallableOptions/Options Installed"
Group "Special/Vendor Options"

Description

The Group directive specifies the group for new Option directives. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 40 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The names General and InstallableOptions are predefined for the standard Adobe UI keywords and for installable options, respectively.

Note:

Because of certain API binary compatibility issues, CUPS limits the length of PPD group translation strings (text) to 40 bytes, while the PPD specification allows for up to 80 bytes.

HWMargins

Syntax

HWMargins left bottom right top

Examples

HWMargins 18 36 18 36
HWMargins 0.25in 0.5in 0.25in 0.5in
HWMargins 0.6cm 1.2cm 0.6cm 1.2cm

Description

The HWMargins directive specifies the current margins for MediaSize that follow. The left, bottom, right, and top margin values specify the printable margins.

InputSlot

Syntax

InputSlot position name
InputSlot position "name/text"

Examples

InputSlot 0 Auto
InputSlot 1 "Upper/Tray 1"

Description

The InputSlot directive adds a new choice to the InputSlot option. The position argument is a number from 0 to 2³²-1 specifying the value that is placed in the MediaPosition attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary.

The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

Installable

Syntax

Installable name
Installable "name/text"

Examples

Installable EnvTray
Installable "Option1/Duplexer Installed"

Description

The Installable directive adds a new boolean option to the InstallableOptions group with a default value of False. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

LocAttribute

Syntax

LocAttribute name "keyword/text" value

Examples

LocAttribute fooProfile "Photo/Photographic Profile" "photopro.icc"

Description

The LocAttribute directive creates a localized PPD attribute. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

The selector can be the empty string ("") or text of up to 80 bytes.

The value is any string or number; the string may contain multiple lines, however no one line may exceed 255 bytes.

ManualCopies

Syntax

ManualCopies boolean-value

Examples

ManualCopies no
ManualCopies yes

Description

The ManualCopies directive specifies whether copies need to be produced by the RIP filters. The default is no.

Manufacturer

Syntax

Manufacturer "name"

Examples

Manufacturer "Foo"
Manufacturer "HP"

Description

The Manufacturer directive specifies the manufacturer name for the current driver. The name argument must conform to the manufacturer name requirements in the Adobe PPD file specification.

MaxSize

Syntax

MaxSize width length

Examples

MaxSize 36in 100ft
MaxSize 300cm 30m

Description

The MaxSize directive specifies the maximum width and length that is supported for custom page sizes.

MediaSize

Syntax

MediaSize name

Examples

MediaSize Letter
MediaSize A4

Description

The MediaSize directive adds the named size to the current printer driver using the current margins defined with the HWMargins directive. The name argument must match a media size defined using the #media directive.

MediaType

Syntax

MediaType type name
MediaType type "name/text"

Examples

MediaType 0 Auto
MediaType 1 "Plain/Plain Paper"

Description

The MediaType directive adds a new choice to the MediaType option. The type argument is a number from 0 to 2³²-1 specifying the value that is placed in the cupsMediaType attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary.

The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The name is placed in the MediaType attribute in the PostScript page device dictionary.

MinSize

Syntax

MinSize width length

Examples

MinSize 4in 8in
MinSize 10cm 20cm

Description

The MinSize directive specifies the minimum width and length that is supported for custom page sizes.

ModelName

Syntax

ModelName "name"

Examples

ModelName "Foo Laser Printer 2000"
ModelName "Colorific 123"

Description

The ModelName directive sets the printer name for the ModelName, NickName, and ShortNickName attributes for the printer driver. The name is any string of letters, numbers, spaces, and the characters ".", "/", "-", and "+" and should not begin with the manufacturer name since the PPD compiler will add this automatically for you. The maximum length of the name string is 31 bytes to conform to the Adobe limits on the length of ShortNickName.

