This sounds like a possibly useful piece of work but not really in IETF remit. W3C has the SVG experience, compression experience, etc.
As a practical matter, this use case seems to be adequately served by proprietary standards that have become so widely used as to be ubiquitous.
What is missing from Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000?
The big irritation I have with printer drivers is that they live in the wrong damn place. Printer drivers should not require system privileges to install. The application running on my local machine should be able to discover the available printers, select one and negotiate an interchange format with the printers.
Some of that is in IETF space (via Bonjour). But there doesn't seem to be interest in the platform provider and printer provider world to make it completely seamless yet.
On Sun, Mar 28, 2021 at 10:59 PM Sid <sid@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The topic for an opensource PDL (Page Description Language) standard for printing that uses XML for vector graphics, raster compatibilities, and vector text that is backward compatible with ASCII. Raster or text outputs can simply pass through directly to a printer that can read those formats. If the resolution of a vector is higher than the printer can print, the printer instruction is scaled down to that resolution.
Allows extensions for high resolution graphics depending on a printer's needs. Extensions could be to allow opensource implementations for existing PDL's, if licenses permit. Make it so existing printers can have basic text and perhaps simple vector capabilities through a generic driver. It not being dependent on an existing PDL, including through PPD's for Postscript conversions, except ASCII.
This opensource standard or its extensions can be used in conjunction with Postscript's PPD's, or PDL's by manufacturers for a printer's specific needs.
Uses its own XML style sheet format for border spacing, headers and footers. The page sizes, and desired edging space needs to be known by printers. The printer or output program can resize the text to fit within page boundaries. This can simplify the use of filters to prevent stair-stepping.
Uses IPP and perhaps allow passthrough to LPD.
Thank you
