In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

the raw image is converted to pixels on the display and nobody
considers that a conversion. the magnetic fields on the hard drive are
converted to electrical pulses and nobody considers that a conversion.

there's a conversion with *everything* on a computer.

the printer is just another display device that uses paper instead of a
liquid crystal (or crt). apps draw to either or both and may not even
know the difference.

again, the user opens a raw image ...

Opens a raw image in what?

any image editing app. it's entirely your choice.

photoshop, lightroom, dxo, etc. it doesn't matter.

... (or whatever format, it doesn't even
need to be an image) and picks print and the computer does the rest.

that is not a conversion.

Of course it is.

not one that matters.

everything a computer does is a conversion. the file data is converted
to a format to send to the display and it's converted to magnetic
fields to write to a hard drive. technically those are conversions but
nobody refers to it as a conversion because it's all internal and not
something the user explicitly does.

again, open an image, pick print from the menus and collect the print
moments later. done.

I don't think you are right about this.

i am right about this.

Like me, PeterN is trying to find out how it is possible for a printer
to swallow a raw file and spit out an image. My understanding is that
this is not possible. You seem to be supporting that view by extending
the argument to 'conversion'.

i'm not extending anything.

you open the raw file in the app of your choosing and pick print.

it's so easy that a 4 year old, who has no idea what a conversion even
*means*, can do it.