PDF Printer not available in JNLP

Xarsas

Hi,

Our bank makes use of a JNLP file file for us to access the banking service.
I have OpenJDK & Iced Tea WS installed on the system and I can access it fine but the option to print to file/PDF is not available, only the physical printers show.

There is a print to file tick box, but if I use that it can only output to postcript which I cannot open in my PDF program(masterPDF editor) to be able to export the required documents.

I can't find CUPS-PDF in the software centre which is what I used to use in Opensuse and the link I found in the suggestions areas mention it wont be packaged as the print to pdf is available natively.

Is there any way I can work around this or some solution someone can suggest as currently I load all payments on my laptop and then have to access the banking applet from our windows server to release and process to PDF. I would obviously prefer being able to do it all on the laptop rather.

Thanks in advance.

brent

What if you had the choice for NO print service in pull-down menu? Would the PS option change?
Print to file SHOULD NOT give only postcript options unless something was forcing its hand-- or this was RIP/Print software.
PS files can be opened as original file in a few soft wares.
Can you SAVE AS things?
Can you open this file in other programs?
I think there's a good half hour of variables to eliminate. I'm sure you can beat this.

edit: had more ideas

Xarsas

Hi,
brent
The PS option is only visible when using the print to file tickbox. There isn't actually a print to file/save to pdf entry like there is in most print dialog boxes.
I can open the PS file in document viewer, but I cannot split the pages or export them to PDF from what I can see. If there is some way to easily convert the PS files to PDF then I dont mind doing that to get them to PDF.
I cannot save as, I can change the file extension to PDF when saving, but the PDF cannot open in MasterPDF then.

Justin
No, that just allows me to save to PS.

Print to file ticked

Print to file output selection screen

MasterPDF error even if I change filename to whatever.pdf from out.ps

Thanks for the replies so far.

Justin

Does the Print To File tickbox not work?

brent

back in another lifetime adobe distiller turns .ps into pdf. What's comprable in linux? I don't know. In this other lifetime I have opened up a .ps (in normal, I believe, circumstances; if not, then modified circumstances) in photoshop and illustrator.
the internet is littered with windows freeware/malware that promises to convert this file (remember the windows days?).

This is a do-able deal. I just don't have the brains to tell what are linux equivalents for programs like these.. I hope someone does.

brent

MOREOVER I keep reading you have to bring copious amounts of Java proprietary software into your linux to open these java files.
I'm also reading open sources stuff like we have in the repos (JDK and icedtea) will also open these files...but these are forums of other distros.

I think it should be simple; I am sorry it is not. I repeat above, hope somebody chimes in because the answer is out there.

Xarsas

Thanks for the replies guys
brent
The Java side is fine, the bank used to enforce using Oracle Java but either IcedTeas has changed something their side or the bank have taken the stick out of their ass as I can now run the app on IceadTea and OpenJDK instead of setting up Oracle Java.

Justin
Yes, I can open them in evince. I had realized that, but I was so busy looking for an "export" or "save as" to PDF option that I totally forgot that I can print to PDF from evince.

So it's a bit roundabout, but I'm now using the print to file, to PS, opening that in evince and then printint that to PDF and editing that file then.

Should there be a better way someone can come up with, please let me know.

Justin

Apparently evince can open PS files. Please try this.

Xarsas

Hi,

So it seems after the latest update to Evince on Solus it no longer supports PS files. It doesn't mention anything on the Evnice gnome page about PS being discontinued though so I'm presuming this must be a bug?
The application/postscript entry is also no longer in the .desktop file, I added it in, but it still makes no difference. Can someone confirm if I must log a bug for this please?

yursan9

Xarsas Can you run evince from terminal? Usually, It will output the error and you can put the error messages here

Xarsas

yursan9 I did do that, thinking it might be a missing dependency or something but it gives no error message, i just get the error within Evince that I posted above as an image.
Output as per image :

brent

Two searches in software center ("postscript" and "pdf") yield some fascinating tools. I bet Scribus could do it. A lot of postscript handling software is ALREADY installed which leads me to believe they are evince dependencies(?).

I also think if you had more control about HOW you save the .ps this could be avoided but in your save as dialogue I see little options.

Old school from back in the day is force file extensions on the document. Change to .pdf or .eps, for instance. It's crude but sometimes works.
Ijhave long associated adobe with headache.

Xarsas

brent Evince is supposed to open Postscript, so additional tools shouldn't be needed. It was working fine till the latest update earlier this month.
Changing the file extension from .ps to .pdf also doesnt work, already tried that before I started using evince.

brent

Xarsas Open up the SC search for "document" and even more tools.
I realize Evince is supposed to work, and they'll probably fix it soon, but there's other programs like Scribus or Gimp that would work because ghostscript is already installed in solus. I still think there are a few more ways to skin a cat (open your .ps), if you will, but all take some time to figure out----time being a luxury, I realize, not everybody has. If I had a .ps file I'd experiment myself, but I don't.
Hopefully they get back to you re: evince soon.

Xarsas

@Justin Can you remove the solved tag for now please?

@brent
Scribus tries to import the PS file as editable text and for some reason that creates havoc on the pages with overlapping words and sentences.
GIMP imports it as either images or layers, both ways give me blurry documents, since this is used for banking proof of payments I cannot send out blurry documents as proof since it looks like they have been edited and will raise suspicion at some people.

brent

This is where I would apologize for suggesting you invest in a string of failed remedies and try Okular next....
...but I think I'll just wait for the Team to respond.

kyrios

brent Have you actually reported the problem on the dev tracker?

brent

kyrios You mean @Xarsas . I'm flustered I'm unable to help him open his .ps files. But I agree, he should report it to dev.

kyrios

brent I asked regarding this, I just had a quick look, I didn't follow the discussion in detail.

I think I'll just wait for the Team to respond.

The team does not participate to every topics on the forum. If it appears a problem is a bug, it should be reported so it can be tracked and a fix will be released if necessary.