Foomatic is a configurable printing filter. It uses PPD files as configuration to generate appropriate output for a given printer. It is spooler independent which means it can be used with

Common Unix Printing System CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular computer printer, printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a Server (computi ...

(CUPS), LPRng and others. It uses Ghostscript in the background, using options according to the PPD file of the printer. Currently it is developed by the OpenPrinting workgroup of the

Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation (LF) is a non-profit technology consortium founded in 2000 as a merger between Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group to standardize Linux, support its growth, and promote its commercial adoption. Addi ...

Operation

Like CUPS, foomatic supposes that applications will produce output in

PostScript PostScript (PS) is a page description language in the electronic publishing and desktop publishing realm. It is a dynamically typed, concatenative programming language. It was created at Adobe Systems by John Warnock, Charles Geschke, ...

. If the output spools to a PostScript printer, no further action is needed. Otherwise, the most generic way to act is: * Create a raster file from the PostScript (ps2raster, usually using Ghostscript in the background) * Create a printer-language file from the raster data (raster2xxx, using the raster driver of the target printer) * Send the printer-language file to the printer But if foomatic-rip "knows" about the available printer, it will translate the PostScript data directly to the printer's language, without creating the intermediate raster file.

Description of the package

The components of the package are: ;foomatic-filters (or "foomatic-rip") :It transforms PostScript data to raster (or to the printer's native language), using the PPD as configuration. It needs a low level driver (specific to each printer) to generate the final code. ;foomatic-tools :foomatic-db-engine: A tool that generates PPD files from the data in Foomatic's database. It also contains scripts to directly configure print queues and handle jobs. :foomatic-db: The collected knowledge about printers, drivers, and driver options in XML files, used by foomatic-db-engine to generate PPD files. :foomatic-db-hpijs: Foomatic XML data generators for HP's HPIJS driver.

Free drivers that can interface with foomatic

The following free drivers were specifically developed to work with foomatic:
pxlmono
an
pxlcolor
to work with

HP LaserJet LaserJet as a brand name identifies the line of laser printers marketed by the American computer company Hewlett-Packard (HP). The HP LaserJet was the first popular desktop laser printer. Canon supplies both mechanisms and cartridges for most H ...

s
ljet4
also for LaserJet printers

for

PCL PCL may refer to: Aviation *FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, near Pucallpa, Peru (IATA code: PCL) *Pilot-controlled lighting, a system by which aircraft pilots can control the lighting of runways and taxiways via radio cont ...

inkjet printers
SpliX
for Samsung Printer Language
gdi
for Samsung SmartGDI
ptouch-driver
for Brother P-touch series of label printers

Spoolers that can interact with foomatic

* CUPS * LPRng * LPD * GNUlpr (see it
SourceForge page
* Solaris LP * PPR * CPS * Direct printing (no spooler)

References

External links

{{Portal, Free and open-source software
Foomatic page
Computer printing Linux