ModelNumber

Syntax

ModelNumber expression

Examples

ModelNumber 123
ModelNumber ($PCL_PAPER_SIZE $PCL_PJL)

Description

The ModelNumber directive sets the cupsModelNumber attribute for the printer driver, which is often used by the printer driver filter to tailor its output for the current device. The number is any integer or bitwise OR of integers and constants that is appropriate for the printer driver filters.

A complete list of printer driver model number constants is available later in this appendix in the section titled, "Printer Driver ModelNumber Constants".

Option

Syntax

Option name type section order
Option "name/text" type section order

Examples

Option Punch Boolean AnySetup 10
Option "fooFinish/Finishing Option" PickOne DocumentSetup 10

Description

The Option directive creates a new option in the current group, by default the General group. The name may contain up to 40 ASCII characters within the range of decimal 33 to decimal 126 inclusive, except for the characters comma (44), slash (47) and colon (58).

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

The type argument is one of the following keywords:

Boolean - a true/false option
PickOne - allows the user to pick one choice from a list
PickMany - allows the user to pick zero or more choices from a list

The section argument is one of the following keywords:

AnySetup - The option can be placed in either the DocumentSetup or PageSetup sections of the PostScript document
DocumentSetup - The option must be placed in the DocumentSetup section of the PostScript document; this does not allow the option to be overridden on individual pages
ExitServer - The option must be placed in a separate initialization job prior to the document (not used for raster printer drivers)
JCLSetup - The option contains job control language commands and must be sent prior to the document using the JCLBegin and JCLToPSInterpreter attributes (not used for raster printer drivers)
PageSetup - The option must be placed at the beginning of each page in the PostScript document
Prolog - The option must be placed in the prolog section of the PostScript document; this is typically used to add special comments for high-end typesetters, but can also be used to add CUPS PostScript job ticket comments.

The order argument is a real number greater than or equal to 0.0 and is used to sort the printer commands from many options before sending them to the printer or RIP filter.

PCFileName

Syntax

PCFileName "filename.ppd"

Examples

PCFileName "foljt2k1.ppd"
PCFileName "deskjet.ppd"

Description

The PCFileName attribute specifies the name of the PPD file for the current driver. The filename argument must conform to the Adobe PPD file specification and can be no more than 8 filename characters plus the extension ".ppd".

DeprecatedResolution

Syntax

Resolution colorspace bits-per-color row-count row-feed row-step name
Resolution colorspace bits-per-color row-count row-feed row-step "name/text"

Examples

Resolution - 8 0 0 0 300dpi
Resolution k 8 0 0 0 "600x300dpi/600 DPI Grayscale"

Description

The Resolution directive creates a new Resolution option choice which sets the HWResolution, cupsBitsPerColor, cupsRowCount, cupsRowFeed, cupsRowStep, and optionally the cupsColorSpace page device dictionary attributes. The colorspace argument specifies a colorspace to use for the specified resolution and can be the hyphen (-) character to make no change to the selected color model or any keyword listed in the section titled, "Colorspace Keywords", to force the named colorspace.

The bits-per-color argument specifies the number of bits per color to generate when RIP'ing a job. The values 1, 2, 4, and 8 are currently supported by CUPS.

The row-count, row-feed, and row-step argument specify the driver-dependent values for the cupsRowCount, cupsRowFeed, and cupsRowStep attributes, respectively. Most drivers leave these attributes set to 0, but any number from 0 to 2³²-1 is allowed.

The name argument must conform to the resolution naming conventions in the Adobe PPD file specification, either HHHdpi for symmetric resolutions or HHHxVVVdpi for asymmetric resolutions. The HHH and VVV in the examples represent the horizontal and vertical resolutions which must be positive integer values.

If provided, the text can be any string up to 80 bytes in length. If no text is provided, the name is used.

