[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 129214] Enter a custom size for print paper in Print-Page Layout

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=129214

--- Comment #10 from Prichy <retail at prichy.net> ---
(In reply to Michael Weghorn from comment #8)
> (In reply to Prichy from comment #7)
> > Hi all - not sure what specific info is required but here's more
> > explanation. I think this issue has come to light because I now have a very
> > picky printer (Xerox phaser 6510). The problem is that you have to tell it
> > what paper you've loaded. When you go to print, if the paper size 'required'
> > via the printyer dialogue doesn't match, what it has loaded, it refuses to
> > print - very annoying. So the problem is that although I can format a single
> > page to e.g. 144x144mm, LibreOffice then insists I select a 'standard' size
> > in the print dialogue - a size for the whole document it seems. 144x144
> > isn't an option on my driver. So it could be argued this is a fault with the
> > *printer driver* not allowing custom sizes - but even if that were possible,
> > how would it do it on a page-by-page basis?
> 
> Out of curiosity:
> Have you tried printing a document with different page sizes in LibreOffice
> and AbiWord? I'd really be interested what happens in both cases. Do you
> insert different sheets of paper in the order that the pages are to printed
> in this case, or how does the printer know what paper to use (different
> input trays,...)?
> 
> > And before you ask, if I tell
> > the printer it's A4 and set the print diaglogue to A4, then I get a printer
> > jam because it thinks the paper's torn. So I admit the unnecessarily picky
> > firmware on my printer doesn't help - and I've never had this issue before I
> > bought this model. But nonetheless, I think there is a fault with the logic
> > in LibreOffice here. Perhaps if specific page sizes are set up in the doc',
> > then the print dialogue should not insist on an overall page size for the
> > entire doc, which I agree is otherwise a useful thing to be able to do! I'm
> > using Ubuntu 19.10 with the default printer driver "(Xerox Phaser 6510,
> > driverless, cups-filters 1.25.11"). As mentioned, I can print non-standard
> > sizes using AbiWord via the same printer driver as the print dialogue
> > doesn't appear to require a paper size.
> 
> I've taken a quick look at what AbiWord does. As far as I could see, it
> explicitly makes it impossible to select the page size in any case and
> always uses that from the document and passes it to CUPS. I think this is
> usually what you want (and what I think LO does as well) when the document
> size is one that the printer supports.
> 
> It's cool this works nicely for your printer with non-supported page sizes
> as well in AbiWord and I understand you want to have it working for
> LibreOffice as well.
> I still *think* this could cause trouble with other printers, however, just
> the same way it may fix your use case.
> 
> I have tested with a dummy printer here that only can print up to A4, and if
> the document has a size of A0, AbiWord just tells the printer to print on A0
> anyway; from the CUPS log ("PageSize=A0") is the relevant parameter:
> 
> > D [24/Jun/2020:13:30:23 +0200] [Job 1476] argv[5]="StpFineInkLimit=None StpFineDensity=None StpImageType=TextGraphics StpGamma=None StpGreenGamma=None StpDensity=None StpBlueDensity=None Resolution=301x300dpi StpDitherAlgorithm=None StpFineGamma=None StpGreenDensity=None StpBrightness=None StpBlueGamma=None noStpLinearContrast StpFineRedDensity=None Duplex=DuplexNoTumble PageSize=A0 StpColorPrecision=Normal InputSlot=Standard StpQuality=Standard StpColorCorrection=None StpContrast=None StpFineContrast=None ColorModel=RGB StpiShrinkOutput=Crop StpFineGreenGamma=None StpFineBlueDensity=None StpRedGamma=None StpInkLimit=None noCollate StpRedDensity=None StpFineRedGamma=None StpFineBlueGamma=None number-up=1 StpFineBrightness=None StpFineGreenDensity=None job-uuid=urn:uuid:c88ed197-3cea-39a3-6967-415860f09c9d job-originating-host-name=localhost date-time-at-creation= date-time-at-processing= time-at-creation=1592998223 time-at-processing=1592998223"
> 
> And when printing using a custom page size, that one is passed e.g. as
> "PageSize=Custom.566.93x566.93".
> 
> From what I remember, passing invalid PPD options leads to "undefined
> behaviour", which is usually undesirable. I remember for a different
> scenario and some Ricoh printer that passing some invalid parameters caused
> a paper jam there.
> 
> 
> I'm wondering whether it'd be an option to "teach" your printer driver/PPD
> to support the page sizes you need by modifying its PPD file instead. What
> do you think?
> 
> Are there specific sizes you need support for? Can you attach your printer's
> PPD file?

There are many page sizes I use - I need the ability to print new ones all the
time and I don't think that changing the printer driver is an acceptable
solution. The reason is I frequently print envelopes for greetings cards. There
are many different shapes and sizes. So I was using a standard template with
fields to pick up the address details from a database and then I'd change the
page size to ensure the address is positioned in the correct place. But after
changing the page size I then came up against this problem in the print
dialogue which then overrides the page size. I'll attach the ppd

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