Abstract: An approach for providing service workflows through devices includes a service server determining that a service is available for a particular device. In response to determining that the service is available for the particular device, the service server obtains, from the particular device, service information that specifies, for the service, at least one or more processes that implement the service on the particular device, one or more parameters for the one or more processes and one or more user interfaces for the one or more processes. The service server generates, based upon the service information, a service application that implements the service. The service server receives, from a client device, a request to use the service for the particular device and in response, the service server provides to the client device the service application that implements the service.

Abstract: An integrated printer driver includes the capability to discover available ad-hoc printing devices and obtain the features and options currently supported by those ad-hoc printing devices. The integrated printer driver automatically selects a particular ad-hoc printing device based upon a user's selected feature and option set and allows a user to print an electronic document prior to an ad-hoc communications link being established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. The integrated printer driver generates an un-rendered print job and holds the un-rendered print job until an ad-hoc communications link is established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. After the ad-hoc communications link has been established, the integrated printer driver determines whether the particular ad-hoc printing device is capable of successfully processing the un-rendered print job and if so, causes the un-rendered print job to be transmitted to a print rendering server for rendering.

Abstract: An integrated printer driver includes the capability to discover available ad-hoc printing devices and obtain the features and options currently supported by those ad-hoc printing devices. The integrated printer driver automatically selects a particular ad-hoc printing device based upon a user's selected feature and option set and allows a user to print an electronic document prior to an ad-hoc communications link being established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. The integrated printer driver renders the electronic document and generates a print job, and holds the print job until an ad-hoc communications link is established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. After the ad-hoc communications link has been established, the integrated printer driver determines whether the particular ad-hoc printing device is capable of successfully processing the print job and if so, causes the print job to be transmitted to the ad-hoc printing device.

Abstract: An integrated printer driver includes the capability to discover available ad-hoc printing devices and obtain the features and options currently supported by those ad-hoc printing devices. The integrated printer driver automatically selects a particular ad-hoc printing device based upon a user's selected feature and option set and allows a user to print an electronic document prior to an ad-hoc communications link being established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. The integrated printer driver generates an un-rendered print job and holds the un-rendered print job until an ad-hoc communications link is established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. After the ad-hoc communications link has been established, the integrated printer driver determines whether the particular ad-hoc printing device is capable of successfully processing the un-rendered print job and if so, causes the un-rendered print job to be transmitted to a print rendering server for rendering.

Abstract: An integrated printer driver includes the capability to discover available ad-hoc printing devices and obtain the features and options currently supported by those ad-hoc printing devices. The integrated printer driver automatically selects a particular ad-hoc printing device based upon a user's selected feature and option set and allows a user to print an electronic document prior to an ad-hoc communications link being established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. The integrated printer driver renders the electronic document and generates a print job, and holds the print job until an ad-hoc communications link is established with the particular ad-hoc printing device. After the ad-hoc communications link has been established, the integrated printer driver determines whether the particular ad-hoc printing device is capable of successfully processing the print job and if so, causes the print job to be transmitted to the ad-hoc printing device.

Abstract: An approach is provided for printing electronic documents that provides support for all types of printer models and PDL. A printer driver is configured to interact with Web print services that provide model-specific device capabilities and render PDL on behalf of the printer driver. A printer driver receives application data from an application program. The printer driver causes the application data to be transmitted to one or more Web print services that render the application data and generate print data in a format supported by a specified printing device. The printer driver receives the print data from the one or more Web print services and causes the print data to be transmitted to the specified printing device, wherein processing of the print data at the specified printing device causes a printed version of the electronic document to be generated.

Abstract: An approach for providing service workflows through devices includes a service server determining that a service is available for a particular device. In response to determining that the service is available for the particular device, the service server obtains, from the particular device, service information that specifies, for the service, at least one or more processes that implement the service on the particular device, one or more parameters for the one or more processes and one or more user interfaces for the one or more processes. The service server generates, based upon the service information, a service application that implements the service. The service server receives, from a client device, a request to use the service for the particular device and in response, the service server provides to the client device the service application that implements the service.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing and using an integrated printer driver that can be used to print to multiple printing devices. The printer driver executes on a client device. A user selects features and options, displayed in a user interface of the printer driver, for a print job without knowing which printing device will eventually process the print job. Based on the selected features and options, the printer driver determines the printing device to which the print job will be sent. In an embodiment, a printer server receives capabilities data from multiple printing devices and builds, based on the capabilities data, a database of printer description data, from which the user interface that is displayed to an end-user is generated. In an embodiment, the printer server applies an administrative policy that filters out capabilities data of one or more printing devices that are registered with the printer server.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a data processing system comprises device driver generation logic that is encoded in one or more computer-readable storage media for execution and which when executed is operable to perform receiving a first capability description from a computer peripheral device, wherein the first capability description describes one or more capabilities of the computer peripheral device; receiving a generic device driver file; receiving configuration data; automatically generating a device driver for the computer peripheral device and for a computer operating system based on the first capability description, the generic device driver file and the configuration data; device job processing logic that is configured to receive a request to use the computer peripheral device, to request and receive current first capability description from the computer peripheral device at the time of the request, to generate based on the current first capability description and send to the computer peripheral device job ticke

Abstract: Techniques are provided for allowing a print driver to recognize a paper size that is not supported by the print driver. A printing device informs the print driver (executing on a client device) that an input tray of the printing device supports a particular paper size. Alternatively, the printing device informs the print driver that a feature and/or option supported by the printing device has changed. The print driver requests the new paper size (or the set of features and options) from the printing device. The print driver receives the new paper size data from the printing device and updates its user interface to allow a user to select the new paper size as a supportable option.