DeprecatedSimpleColorProfile

Syntax

SimpleColorProfile resolution/mediatype density
    yellow-density red-density gamma
    red-adjust green-adjust blue-adjust

Examples

SimpleColorProfile -/- 100 100 200 1.0 0 0 0

SimpleColorProfile 360dpi/- 100 95 150 1.2 5 10 15

SimpleColorProfile 720dpi/Glossy 100 90 120 1.5 -5 5 10

Description

The SimpleColorProfile directive creates a matrix-based ColorProfile using values chosen with the cupsprofile(1) utility. The resolution and mediatype arguments specify the Resolution and MediaType choices which use the profile; the hyphen (-) is used to specify that any resolution or mediatype can be used with the profile.

The density argument specifies the linear density correction to apply to the color values (P = d * 0.01 * p^g) and is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100. A value 100 of disables density correction while lower values produce proportionately lighter output. The density value adjusts all color channels equally in all color modes.

The yellow-density argument specifies the density of the yellow channel when printing in grayscale or RGB mode and is an integer greater than 0 and less then or equal to 100. A value of 100 disables yellow density correction while lower values produce proportionately lighter output.

The red-density argument specifies the two-color density limit (e.g. C + M, C + Y, M + Y) when printing in grayscale or RGB mode and is an integer greater than 0 and less then or equal to 200. A value of 200 disables two-color density correction while lower values produce proportionately lighter output.

The red-adjust, green-adjust, blue-adjust arguments specify the percentage of color to add or remove. Positive red-adjust values add magenta and negative values add yellow. Positive green-adjust values add cyan and negative values add yellow. Positive blue-adjust values add cyan and negative values add magenta. Values of 0 disable color adjustments.

Throughput

Syntax

Throughput pages-per-minute

Examples

Throughput 1
Throughput 10

Description

The Througput directive sets the Troughput attribute for the current printer driver. The pages-per-minute argument is a positive integer representing the peak number of pages per minute that the printer is capable of producing. Use a value of 1 for printers that produce less than 1 page per minute.

UIConstraints

Syntax

UIConstraints "*Option1 *Option2"
UIConstraints "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2"
UIConstraints "*Option1 *Option2 Choice2"
UIConstraints "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2 Choice2"

Examples

UIConstraints "*Finishing *MediaType"
UIConstraints "*Option1 False *Duplex"
UIConstraints "*Duplex *MediaType Transparency"
UIConstraints "*Resolution 600dpi *ColorModel RGB"

Description

The UIConstraints directive adds a constraint between two options. Constraints inform the application when a user has chosen incompatible options. Each option name is preceded by the asterisk (*). If no choice is given for an option, then all choices except False and None will conflict with the other option and choice(s). Since the PPD compiler automatically adds reciprocal constraints (option A conflicts with option B, so therefore option B conflicts with option A), you need only specify the constraint once.

VariablePaperSize

Syntax

VariablePaperSize boolean-value

Examples

VariablePaperSize yes
VariablePaperSize no

Description

The VariablePaperSize directive specifies whether the current printer supports variable (custom) page sizes. When yes is specified, the PPD compiler will include the standard PPD attributes required to support custom page sizes.

Version

Syntax

Version number

Examples

Version 1.0
Version 3.7

Description

The Version directive sets the FileVersion attribute in the PPD file and is also used for the NickName attribute. The number argument is a positive real number.

Standard Include Files

Table B-1 shows the standard include files which are provided with the DDK.

*Table B-1, Standard Include Files*
Include File	Description
`<font.defs>`	Defines all of the standard fonts which are included with ESP Ghostscript and the Apple PDF RIP.
`<epson.h>`	Defines all of the CUPS ESC/P sample driver constants.
`<escp.h>`	Defines all of the DDK ESC/P driver constants.
`<hp.h>`	Defines all of the CUPS HP-PCL sample driver constants.
`<label.h>`	Defines all of the CUPS label sample driver constants.
`<media.defs>`	Defines all of the standard media sizes listed in Appendix B of the Adobe PostScript Printer Description File Format Specification.
`<pcl.h>`	Defines all of the DDK HP-PCL driver constants.
`<raster.defs>`	Defines all of the CUPS raster format constants.

