Re: Libreoffice: printing "dirties" the file being printed
On Fri 08 Apr 2022 at 08:17:14 (-0400), gene heskett wrote:
> On Friday, 8 April 2022 07:32:00 EDT Curt wrote:
> > On 2022-04-08, David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:
> > >> Apple: Pages documents include a "last printed" property which gets
> > >> updated when the doc is printed - which suggests there's no option
> > >> in that case.
> > >>
> > >> Not sure of the accuracy of either report...
> > >
> > > … nor of my memory.
> > >
> > > I was never a wysiwy(d)g person, but I do remember when many people
> > > started using Macs back in the '80s. When they selected a printer,
> > > typically adjustments were made to the document to suit the settings
> > > in the printer, and then they'd save the document, which AIUI
> > > retained
> > > those settings. To them, that seemed a normal part of the document
> > > metaphor.
> >
> > That's exactly the reason, it seems.
> >
> > Why does my document get marked as modified when I print it?
> >
> > This is because certain information regarding the printer is saved in
> > the document data.
> >
> > https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/FAQ/Writer/Printing/Why_
> > does_my_document_get_marked_as_modified_when_I_print_it
>
> I can see a potential legal reason to store the last printed date in the
> file, if its a copyrighted work, but I can't see printer data as anything
> but a lockin attempt for the printer makers. IMO its up to the pdf
> interpretor to make the pdf its handed fit the printer. Period, IMO it is
> not open for discussion.
>
> There is no reason other than avarice to modify the file. The file
> systems last access date/time maybe, which should not impinge on the file
> itself. Thats file system data.
Bear in mind that the aforementioned Mac users would not have been
handling PostScript¹ files themselves, but what we would call .DOC
files, and these are what retained the printer settings. (I don't
think they would talk of file extensions either.)
Having no experience myself, I can't answer whether dragging and
dropping a document icon onto a printer icon would behave differently
from opening the document (merely to confirm it's the right one) and
selecting Print from a menu. But I can imagine a situation where in
the latter case, it might read printer parameters and set them in the
opened document without regard for whether they were indentical with
those already present.
> I think Ben Franklin said it first, First, we get rid of all the lawyers.
I can't speak to any legal value of a "last printed date". I don't
even know whether that date is distinct entity in LO, differing from
the file's Modification Timestamp. (I only use LO to read .DOCs, and
convert them to PDFs if I want to be able to reread them.)
¹ I don't remember when I moved from a PS to a PDF workflow: I archive
source files, not their derivatives, because their value lies in the
content, not its presentation. But it long-predated my use of personal
inkjet printers (ie grippers), and also my having to print A4 PDFs on
US paper. I wouldn't know which tool to use to shrink a PS page.
Cheers,
David.
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