How to Retrieve Printer Names in C#

How Can I List All Installed Printer Names?

:path=/static-assets/print/content-code-examples/how-to/retrieve-printer-names/retrieve-printer-names-list-all-printers.cs

using IronPrint;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Get every printer registered on this Windows machine
List<string> printerNames = Printer.GetPrinterNames();

Console.WriteLine($"Found {printerNames.Count} printer(s):\n");

foreach (string name in printerNames)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"  • {name}");
}

Imports IronPrint
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic

' Get every printer registered on this Windows machine
Dim printerNames As List(Of String) = Printer.GetPrinterNames()

Console.WriteLine($"Found {printerNames.Count} printer(s):" & vbCrLf)

For Each name As String In printerNames
    Console.WriteLine($"  • {name}")
Next

Found 3 printer(s):

  • Microsoft Print to PDF
  • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M428
  • OneNote (Desktop)

How Do I Retrieve Printer Names Asynchronously?

For applications where blocking the UI thread is not acceptable — WPF, MAUI, or ASP.NET web apps — IronPrint provides Printer.GetPrinterNamesAsync(). The method returns a Task<List<string>> and works identically to its synchronous counterpart:

:path=/static-assets/print/content-code-examples/how-to/retrieve-printer-names/retrieve-printer-names-async-printer-names.cs

using IronPrint;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

// Await the async call to avoid blocking the UI thread
List<string> printerNames = await Printer.GetPrinterNamesAsync();

foreach (string name in printerNames)
{
    Console.WriteLine(name);
}

Imports IronPrint
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Threading.Tasks

' Await the async call to avoid blocking the UI thread
Dim printerNames As List(Of String) = Await Printer.GetPrinterNamesAsync()

For Each name As String In printerNames
    Console.WriteLine(name)
Next

We await the call just like any other async API. The result is the same List<string> returned by GetPrinterNames(), so no additional parsing or conversion is necessary. This async pattern integrates naturally with async Task controller actions and async void event handlers.

How Do I Print to a Specific Printer by Name?

Once we have the printer name, we assign it to PrintSettings.PrinterName and pass the settings object to Printer.Print(). This sends the document directly to the chosen printer without displaying a dialog:

:path=/static-assets/print/content-code-examples/how-to/retrieve-printer-names/retrieve-printer-names-print-to-specific-printer.cs

using IronPrint;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Step 1 — Retrieve available printers
List<string> printers = Printer.GetPrinterNames();

// Step 2 — Select a printer (first match containing "LaserJet" as an example)
string targetPrinter = printers.Find(p => p.Contains("LaserJet"))
                       ?? printers[0]; // fallback to first available

// Step 3 — Configure print settings
PrintSettings settings = new PrintSettings
{
    PrinterName = targetPrinter,
    PaperSize = PaperSize.A4,
    NumberOfCopies = 1
};

// Step 4 — Print the document
Printer.Print("invoice.pdf", settings);

Imports IronPrint
Imports System.Collections.Generic

' Step 1 — Retrieve available printers
Dim printers As List(Of String) = Printer.GetPrinterNames()

' Step 2 — Select a printer (first match containing "LaserJet" as an example)
Dim targetPrinter As String = printers.Find(Function(p) p.Contains("LaserJet")) _
                       OrElse printers(0) ' fallback to first available

' Step 3 — Configure print settings
Dim settings As New PrintSettings With {
    .PrinterName = targetPrinter,
    .PaperSize = PaperSize.A4,
    .NumberOfCopies = 1
}

' Step 4 — Print the document
Printer.Print("invoice.pdf", settings)

PrintSettings supports additional properties such as Dpi, PaperOrientation, Grayscale, and PaperMargins. See the full list in the PrintSettings API reference and the print settings how-to guide.

We also retrieve available paper trays for a given printer using Printer.GetPrinterTrays(printerName), which is useful when a print job needs to pull paper from a specific tray.

What Are My Next Steps?

We covered four operations: installing IronPrint, listing all printer names with GetPrinterNames(), running the same query asynchronously with GetPrinterNamesAsync(), and routing a document to a specific printer through PrintSettings.PrinterName.

For further reading and deeper examples, explore these resources:

• IronPrint Tutorials — Print Document for end-to-end printing walkthroughs.
• Print Settings How-To for configuring DPI, margins, orientation, and more.
• Printer Class API Reference for the complete list of static methods.

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