Printer Driver ModelNumber Constants

The CUPS DDK and sample drivers use the cupsModelNumber attribute in the PPD file to tailor their output to the printer. The following sections describe the constants for each driver.

The CUPS ESC/P Sample Driver (epson)

The epson driver supports Epson and Okidata dot-matrix, Epson Stylus Color, and Epson Stylus Photo printers. Table B-2 lists the constants for the ModelNumber directive. ModelNumber values should be inserted by referencing only one of these constants.

*Table B-2, `epson` driver constants*
Constant	Description
`EPSON_9PIN`	Epson and Okidata 9-pin dot-matrix printers
`EPSON_24PIN`	Epson and Okidata 24-pin dot-matrix printers
`EPSON_COLOR`	Older Epson Stylus Color printers that use the `ESC .` graphics command
`EPSON_PHOTO`	Older Epson Stylus Photo printers that use the `ESC .` graphics command
`EPSON_ICOLOR`	Newer Epson Stylus Color printers that use the `ESC i` graphics command
`EPSON_IPHOTO`	Newer Epson Stylus Photo printers that use the `ESC i` graphics command

The CUPS HP-PCL Sample Driver (hp)

The hp driver supports HP LaserJet and DeskJet printers. Table B-3 lists the constants for the ModelNumber directive. ModelNumber values should be inserted by referencing only one of these constants.

*Table B-3, `hp` driver constants*
Constant	Description
`HP_LASERJET`	HP LaserJet printers supporting PCL 3, 4, or 5
`HP_DESKJET`	HP DeskJet printers supporting PCL 3 and using the simple color graphics command (`ESC * r # U`)
`HP_DESKJET2`	HP DeskJet printers supporting PCL3GUI and using the configure raster graphics command (`ESC * g # W`)

The CUPS Label Sample Driver (label)

The label driver supports the Dymo Labelwriter, Zebra CPCL, Zebra EPL, and Zebra ZPL, and Intellitech PCL label printers. Table B-4 lists the constants for the ModelNumber directive. ModelNumber values should be inserted by referencing only one of these constants.

*Table B-4, `label` driver constants*
Constant	Description
`DYMO_3x0`	Format output for the Dymo Labelwriter 300, 330, or 330 Turbo.
`INTELLITECH_PCL`	Format output for the Intellitech PCL printers.
`ZEBRA_CPCL`	Format output for the Zebra CPCL printers.
`ZEBRA_EPL_LINE`	Format output for the Zebra EPL line mode (EPL 1) printers.
`ZEBRA_EPL_PAGE`	Format output for the Zebra EPL page mode (EPL 2) printers.
`ZEBRA_ZPL`	Format output for the Zebra ZPL printers.

The DDK ESC/P Driver (escp)

The escp driver supports all Epson inkjet printers. Table B-6 lists the constants for the ModelNumber directive. ModelNumber values should be specified as the bitwise OR of one or more of these constants.

*Table B-6, `escp` driver constants*
Constant	Description
`ESCP_MICROWEAVE`	Use microweave command?
`ESCP_STAGGER`	Are color jets staggered?
`ESCP_ESCK`	Use print mode command?
`ESCP_EXT_UNITS`	Use extended unit commands?
`ESCP_EXT_MARGINS`	Use extended margin command?
`ESCP_USB`	Send USB packet mode escape
`ESCP_PAGE_SIZE`	Use page size command
`ESCP_RASTER_ESCI`	Use `ESC i` graphics command
`ESCP_REMOTE`	Use remote mode commands
`ESCP_REMOTE_AC`	Use auto-cutter command
`ESCP_REMOTE_CO`	Use cutter-operation command
`ESCP_REMOTE_EX`	Use media-position command
`ESCP_REMOTE_MS`	Use media-size command
`ESCP_REMOTE_MT`	Use media-type command
`ESCP_REMOTE_PC`	Use paper-check command
`ESCP_REMOTE_PH`	Use paper-thickness command
`ESCP_REMOTE_PP`	Use paper-path command
`ESCP_REMOTE_SN0`	Use feed-sequence-0 command
`ESCP_REMOTE_SN1`	Use platten-gap command
`ESCP_REMOTE_SN2`	Use feed-sequence-2 command
`ESCP_REMOTE_SN6`	Use eject-delay command
`ESCP_REMOTE_FP`	Use print-position command

The DDK HP-PCL Driver (pcl)

The pcl driver supports all HP LaserJet, DeskJet, and DesignJet printers. Table B-5 lists the constants for the ModelNumber directive. ModelNumber values should be specified as the bitwise OR of one or more of these constants.