Abstract: According to an approach for printing, a print driver is configured to retrieve printing device capabilities data from a Web service-enabled printing device. The printing device capabilities data specifies for a particular feature and a particular option supported by the Web service-enabled printing device, a plurality of languages in which the particular feature and the particular option may be displayed. The print driver generates, based at least upon the capabilities data, printer description data that specifies display data that indicates how the particular feature and the particular option are to be displayed, on a GUI, in the plurality of languages. In response to user input, the print driver generates, based at least upon the display data and language data that specifies a particular language, GUI data which, when processed, causes the particular feature and the particular option to be displayed on a GUI in the particular language.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing and using an integrated printer driver that can be used to print to multiple printing devices. The printer driver executes on a client device. A user selects features and options, displayed in a user interface of the printer driver, for a print job without knowing which printing device will eventually process the print job. Based on the selected features and options, the printer driver determines the printing device to which the print job will be sent. In an embodiment, a printer server receives capabilities data from multiple printing devices and builds, based on the capabilities data, a database of printer description data, from which the user interface that is displayed to an end-user is generated. In an embodiment, the printer server applies an administrative policy that filters out capabilities data of one or more printing devices that are registered with the printer server.

Abstract: An approach is provided for automatically updating a printer driver for a printing device to reflect new features of the printing device or installing a printer driver for a newly available printing device. A client device sends a request to the printing device for a default print ticket. The client device also sends a request to the printing device for print capabilities data. Based on the print capabilities data and the default print ticket received from the printing device, a graphical user interface is generated, allowing a user to select, for a print job, print setting values for the one or more print settings supported by the printing device. Based on the print settings values selected by the user and the default print ticket, a print job ticket is generated for the print job and is sent to the printing device for processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing to a Web services-enabled printing device. A print driver executing on a client device receives, from the printing device, printing device capability data that specifies a plurality of features and options currently supported by the printing device. The print driver generates a second version of a DEVMODE data structure from a first version. A portion of the DEVMODE data structure indicates, in XML, a particular print feature and one or more options for the particular print feature that are indicated in the printing device capability data. A user interface is generated based on the second version. A third version of the DEVMODE data structure is generated and indicates that an option of the particular print feature is selected. The print driver generates a print job ticket based the third version of the DEVMODE data structure.

Abstract: An approach is provided for using settings mismatch tolerance levels to handle mismatches between print job settings and printing device settings. A print driver generates a graphical user interface that allows a user to select a print settings mismatch tolerance level from a plurality of print settings mismatch tolerance levels. The print driver determines whether a mismatch exists between a set of print settings specified for the particular electronic document to be printed and a set of print settings specified for a printing device on which the particular electronic document is to be printed. If a mismatch exists, then the print driver performs one or more actions corresponding to the particular print settings mismatch tolerance level to address the mismatch.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing to a Web services-enabled printing device. A print driver executing on a client device receives, from the printing device, printing device capability data that specifies a plurality of features and options currently supported by the printing device. The print driver generates a second version of a PrintCapabilities Document from a first version. The PrintCapabilities Document indicates, in XML, a particular print feature and one or more options for the particular print feature that are indicated in the printing device capability data. A user interface may be generated based on the second version. As a result of one or more user (and/or default) selections, a PrintTicket Document may be generated that indicates that an option of the particular print feature is selected. The print driver generates a print job ticket based the PrintTicket Document.

Abstract: An approach is provided for printing electronic documents that provides support for all types of printer models and PDL. A printer driver is configured to interact with Web print services that provide model-specific device capabilities and render PDL on behalf of the printer driver. A printer driver receives application data from an application program. The printer driver causes the application data to be transmitted to one or more Web print services that render the application data and generate print data in a format supported by a specified printing device. The printer driver receives the print data from the one or more Web print services and causes the print data to be transmitted to the specified printing device, wherein processing of the print data at the specified printing device causes a printed version of the electronic document to be generated.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises sending, to a computer peripheral device, a request to obtain capabilities of the computer peripheral device; receiving a first capability description from the computer peripheral device, wherein the first capability description describes one or more capabilities, features or functions of the device at the time of the request; creating one or more graphical user interface (GUI) elements based upon the first capability description and causing displaying the GUI elements; receiving user input representing one or more selections of the GUI elements; creating job ticket data that describes a job for the computer peripheral device to perform, based on the GUI elements that were selected as represented in the user input; sending the job ticket data to the peripheral device; wherein the job ticket data describes one or more device settings that the computer peripheral device can transform to device commands.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing to a Web services-enabled printing device. A print driver executing on a client device receives, from the printing device, printing device capability data that specifies a plurality of features and options currently supported by the printing device. The print driver generates a second version of a PrintCapabilities Document from a first version. The PrintCapabilities Document indicates, in XML, a particular print feature and one or more options for the particular print feature that are indicated in the printing device capability data. A user interface may be generated based on the second version. As a result of one or more user (and/or default) selections, a PrintTicket Document may be generated that indicates that an option of the particular print feature is selected. The print driver generates a print job ticket based the PrintTicket Document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing to a Web services-enabled printing device. A print driver executing on a client device receives, from the printing device, printing device capability data that specifies a plurality of features and options currently supported by the printing device. The print driver generates a second version of a DEVMODE data structure from a first version. A portion of the DEVMODE data structure indicates, in XML, a particular print feature and one or more options for the particular print feature that are indicated in the printing device capability data. A user interface is generated based on the second version. A third version of the DEVMODE data structure is generated and indicates that an option of the particular print feature is selected. The print driver generates a print job ticket based the third version of the DEVMODE data structure.