Re: [Gimp-print-devel] Questions about Gutenprint

[שחר בן ח. <sha...@gm...>]

Dear Till,

Thank you for explaining the WSL-based approach. I have two follow-up
questions:

1) The WSL method makes sense in a development environment, but for a
commercial photobooth product I need something easy for customers to
install with minimum effort as possible. Do you know of any examples where
a company has packaged Gutenprint under WSL (or a similar Linux-in-Windows
driver stack) as a polished, customer-friendly installer? Is it possible?

2) From your experience, do you think working with DEVMODE or Win32 APIs
might work with the original driver for my needs (2×6 strip-cut option
automatically)?

‫בתאריך יום ג׳, 3 ביוני 2025 ב-14:11 מאת ‪Till Kamppeter‬‏ <‪
til...@gm...‬‏>:‬

> You can run Linux printer drivers under Windows. The central component
> needed
> for that is WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). With this the driver work
> in a
> Linux environment embedded in Windows and makes itself available to
> Windows'
> printing environment as an emulation of a driverless IPP printer
> (Mopria-compatible).
>
> See this HOWTO:
>
> https://openprinting.github.io/wsl-printer-app/
>
> and also the older version, without Snap and compiling components, so
> easier in
> case you need to modify Gutenprint:
>
> https://openprinting.github.io/wsl-printer-app-compile/
>
> I hope this helps
>
>     Till
>
>
> On 6/1/25 13:34, שחר בן חמו wrote:
> > Dear Gutenprint Team,
> >
> > I’m developing a Windows-based photobooth product and am currently
> exploring
> > options for automatic printing with strip cutting (specifically, cutting
> a 4x6"
> > photo into two 2x6" strips) using dye-sublimation printers such as the
> DNP DS-
> > RX1/DS620, Mitsubishi CP-D80/D90, and Citizen CX/CY series.
> >
> > I understand that Gutenprint offers support for some of these printers
> on Linux
> > via CUPS and has implemented advanced capabilities such as multi-cut and
> strip
> > printing through custom PPDs. I’ve read references to Gutenprint’s
> support for
> > enabling 2-inch cutting with these printers, which is exactly what I
> need.
> >
> > However, since my target environment is Windows, I am trying to
> determine
> > whether Gutenprint or any related components (e.g., via a
> CUPS-on-Windows setup,
> > or exporting PPD capabilities to another stack) could be feasible in my
> case.
> > Alternatively, I’m considering using the Windows Print Spooler and Win32
> API
> > with the manufacturers’ official drivers, potentially modifying DEVMODE
> settings
> > to toggle the cutter programmatically.
> >
> > Given that background, I’d like to ask:
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     Do you believe Gutenprint (or any part of its architecture) can be
> >     effectively used on Windows to enable the kind of strip cutting I
> need?
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     Is there any way to leverage the Gutenprint drivers or PPD logic
> outside of
> >     CUPS (e.g., as a reference for building Windows-compatible
> workflows)?
> >
> >   *
> >
> >     In your experience, does the Windows Print Spooler/DEVMODE approach
> offer
> >     enough control to reliably achieve 2x6 cutting, or is Gutenprint
> (via CUPS/
> >     Linux) a more stable route?
> >
> > Any guidance or thoughts you could share would be deeply appreciated.
> I'm happy
> > to provide more technical details if needed.
> >
> > Thank you for your time and for the fantastic work on Gutenprint.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Shahar.
> >
> >
> >
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>
>