NAME
    Printer.pm - a low-level, platform independent printing interface
    (curently Linux and MS Win32. other UNIXES should also work.)

    This version includes working support for Windows 95.

SYNOPSIS
        use Printer;
    
        $prn = new Printer('linux' => 'lp', 
                           'MSWin32' => 'LPT1', 
                           $OSNAME => 'Printer');

        @available_printers = $prn->list_printers;

        $prn->use_default;

        $prn->print($data);

DESCRIPTION
    A low-level cross-platform interface to system printers.

    This module is intended to allow perl programs to use and query printers
    on any computer system capable of running perl. The intention of this
    module is for a program to be able to use the printer without having to
    know which operating system is being used.

PLATFORMS
    This code has been tested on Linux, windows 95 and windows NT4.

    I've added possible UNIX support, using the Linux routines. This assumes
    that your print command is lpr, your queue list command is lpq and that
    your printer names can be found by grepping /etc/printcap. If it's
    anything different, email me with the value of "$OSNAME" or "$^O" and
    the corrections.

USAGE
  Open a printer handle

           $printer = new Printer('osname' => 'printer port');
           $printer = new Printer('MSWin32' => 'LPT1', 
                                  'Linux' => 'lp');

    This method takes a hash to set the printer name to be used for each
    operating system that this module is to be used on (the hash keys are
    the values of $^O or $OSNAME for each platform) and returns a printer
    handle which is used by the other methods.

    This method dies with an error message on unsupported platforms.

  Select the default printer

           $printer->use_default;

   Linux

    The default printer is read from the environment variables $PRINTER,
    $LPDEST, $NPRINTER, $NGPRINTER in that order, or is set to "lp" if these
    variables are not defined. You will be warned if this happens.

   Win32

    THe default printer is read from the registry (trust me, this works).

  List available printers

         %hash = $printer->list_printers.
    
    This returns a hash of arrays listing all available printers. The hash
    keys are:

    * "%hash{names}" - printer names
    * "%hash{ports}" - printer ports
  Print

           $printer->print($data);

    Print a scalar value onto the print server through a pipe (like Linux)

  List queued jobs

           @jobs = $printer->list_jobs;

   Linux

    Each cell of the array returned is an entire line from the system's lpq
    command.

   Windows

    The array returned is empty (for compatibility).

   Warning

    This method will probably return a hash in future when I've figured out
    how to access the print queue on windows.

BUGS
    list_queue needs writing for win32

AUTHOR
    Stephen Patterson <s.patterson@freeuk.com>

TODO
    Make list_queue work on windows.

    Test and fully port to UNIX.

    Port to MacOS.

Changelog
  0.93

    * Printing on windows 95 now uses a unique spoolfile which will not
    overwrite an existing file.
    * Documentation spruced up to look like a normal linux manpage.
  0.92

        * Carp based error tracking introduced.
  0.91

        * Use the linux routines for all UNIXES.
  0.9

        Initial release version