1.3.2 Communication of Print Job Data

Communication of print job data enables a client to print to devices that are hosted by the print server.

In one configuration, a client uses a printer driver that is installed on the client computer in order to convert a graphical representation of application content and layout into device-specific page description language (PDL) data. It then sends the data, also called RAW data, to the print server using methods this protocol provides. The print server can temporarily store the RAW data from the client in a spool file, or it can print it immediately. As the print server sends the data to the target printer, the print processor on the print server that is associated with the target printer can post-process the RAW data in an implementation-specific way.

In another configuration, a client sends data to the print server in an intermediate format that contains graphics primitives and layout information as well as processing instructions for the print server. The print server can temporarily store this intermediate data in a spool file, or it can print it immediately. As the data is sent to the printer, the print processor on the print server that is associated with the printer converts the data from the intermediate spool file to device-specific PDL data, typically by using the printer driver that is installed on the print server.<1>

The following diagram illustrates this interaction.

Figure 2: Communication of print job data