Printing class summary

Higher-level printing that does not use the print channel directly is based on the concept of one-function printing, where each printable object knows how to print itself. Objects inherit this ability from the mixin class MPrintable--any new class that you design to print should use this mixin class.

MPrintable standardizes the calling conventions associated with printable objects. It provides an object with two key functions:

Print
PrintAndCreateJobHandle

Use PrintAndCreateJobHandle instead of Print if you need to track submitted print jobs. Job handles allow you to track print jobs.

Three classes form the basis of Printing services: MPageFolio, TPageIterator, and TPageRange. MPageFolio is an MPrintable. A derived class of TPageIterator, TPrintPageIterator, is also an MPrintable.

MPageFolio represents a collection of printable pages. It defines the structure and content of a printable folio. Printing services provide two types of page folios:

TCompoundPageFolio accepts other MPageFolio documents like a collection--page folios can be added to or removed from the compound page folio. The page iterators created by compound page folios are instances of TCompoundPageIterator.
TPaginatedPageFolio represents a a large canvas area partitioned into pages. A paginated page folio contains page-sized tiles arranged in a two-dimensional array with optional borders and gaps. The iterators created by paginated page folios are instances of TPaginatedPageIterator.

TPageIterator is a general class designed to navigate through collections of pages. It provides access to the pages in a folio and establishes page order . TPageIterator returns objects--derived classes of TPage--to represent the iterated pages.

TPrintPageIterator is a derived class of TPageIterator specifically designed for printing.

Printing services provide two types of printable page iterators:

TCompoundPageIterator is an iterator for compound page folios. Use it to access the documents that make up the compound folio or individual pages.
TPaginatedPageIterator is an iterator for paginated page folios, including instances of TBookPageFolio.

TPageRange defines specific page groups or selections in a page folio. A TPageRange object allows any combination of pages to be included or excluded during printing--you can use page ranges to process the entire document, several pages, or a single page. Every page iterator has a page range--the default page range is the entire document. Printing services provide three types of page ranges:

TStandardPageRange is a general purpose page range class that can be set and modified to emulate virtually any set of pages. It obeys the rules of set operations such as Union, Intersection, Difference, and ExclusiveOr. The Not is the logical inverse or complement.
TEvenPageRange includes only the even pages of a folio.
TOddPageRange includes only the odd pages of a folio.

TPage is an abstract base class derived from MDrawable that you use to represent an arbitrary page graphic. Its most important property is that it is drawable. Because it is a page, it also has a page number relative to a set of pages and a page description that describes other properties such as media and bounds.

Derived classes of TPage can add properties required by your documents. For example, the page number is determined by a page iterator and a page range, which is ordinal to other pages in the iterator. This is not necessarily the actual page number in the document or as printed on the page itself. Derived classes could add a function to provide the document page number if needed.

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