How to Use the Command 'ippeveps' (with Examples)
The ippeveps
command is a utility used primarily for printing to Adobe PostScript printers. It handles files in several formats, including PDF, PostScript, JPEG, PWG Raster, or Apple Raster. This versatile command is part of the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) and allows for efficient and flexible printing tasks by transforming the input files into a print-ready format recognized by PostScript printers. This command sends the print data to standard output (stdout
), while status and progress messages are directed to standard error (stderr
).
Use Case 1: Print a File to stdout
(Status and Progress Messages are Sent to stderr
)
Code:
ippeveps path/to/file
Motivation:
This use case is particularly useful when you want to confirm the print job’s output format without actually sending it to a physical printer or when you need to perform further manipulations on the output data before sending it to a printer or another destination. By sending the output to stdout
, you can easily redirect it to a file, another command, or a pipeline for additional processing or debugging. It’s an efficient way for developers or system administrators to test and validate the print transformations performed by ippeveps
on the specified file.
Explanation:
ippeveps
: The command itself, which initiates the process for converting a given file to a format compatible with Adobe PostScript printers.path/to/file
: This argument specifies the path to the input file that needs to be printed. The file can be in any supported format, such as PDF, PostScript, JPEG, PWG Raster, or Apple Raster. The path must be precise, as the command relies on it to locate and access the file for processing.
Example Output:
Assuming the file is a simple text-based PDF, the output on stdout
will be the converted PostScript data. Meanwhile, stderr
will display messages indicating the start and completion of the conversion, along with any warnings or errors encountered.
%PDF-1.4
%äéøü
1 0 obj
<</Type/Catalog/Pages 2 0 R>>
endobj
...
% Status: Conversion started
% Status: [Other processing details]
% Status: Conversion completed successfully
Use Case 2: Print a File from stdin
to stdout
Code:
wget -O - https://examplewebsite.com/file | ippeveps
Motivation:
This example demonstrates the power and versatility of command-line tools through piping, where the output of one command (wget
) is directly fed as the input to another (ippeveps
). This is particularly useful in situations where files are hosted online and need to be printed without first saving them locally. By using this method, users can streamline workflows and efficiently handle remote files within scripts or automated processes.
Explanation:
wget -O - https://examplewebsite.com/file
:wget
is a command-line utility for downloading files from the web. The-O -
option redirects the output of the download tostdout
rather than a file. This setup allows the downloaded content to be immediately available to the next command in the pipeline.|
: The pipe operator is crucial in UNIX-like systems as it connects the output of one command directly to another, creating a seamless data stream between processes.ippeveps
: As previously explained, this command processes the input data and prepares it for printing to a PostScript printer. In this context, it reads directly fromstdin
, thanks to the pipe established withwget
.
Example Output:
Assuming the downloaded file is in PDF format, ippeveps
will produce the converted PostScript data on stdout
.
%PDF-1.4
%äéøü
1 0 obj
<</Type/Catalog/Pages 2 0 R>>
endobj
...
% Status: Fetching file from URL
% Status: Conversion started
% Status: [Other processing details]
% Status: Conversion completed successfully
Conclusion:
The ippeveps
command is a powerful and flexible tool in the realm of Unix-based printing solutions, particularly when dealing with Adobe PostScript printers. Through the examples illustrated, users can see how it simplifies the handling of different file formats and allows for dynamic interactions with data streams from various sources, be it local files or remote URLs. These capabilities make ippeveps
an indispensable component in the toolkit of anyone dealing with print processing in mixed-format environments.