[OpenLayers-Users] Print or export

[Stephen Woodbridge]

Yves Moisan wrote:
>> I am not advocating violating Goggle TOS, but it seems that the end user 
>> always has the ability to use something like SnagIt or PrintScrn or 
>> ctrl-PrintScrn to capture their screen image and then paste that into 
>> another document and print from there.
> 
> I guess that works for the odd one-off printscreen job but if you are
> incorporating maps in a report (via some report generating software like
> Jasper reports and such) then you're left high and dry.  
> 
> I long the day when there is a complete OSM/OAM coverage ;-)
> 
> Yves
> 
> 
Absolutely! There is a separation of technical implement and 
legal/restricted use issues. Technically, it would be nice to see a good 
general solution printing OpenLayers. I think one of the big issues is 
the OpenLayers is a client side application and unless the browsers 
support printing of multiple transparent layers, then you have to move 
the solution to the server side.

Since OpenLayers uses multiple "image providers", and can compose a map 
based on many layers from different providers, this greatly complicates 
the problem. You need something like the ability for OpenLayers to send 
an xml description of the map being viewed to a server application that 
can then request all the same information being displayed on the map and 
  compose an equivalent image, that can then be return and printed. Or 
something along those lines. And some layers would have to be excluded, 
because of TOS issues, thinking of Google for one.

But alas, this does not exist as far as I know.

-Steve