Printing Architecture

[pehr anderson]

http://reportlab.com 

is a python-based PDF document generator that
support text formating, charting, and graphing.
Please comment on it if you try it. 
I'd live to hear how it goes!

	-pehr


lynnb at yogananda-srf.org wrote:
> 
> I'd like some advice/help from the Python community on technology for
> printing documents generated from browser-based intranet applications
> and/or batch production jobs.
> 
> Most of the documents would be printed from back-end servers, but
> some internal documents would need to be printed directly by the user
> from the browser.
> 
> The basic requirements are:
> --Consistent, predictable printed output (at least for server-based
> printing, not so important for printing from browser)
> --Runnable from batch script without user intervention
> --Dynamic programmed selection of target printer, orientation, page
> size, form type, duplex option, etc.
> 
> Highly desirable:
> --Portable across operating systems
> --Uses same or similar API for both printing and display (preferably
> HTML)
> --Standards-based to leverage existing layout/formatting/printer
> management tools
> 
> Although HTML gives limited control over page layout, it is probably
> sufficient for our report and business document needs.  But it would
> need to be extended with tags for page size, orientation, logical
> printer name, etc.
> 
> Piddle is also a possiblity, but it's a low-level API, and is quite
> different from the HTML we would also need to generate for soft-copy
> display.
> 
> One solution would be to generate PostScript or PDF from HTML, then
> print with GhostScript or Acrobat Reader.  There's a Perl HTML2PS
> utility.  Anything available in Python?  Commercial products?
> Although the Grail browser project is apparently defunct, it might be
> mined for this purpose.
> 
> I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.
> 
> TIA,
> 
> Lynn Blickenstaff