Regression from kde3: kde4 cannot print odd/even pages separately (and kde3 fallback that should be adopted)

Binary package hint: kdelibs

On intrepid with kde 4.2 (and all previous versions of kde 4)

KDE 4 plasma starts working nicely and correctly, but KDE4 lack of even elementary day-to-day productivity features is amazing (limited printing, no support for browsing files and photos on bluetooth enabled devices, etc). This is clearly not a criticism to people from kubuntu that conversely did all they could to make the kde4 experience acceptable even in day-to-day work...

This report is about limited printing:

1) the kdeprint dialog provided by libkdeprint does not allow to do even elementary things like separating odd/even pages.
Hence anybody with a non duplex printer cannot print both sides of paper. This is not just annoying. It is also an important regression for what concerns the environmental impact of using a PC.

2) the kdeprint dialog provided by kde4 cannot be used by legacy applications, since it misses a "front end" application like the kprinter application that was provided by kde3. This too is a severe regression, since it means that all users of legacy applications are more or less back to the old days when printing happened by merely copying postscript to the printer (via a mere queing system like lpr), with no chance of setting options like color/no color, resolution, page ranges, paper format, page selections, duplex etc.

Kubuntu stated that it would have provided kde3 pieces to fill in the missing functionalities of kde4. It should thus provide the kde3 printing subsistem alongside kde4, so that:

1) from kde4 applications one can at least print to pdf and then use kprint from kde3 to print the pdf with the option of selecting odd/even pages.

2) Legacy application can use kdeprint from kde3.

To install the kde3 kdeprint subsystem side to side with kde4 is what currently gets suggested on the kdeforums to all people missing the odd/even page selection functionality and the legacy application support. The kde4 roadmap suggests that printing in kde will not loose the current fundamental limitations until KDE 4.3 or some point release of it. Hence to install the kde3 kdeprint subsystem would benefit both intrepid and for jaunty.