The W3C Scalable Vector Graphics Working Group has posted the last call working drafts of SVG Print 1.2, Part 2: Language and SVG Print 1.2, Part 1: Primer. According to the primer:
Because of its scalable, geometric nature, SVG is inherently better suited to print than raster image formats. The same geometry can be displayed on screen and on a printer, with identical layout in both but taking advantage of the higher resolution of print media. The same colors can be output, using an ICC-based color managed workflow on the printer and an sRGB fallback approximation on screen. This has been true since SVG 1.0, and so SVG has been used in print workflows (for example, in combination with XSL FO) as well as on screen.
However, SVG also has dynamic, interactive features such as declarative animation, scripting, timed elements like audio and video, and user interaction such as event flow and link activation. None of these are applicable to a print context. SVG 1.1 gives static and dynamic conformance classes, but further guidance on what exactly SVG Printers should do with such general content is helpful. The SVG Print specification defines processing rules for handling such general purpose content which was not designed to be printed, but which may be encountered anyhow.
It is common in cross-media publishing to design content which will be used both online and in print media. This specification gives guidance on how to create such content and how to indicate that it has been adapted to improve its print capability.
Lastly, it is possible to generate SVG which is exclusively intended for print (for example, a printer which natively understands SVG). This content might be created in an illustration program, or it might be an output from a layout program, such as an XSL-FO renderer; or it might be generated by an SVG Print driver. This specification defines conformance classes for software which reads this type of SVG,and also a conformance class for SVG Print content.
Comments on both are due by February 8.
