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Inside Macintosh: Imaging With QuickDraw /

Chapter 9 - Printing Manager / Printing Manager Reference

Printing Manager Routines

Low-Level Routines

Low-level routines are available for use when printing on some ImageWriter printers. (The ImageWriter LQ driver does not support these routines.) However, Apple strongly discourages you from using these routines--with the exception of the PrDrvrVers function. The others are documented here only for completeness.

Instead of using the low-level routines, you should use the high-level routines of the Printing Manager. Low-level routines are not guaranteed to work in precisely the same manner in future versions of the system software. Low-level routines are primarily suited for functions such as text streaming (the process of receiving data from a source and printing it immediately, without any intermediate formatting). In addition, if you use the low-level routines and the user prints a document on a LaserWriter printer, the LaserWriter printer driver translates all calls to low-level routines to the matching high-level routines, so your application does not gain a speed advantage.

WARNING

Apple strongly discourages you from using these routines. If you do, do not mix high-level routines and low-level routines after opening the printer driver. The only exception to this is that you may use the PrDrvrVers function (described next) with the high-level routines.

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Subtopics

PrDrvrVers

PrDrvrOpen

PrDrvrClose

PrDrvrDCE

PrCtlCall