Print job management for web applications

[Nime]

As you know printing reports or docs from a website is a headache. Imagine that you have many document types to be printed on different printers & paper formats, how do you handle all of them? Do you have to rely on browser's print & print preview capabilites or the users?

I have an idea; web application may create a downloadable print job file (a simple zip file) which one contains original document and the rule/print set (type of the document). Here, a client app. needs to be installed on user's computer which one handles the specific files (ie. *.print) as such a simple download manager. Rule set says the type of the document so that client app. decides print settings (printer/paper/orientation/color or BW, etc) then begins the print. Rules can be managed centrally (server side/default settings) or users may set their own preferences (client side/custom setttings) for specific reports.


I think that mechanism makes life easier with web applications : ) What do you think? Can a web application has got it's own/embedded print management solution? I don't know what .NET can do as web app. on print tasks.

[Wtower]

There are some technologies for the matter as Microsoft Reporting Services, Crystal Reports and Stimulsoft. Not that I am really crazy about it, but it certainly is something. If you would like help choosing, I would be glad to pass on a couple of articles comparing them.