Click here to Skip to main content
15,867,308 members
Articles / Desktop Programming / Win32

Line Printer Class in C#

Rate me:
Please Sign up or sign in to vote.
4.70/5 (34 votes)
26 Sep 2008Public Domain1 min read 264.2K   8.7K   64   115
A simple C# class for printing on old dot matrix line printers

Introduction

This class simplifies the job of printing text on line printers, in C#. I had an application that needed to print on one of such printers, so I ended up writing this helper class. Basically, it's a wrapper for the spooler API (winspool.drv); the text to be printed is sent in "RAW" mode to the spooler so that no graphics printing is involved.

Using the Code

The use of the class is pretty easy. First, the desired printing device is selected by either writing the PrinterName property or by calling the ChoosePrinter() method:

C#
LPrinter MyPrinter = new LPrinter(); // creates the printer object
MyPrinter.ChoosePrinter();// let user choose the printer device

// alternatively:
MyPrinter.PrinterName = "Epson FX-80";
// uses a specific named printer

The actual printing is done like this:

C#
MyPrinter.Open("Document Title Here"); // opens and tells the spooler the document title
MyPrinter.Print("Some text....\r\n");  // actual printing (CR+LFs are needed)
MyPrinter.Print("\x0C");               // sends a form feed (ejects the paper)
MyPrinter.Close();                     // Close the spooler

All methods Open(), Print(), Close(), and ChoosePrinter() return a boolean, in case you want to check if the operation was successful.

Some basic text effects can be achieved by sending control codes to the printer, according to the following table:

Code Description
14 enlarged characters on
20 enlarged characters off
15 compressed characters on
18 compressed characters off
ESC + "E" bold characters on
ESC + "F" bold characters off
12 FF (form feed)

For more code, check the printer's manual.

Points of Interest

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell if an installed printer is a line printer or a graphical one (laser or inkjet), so I was not able to filter the print dialog of ChoosePrinter(), making it display only line printers. This means that the user has to choose the right printer.

History

  • 29-Sep-2008: First (and possibly only one) version

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under A Public Domain dedication


Written By
Software Developer
Italy Italy
This member has not yet provided a Biography. Assume it's interesting and varied, and probably something to do with programming.

Comments and Discussions

 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
unodei25-Sep-10 2:32
unodei25-Sep-10 2:32 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
Antonino Porcino25-Sep-10 7:18
Antonino Porcino25-Sep-10 7:18 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
unodei26-Sep-10 14:31
unodei26-Sep-10 14:31 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
unodei26-Sep-10 14:34
unodei26-Sep-10 14:34 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
Antonino Porcino26-Sep-10 21:01
Antonino Porcino26-Sep-10 21:01 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
unodei26-Sep-10 21:03
unodei26-Sep-10 21:03 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
unodei3-Oct-10 20:46
unodei3-Oct-10 20:46 
GeneralRe: Print UniCode characters and other font size Pin
Antonino Porcino3-Oct-10 23:39
Antonino Porcino3-Oct-10 23:39 
QuestionHow to set Font and Font Size Pin
unodei20-Sep-10 21:36
unodei20-Sep-10 21:36 
AnswerRe: How to set Font and Font Size Pin
Antonino Porcino20-Sep-10 22:31
Antonino Porcino20-Sep-10 22:31 
GeneralRe: How to set Font and Font Size Pin
unodei20-Sep-10 22:46
unodei20-Sep-10 22:46 
GeneralRe: How to set Font and Font Size Pin
unodei20-Sep-10 22:48
unodei20-Sep-10 22:48 
GeneralRe: How to set Font and Font Size Pin
unodei20-Sep-10 22:52
unodei20-Sep-10 22:52 
GeneralRe: How to set Font and Font Size Pin
Antonino Porcino21-Sep-10 0:05
Antonino Porcino21-Sep-10 0:05 
QuestionDo you have any ideas why row data printing doesn't work on win 7? Pin
Member 38896449-Sep-10 16:04
Member 38896449-Sep-10 16:04 
AnswerRe: Do you have any ideas why row data printing doesn't work on win 7? Pin
Antonino Porcino9-Sep-10 21:10
Antonino Porcino9-Sep-10 21:10 
GeneralRe: Do you have any ideas why row data printing doesn't work on win 7? Pin
Member 388964412-Sep-10 1:30
Member 388964412-Sep-10 1:30 
QuestionHow can I set the custom paper size Pin
annoph8-Feb-10 19:01
annoph8-Feb-10 19:01 
AnswerRe: How can I set the custom paper size Pin
Antonino Porcino8-Feb-10 21:43
Antonino Porcino8-Feb-10 21:43 
GeneralRe: How can I set the custom paper size Pin
annoph11-Feb-10 18:08
annoph11-Feb-10 18:08 
GeneralNew document starting from where last one finished Pin
Member 382532816-Nov-09 4:40
Member 382532816-Nov-09 4:40 
GeneralRe: New document starting from where last one finished Pin
Antonino Porcino16-Nov-09 8:38
Antonino Porcino16-Nov-09 8:38 
GeneralRe: New document starting from where last one finished Pin
nikhilav8519-Feb-18 4:08
nikhilav8519-Feb-18 4:08 
QuestionTear Off & Reverse line feed Pin
Member 384713428-Jul-09 21:10
Member 384713428-Jul-09 21:10 
AnswerRe: Tear Off & Reverse line feed Pin
Antonino Porcino28-Jul-09 23:20
Antonino Porcino28-Jul-09 23:20 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.