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<title>javax.print package</title>
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Provides the principal classes and interfaces for the
Java<sup><font size="-2">TM</font></sup> Print Service API.
The Java Print Service API enables client and server applications to:
<ul>
<li>Discover and select print services based on their capabilities
<li>Specify the format of print data
<li>Submit print jobs to services that support the document type to
be printed.
</ul>
<h3>Print Service Discovery</h3>
<p>
An application invokes the static methods of the abstract class
{@link javax.print.PrintServiceLookup PrintServiceLookup} to locate print
services that have the capabilities to satisfy the application's print
request. For example, to print a double-sided document, the application
first needs to find printers that have the double-sided printing capability.
<p>
The JDK includes <code>PrintServiceLookup</code> implementations that
can locate the standard platform printers. To locate other types of printers,
such as IPP printers or JINI printers, a print-service provider can write
implementations of <code>PrintServiceLookup</code>. The print-service provider
can dynamically install these <code>PrintServiceLookup</code> implementations
using the
<a href="../../../technotes/guides/jar/jar.html#Service Provider">
SPI JAR file specification</a>.
<h3>Attribute Definitions</h3>
The {@link javax.print.attribute} and {@link javax.print.attribute.standard}
packages define print attributes, which describe the capabilities of a print
service, specify the requirements of a print job, and track the progress of
a print job.
<p>
The <code>javax.print.attribute</code> package describes the types of attributes and
how they can be collected into sets. The <code>javax.print.attribute.standard</code>
package enumerates all of the standard attributes supported by the API, most
of which are implementations of attributes specified in the IETF Specification,
<a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2911.txt">
RFC 2911 Internet Printing Protocol, 1.1: Model and Semantics</a>, dated
September 2000. The attributes specified in <code>javax.print.attribute.standard</code>
include common capabilites, such as: resolution, copies, media sizes,
job priority, and page ranges.
<h3>Document Type Specification</h3>
The {@link javax.print.DocFlavor DocFlavor} class represents the print data
format, such as JPEG or PostScript. A <code>DocFlavor</code> object
consists of a MIME type, which describes the format, and a document
representation class name that indicates how the document is delivered
to the printer or output stream. An application uses the
<code>DocFlavor</code> and an attribute set to find printers that can
print the document type specified by the <code>DocFlavor</code> and have
the capabilities specified by the attribute set.
<h3>Using the API</h3>
A typical application using the Java Print Service API performs these steps
to process a print request:
<ol>
<li>Chooses a <code>DocFlavor</code>.</li>
<li>Creates a set of attributes.</li>
<li>Locates a print service that can handle the print request as specified
by the <code>DocFlavor</code> and the attribute set.</li>
<li>Creates a {@link javax.print.Doc Doc} object encapsulating the
<code>DocFlavor</code>
and the actual print data, which can take many forms including: a Postscript
file, a JPEG image, a URL, or plain text.</li>
<li>Gets a print job, represented by {@link javax.print.DocPrintJob DocPrintJob},
from the print service.</li>
<li>Calls the print method of the print job.</li>
</ol>
The following code sample demonstrates a typical use of the Java Print
Service API: locating printers that can print five double-sided copies
of a Postscript document on size A4 paper, creating a print job from
one of the returned print services, and calling print.
<p>
<pre>
<blockquote>
FileInputStream psStream;
try {
psStream = new FileInputStream("file.ps");
} catch (FileNotFoundException ffne) {
}
if (psStream == null) {
return;
}
DocFlavor psInFormat = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.POSTSCRIPT;
Doc myDoc = new SimpleDoc(psStream, psInFormat, null);
PrintRequestAttributeSet aset =
new HashPrintRequestAttributeSet();
aset.add(new Copies(5));
aset.add(MediaSize.A4);
aset.add(Sides.DUPLEX);
PrintService[] services =
PrintServiceLookup.lookupPrintServices(psInFormat, aset);
if (services.length > 0) {
DocPrintJob job = services[0].createPrintJob();
try {
job.print(myDoc, aset);
} catch (PrintException pe) {}
}
</blockquote>
</pre>
<P>
Please note: In the javax.print APIs, a null reference parameter to methods
is incorrect unless explicitly documented on the method as having a meaningful
interpretation. Usage to the contrary is incorrect coding and may result
in a run time exception either immediately or at some later time.
IllegalArgumentException and NullPointerException are examples of
typical and acceptable run time exceptions for such cases.
<P>
@since 1.4
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