cupstestdsc

cupstestdsc [ -r ] [ -v ] [ filename.ps ... ]

-r
    Shows resource limits for each page in the PostScript file.

-v
    Shows verbose PostScript comment, font, and resource information detected within the file.

cupstestdsc is a utility included with the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS).

Its primary purpose is to validate the conformance of PostScript files to the Adobe Document Structuring Conventions (DSC). DSC is a set of rules and comments embedded within PostScript files that provide structural information, making it easier for applications and print systems to process, parse, and manipulate the document.

This command is invaluable for identifying issues in PostScript files that might lead to printing errors, incorrect page ordering, or improper resource handling by CUPS. It reports errors, warnings, and informational messages regarding the DSC structure, including header errors, comment errors, and resource conflicts.

Administrators and developers often use cupstestdsc to diagnose why a particular PostScript file fails to print correctly or behaves unexpectedly when processed by CUPS, helping to ensure print job reliability and compatibility.

This command only checks for DSC compliance, not general PostScript language validity. A DSC-compliant file may still contain PostScript errors that prevent it from printing correctly. Its focus is primarily on the structural comments and headers.

It is generally a developer or debugging tool, not typically used by end-users for everyday printing tasks.

If no filenames are specified on the command line, cupstestdsc reads PostScript data from standard input (stdin). This allows piping PostScript output from other commands directly into cupstestdsc for validation.

The cupstestdsc utility is an integral part of the CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) project, which was originally developed by Easy Software Products and later acquired by Apple Inc. CUPS itself was designed to provide a modular, standards-based printing system for Unix-like operating systems. cupstestdsc was developed alongside CUPS to ensure the robust handling of PostScript files, particularly those adhering to Adobe's Document Structuring Conventions. Its existence underscores CUPS's commitment to processing print jobs reliably by validating the structural integrity of PostScript documents, which is crucial for features like page management, font handling, and resource inclusion.

cups(7), lp(1), lpr(1), lpstat(1), cupsd(8), pstops(8)