*Table B-5, `pcl` driver constants*
Constant	Description
`PCL_PAPER_SIZE`	Use paper size command (`ESC & l # A`)
`PCL_INKJET`	Use inkjet commands
`PCL_RASTER_END_COLOR`	Use new end-raster command (`ESC * r C`)
`PCL_RASTER_CID`	Use configure-image-data command (`ESC * v # W`)
`PCL_RASTER_CRD`	Use configure-raster-data command (`ESC * g # W`)
`PCL_RASTER_SIMPLE`	Use simple-raster-color command (`ESC * r # U`)
`PCL_RASTER_RGB24`	Use 24-bit RGB mode
`PCL_PJL`	Use PJL commands
`PCL_PJL_PAPERWIDTH`	Use PJL PAPERWIDTH/LENGTH commands
`PCL_PJL_HPGL2`	Use PJL ENTER HPGL2 command
`PCL_PJL_PCL3GUI`	Use PJL ENTER PCL3GUI command
`PCL_PJL_RESOLUTION`	Use PJL SET RESOLUTION command

Color Keywords

The PPD compiler defines two types of color keywords: colorspace and color order. The following sections list the supported keywords for each type.

Colorspace Keywords

The following colorspace keywords are recognized:

cielab - CIE Lab **
ciexyz - CIE XYZ **
cmy - Cyan, magenta, yellow
cmyk - Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
gmck - Gold, magenta, yellow, black **
gmcs - Gold, magenta, yellow, silver **
gold - Gold foil **
icc1 - ICC-based, 1 color **
icc2 - ICC-based, 2 colors **
icc3 - ICC-based, 3 colors **
icc4 - ICC-based, 4 colors **
icc5 - ICC-based, 5 colors **
icc6 - ICC-based, 6 colors **
icc7 - ICC-based, 7 colors **
icc8 - ICC-based, 8 colors **
icc9 - ICC-based, 9 colors **
icca - ICC-based, 10 colors **
iccb - ICC-based, 11 colors **
iccc - ICC-based, 12 colors **
iccd - ICC-based, 13 colors **
icce - ICC-based, 14 colors **
iccf - ICC-based, 15 colors **
k - Black
kcmy - Black, cyan, magenta, yellow *
kcmycm - Black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light-cyan, light-magenta *
rgb - Red, green, blue
rgba - Red, green, blue, alpha
rgbw - Red, green, blue, luminance *
silver - Silver foil **
w - Luminance
white - White ink (as black) **
ymc - Yellow, magenta, cyan *
ymck - Yellow, magenta, cyan, black *

* = This colorspace is not supported on Mac OS X prior to 10.4.
** = This colorspace is not supported on Mac OS X.

Color Order Keywords

The following color order keywords are recognized:

chunked or chunky - Color values are passed together on a line as RGB RGB RGB RGB
banded - Color values are passed separately on a line as RRRR GGGG BBBB *
planar - Color values are passed separately on a page as RRRR RRRR RRRR ... GGGG GGGG GGGG ... BBBB BBBB BBBB *

* = This color order is not supported by the current Apple RIP filters and should not be used when developing printer drivers for Mac OS X.

PPD Compiler Driver Information File Reference

PPD Compiler Driver Information File Reference

Syntax

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Predefined Names

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DeprecatedColorModel

Syntax

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DeprecatedColorProfile

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DeprecatedDarkness

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