Print all File Formats from Thumbnails

The "Print From a Stock Image Folder" example only works with "jpg" and "png" files. In this example, we use Wasatch SoftRIP itself as a thumbnailing system, based on use of the Wasatch Internet Deployment driver. This solution supports all file formats that Wasatch supports, including PDF, PS, and others.

Wasatch SoftRIP's Internet Deployment driver can generate thumbnails for use in many different workflows.

For this example, create two folders, one for the jobs, and one for the thumbnails:

/00temp/jobs
/00temp/thumbnails

Reserve a print unit for production of thumbnails with the Internet Deployment Driver, and configure the driver to output images and html metadata to '/00temp/thumbnails'.

On that print unit, set '/00temp/jobs' as a hot folder. (Note it is important to 'Create Preview Images' for the driver to work correctly.)

With four thumbnails produced by four files in '/00temp/jobs', running the script below will cause this output to be displayed:

This browser view will be launched, and clicking on any image will cause the original file, not the thumbnail, to be printed.

Python 3 Source Code

# Use a browser as interface to print from a thumbnail folder, using thumbnails generated by Wasatch Internet Deployment driver
#
# Simply execute this from within the same folder that contains the jpg or png thumbnail files.  Extensions to support multi-page PDF files
# are easy to define.
#
import os
from os import listdir
from os.path import isfile, join
import urllib.request
from html.parser import HTMLParser
import webbrowser

wasatchSoftRIP = '127.0.0.1:80'  # localhost - edit this to address your Wasatch SoftRIP
columns = 4

headline = '<h1>Click any image to print</h1><p/>Example of printing to Wasatch SoftRIP from a folder of thumbnails<p/>'

folder = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)) # current working folder where script is running - should contain only the files that may be printed, and this script

def supportedFile(f):
    filename, file_extension = os.path.splitext(f)
    ext = file_extension.lower() # make this insensitive to case
    return ext == '.jpg' or ext == '.png'

def makeLink(file, copiesToPrint, printUnit):  # this is the link that will submit the file to SoftRIP
    url = 'http://' + wasatchSoftRIP + '/xmlSubmission.dyn?'
    data = '<WASATCH ACTION=JOB><PRINTUNIT>' + str(printUnit) + '</PRINTUNIT><PAGE>'
    data += '<FILENAME>' + file + '</FILENAME>'
    data += '<Copies>' + str(copiesToPrint) + '</Copies>'
    data += '</PAGE></WASATCH>'
    url += urllib.parse.quote_plus(data)  # escape all special characters in data
    return url

tagContents = ''
tagToMatch = 'sourcefile'
class HTMLParser(HTMLParser):
    thisIsIt = False
    def handle_starttag(self, tag, attrs):
        if tag == tagToMatch:
           self.thisIsIt = True;
    def handle_endtag(self, tag):
        if tag == tagToMatch:
            self.thisIsIt = False;
    def handle_data(self, data):
        if self.thisIsIt:
            global tagContents
            tagContents = data
            
def getMetaData(img):
    filename, file_extension = os.path.splitext(img)
    mf = filename + ".html"
    file = open(mf, "r")
    d = file.read()
    file.close()
    parser = HTMLParser()
    parser.feed(d)
    return tagContents

count = 0
jobs = []
for f in listdir("."):
    if isfile(f):
        if supportedFile(f):
            t = []
            t.append(f)
            t.append(getMetaData(f))
            jobs.append(t)

print("Here are all the thumbnails, and their associated source files:\n")
for j in jobs:
    print("Thumbnail is '" + j[0] + "', from '" + j[1] + "'")

#
# now build the body of the html page, with an entry for every jpg file
#
body = headline + '\n'
for j in jobs:
        body += '<a href="' + makeLink(j[1], 1, 1)+ '"> '
        body += '<img width=100 src="' + j[0] + '" />'
        body += '</a> \n'
        count = count + 1
        if count >= columns:  # organize page into columns
            body += '<br/>\n'
            count = 0
#           
# the following lines create and execute an html file (in a browser in a properly set up OS)
#

htmlFile = 'temp.html'
f = open(htmlFile, 'w')
f.write('<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Demo</TITLE></HEAD><BODY>' + body + '</BODY></HTML>')
f.close()
webbrowser.open(htmlFile)  # execute the html file in a browser