<html><head><title>javax.print package</title><!--Copyright (c) 2000, 2006, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER. This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify itunder the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, aspublished by the Free Software Foundation.  Oracle designates thisparticular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as providedby Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code. This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUTANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY orFITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public Licenseversion 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file thataccompanied this code). You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA. Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USAor visit www.oracle.com if you need additional information or have anyquestions.--></head><body bgcolor="white">Provides the principal classes and interfaces for the Java<sup><font size="-2">TM</font></sup> Print Service API.The Java Print Service API enables client and server applications to:<ul><li>Discover and select print services based on their capabilities <li>Specify the format of print data<li>Submit print jobs to services that support the document type to be printed.</ul>  <h3>Print Service Discovery</h3><p>An application invokes the static methods of the abstract class {@link javax.print.PrintServiceLookup PrintServiceLookup} to locate print services that have the capabilities to satisfy the application's print request.  For example, to print a double-sided document, the application first needs to find printers that have the double-sided printing capability.<p>The JDK includes <code>PrintServiceLookup</code> implementations thatcan locate the standard platform printers.  To locate other types of printers,such as IPP printers or JINI printers, a print-service provider can write implementations of <code>PrintServiceLookup</code>.  The print-service provider can dynamically install these <code>PrintServiceLookup</code> implementations using the <a href="../../../technotes/guides/jar/jar.html#Service Provider">SPI JAR file specification</a>. <h3>Attribute Definitions</h3> The {@link javax.print.attribute} and {@link javax.print.attribute.standard} packages define print attributes, which describe the capabilities of a print service, specify the requirements of a print job, and track the progress of a print job.<p>The <code>javax.print.attribute</code> package describes the types of attributes andhow they can be collected into sets.  The <code>javax.print.attribute.standard</code>package enumerates all of the standard attributes supported by the API, mostof which are implementations of attributes specified in the IETF Specification, <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2911.txt">RFC 2911 Internet Printing Protocol, 1.1: Model and Semantics</a>, dated September 2000.  The attributes specified in <code>javax.print.attribute.standard</code>include common capabilites, such as: resolution, copies, media sizes, job priority, and page ranges. <h3>Document Type Specification</h3> The {@link javax.print.DocFlavor DocFlavor} class represents the print data format, such as JPEG or PostScript.  A <code>DocFlavor</code> object consists of a MIME type, which describes the format, and a document representation class name that indicates how the document is delivered to the printer or output stream.  An application uses the <code>DocFlavor</code> and an attribute set to find printers that can print the document type specified by the <code>DocFlavor</code> and have the capabilities specified by the attribute set.   <h3>Using the API</h3> A typical application using the Java Print Service API performs these stepsto process a print request:<ol><li>Chooses a <code>DocFlavor</code>.</li><li>Creates a set of attributes.</li><li>Locates a print service that can handle the print request as specifiedby the <code>DocFlavor</code> and the attribute set.</li><li>Creates a {@link javax.print.Doc Doc} object encapsulating the <code>DocFlavor</code>and the actual print data, which can take many forms including: a Postscript file, a JPEG image, a URL, or plain text.</li><li>Gets a print job, represented by {@link javax.print.DocPrintJob DocPrintJob}, from the print service.</li><li>Calls the print method of the print job.</li></ol>The following code sample demonstrates a typical use of the Java Print Service API: locating printers that can print five double-sided copiesof a Postscript document on size A4 paper, creating a print job from one of the returned print services, and calling print. <p><pre><blockquote>FileInputStream psStream;try {   psStream = new FileInputStream("file.ps");} catch (FileNotFoundException ffne) {}if (psStream == null) {    return;} DocFlavor psInFormat = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.POSTSCRIPT;Doc myDoc = new SimpleDoc(psStream, psInFormat, null);  PrintRequestAttributeSet aset = 	new HashPrintRequestAttributeSet();aset.add(new Copies(5));aset.add(MediaSize.A4);aset.add(Sides.DUPLEX);PrintService[] services =   PrintServiceLookup.lookupPrintServices(psInFormat, aset);if (services.length > 0) {   DocPrintJob job = services[0].createPrintJob();   try {	job.print(myDoc, aset);   } catch (PrintException pe) {}}</blockquote></pre><P>Please note: In the javax.print APIs, a null reference parameter to methods is incorrect unless explicitly documented on the method as having a meaningfulinterpretation. Usage to the contrary is incorrect coding and may resultin a run time exception either immediately or at some later time.IllegalArgumentException and NullPointerException are examples oftypical and acceptable run time exceptions for such cases.<P>@since 1.4</body></html>