Hello,
I am interested in getting the following SW made.
1. Intercept all printer commands on a windows desktop.
2. Based on user input, decide whether to simply forward the request to the printer without doing anything OR
3. Extract text information from it and provide APIs to connect to another SW that can use this text and do some useful work.
Please let me know if this SW is already available with you. I need to develop my own SW on top of this solution and so would need the relevant permissions.
Regards,
Customer
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Thanks for your message, we haven't a software which has this function yet, however, we could develop this function to you based on VeryPDF HookPrinter SDK software, you may download the trial version of VeryPDF HookPrinter SDK software from this web page to try, if you encounter any problem with this software, please feel free to let us know, we are glad to assist you asap,
https://www.verypdf.com/app/hookprinter/index.html
https://www.verypdf.com/dl2.php/HookPrinter.zip
VeryPDF
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Hello VeryPDF team,
Thank you for your response. I also have a few questions:
1. What is the technology on which this custom software would be built?
2. I assume that any application calling the printer can be intercepted, please confirm.
3. I assume that this would work with printers from any vendor, please confirm.
4. What would be the rough timelines for such a project?
5. What would be the support model?
Regards,
Customer
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Thanks for your message, we can develop a custom-build version of HookPrinter software to you, this custom-build version has following features,
1. Support both 32bit and 64bit Windows systems.
2. Support Windows 7, 8, 10, etc. Windows systems.
3. An option to forward the print jobs to original printer or extract text information from printer jobs.
4. Able to hook all printers which installed in your local system.
5. Able to hook all network printers which connected to your system.
>>I also have a few questions:
>>1. What is the technology on which this custom software would be built?
We will hook Windows Spooling System, if an application prints a document to a Windows Printer, the printing process will be controlled by Windows Spooling System, our HookPrinter Layer will get all information from Windows Spooling System, so we could intercept the printing process easily.
>>2. I assume that any application calling the printer can be intercepted, please confirm.
Yes, you are right, any application calling the printer can be intercepted.
>>3. I assume that this would work with printers from any vendor, please confirm.
Yes, as long as a printer is using Windows Spooling system, this printer can be hooked properly.
>>4. What would be the rough timelines for such a project?
In general, we will finish this custom-build software within one week.
>>5. What would be the support model?
We are provide gold support for the software, please look at more information about gold support from this web page,
https://www.verypdf.com/custom/maintenance.htm
VeryPDF
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Thank you veryPDF team for your quick response.
Some more quick questions:
1. I need to integrate another custom SW that will take the text output from the veryPDF software and do some other operations on the text. For this would it be possible to expose some APIs that allow other applications to be integrated with your software?
2. What would be the language used in your software?
3. You mention that " Yes, as long as a printer is using Windows Spooling system, this printer can be hooked properly.". If the printer is NOT using the windows spooling system (single printer connected to the terminal) can we still install the spooler and connect the veryPDF hook software?
(Apologies I am not very familiar with the printing subsystem)
4. Like I mentioned in my previous email, I would develop some other SW on top of it and the final solution would be deployed in multiple terminals. Are there any limitations/restrictions that I should be aware of?
Regards,
Customer
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>>Some more quick questions:
>>1. I need to integrate another custom SW that will take the text output
>>from the veryPDF software and do some other operations on the text. For
>>this would it be possible to expose some APIs that allow other applications to be integrated with your software?
Yes, this is possible, you can integrate your software into HookPrinter SDK software by "VeryPDF-HookPrinter.ini" file, "VeryPDF-HookPrinter.ini" file contains following options,
[AutoSave]
; 1 to capture SPL files, 0 will stop to capture SPL files
bCaptureSPLFiles=1
; Your License Key
strLicenseKey=XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
; Set the folder to store SPL files
strSPLOutputFolder=D:\downloads\spl
; This is SPL to PDF Converter Command Line application, you can use this command line application to convert from SPL files to PDF files automatically
strCmd=["E:\SPL2PDF\spl2pdf_cmd\spl2pdf.exe" "%1"]
You can write a command line application, set the path of your command line application to "strCmd" option in the "VeryPDF-HookPrinter.ini" file, HookPrinter SDK will call your application after user print a document to a printer, your application will receive the printed SPL file, your application will able to extract text and other information from this SPL file easily.
Please notice, the SPL format is depend on the hooked printer driver, for example,
- If you print a document to a PCL printer, your application will receive a SPL file in PCL format.
- If you print a document to a Postscript printer, your application will receive a SPL file in Postscript format.
- If you print a document to a PDF virtual printer, your application will receive a SPL file in PDF or Postscript format.
- If you print a document to "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" printer, your application will receive a SPL file in XPS format.
VeryPDF has also a "SPL to PDF Converter Command Line" application which can convert from SPL files in SPL, EMF-SPL, Postscript, EPS, XPS, PCL, PXL (PCL-XL), PRN, PDF formats to PDF and other formats, you may download it from this web page for evaluation,
https://www.verypdf.com/app/hookprinter/spool-spl-to-pdf-converter.html
https://www.verypdf.com/dl2.php/spl2pdf_cmd.zip
>>2. What would be the language used in your software?
Our software is written in C++, but you can call it from PHP, C#, ASP.NET, VB.NET, etc. program languages easily.
>>3. You mention that "Yes, as long as a printer is using Windows Spooling system, this printer can be hooked properly.". If the printer is NOT using the windows spooling system (single printer connected to the terminal) can we still install the spooler and connect the veryPDF hook software? (Apologies I am not very familiar with the printing subsystem)
In general, 99% printers are based on Windows Spooling System, if you can print a Word document from MS Word to a Windows Printer properly, this Windows Printer will no problem to be hooked.
Some special printers does use COM port to transfer the print data directly, these print data are not go through the spooling system, so our HookPrinter Layer can't receive these print data, for example, for some special barcode printers or invoice printers, these printers are used in special fields and by some special Windows applications only, they are not general printers, I think we can simple ignore these types of printers.
>>4. Like I mentioned in my previous email, I would develop some other SW on top of it and the final solution would be deployed in multiple terminals. Are there any limitations/restrictions that I should be aware of?
After you buy the software, there hasn't any limitations/restrictions for you to use the software, please don't worry about this matter.
VeryPDF