Cómo Imprimir un Archivo a una Impresora en C#

Install Visual Studio

If you don't have Visual Studio installed, download and install it from the official website: Visual Studio.

Create a New Project

1. Open Visual Studio.
2. Click on "Create a new project".

Choose Project Template

1. In the "Create a new project" dialog, select "Windows Forms App (.NET Framework)" or "Windows Forms App (.NET Core)" based on your preference.

2. Provide a name and location for your project.

3. Click Next and from the additional information screen, select the .NET Framework and click "Create."

Design the Form

1. Once the project is created, the main form will be displayed in the designer.
2. Use the toolbox to add controls such as buttons, textboxes, labels, etc., to your form as required.
3. Customize the properties of each control using the Properties window.

4. Adjust the form's appearance and layout.

Introduction to IronPrint

IronPrint is a comprehensive print library developed by Iron Software, designed to seamlessly integrate with .NET applications. Whether you're working on a desktop, web, or mobile project, IronPrint offers versatile printing PDF documents capabilities, supporting various file formats and providing customizable print settings.

Key Features

1. Format Support:IronPrint supports various document formats, including PDF, PNG, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, and BITMAP. This versatility ensures that developers can work with different types of content for printing.
2. Customizable Settings:Developers can customize print settings according to their application's requirements. This includes options to set DPI (dots per inch), specify paper orientation (portrait or landscape), and control the number of copies.
3. Print Dialog:IronPrint facilitates a seamless user experience by allowing developers to show a print dialog before printing. This can be useful in scenarios where users must interact with the printing process and select specific options.
4. Print Silently: IronPrint offers a silent printing feature that is particularly beneficial for automation and enhancing workflow efficiency. This allows developers to print invoices without user interaction, eliminating the need for manual intervention and streamlining the overall process.
5. Cross-Platform Compatibility:IronPrint goes beyond platform limitations, offering compatibility with a diverse range of environments, including Windows (7+), macOS (10+), iOS (11+), and Android API 21+ (v5 "Lollipop"). It seamlessly integrates with different project types such as Mobile (Xamarin, MAUI & Avalonia), Desktop (WPF, MAUI & Windows Avalonia), and Console (App & Library).
6. Broad .NET Version Support:Whether you're using the latest .NET 8, 7, 6, or Core 3.1+, IronPrint has you covered. It also supports the .NET Framework (4.6.2+), ensuring compatibility across various development environments.

Installing IronPrint

Before diving into file printing, you need to install the IronPrint library. You can easily do this using the NuGet Package Manager Console:

Install-Package IronPrint

This command line will download and install the IronPrint library into your C# project.

Initializing IronPrint

Once IronPrint is installed, you need to initialize it in your C# code. Import the IronPrint namespace, and set the license key to ensure proper functionality:

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
    }
}

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
    }
}

Imports IronPrint
Friend Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY"
	End Sub
End Class

Printing a File with IronPrint

Printing a file using IronPrint is straightforward. You can use the Printer class, specifying the file path to the Print method to print PDF silently:

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
        // Specify the file path
        var document = "C:\\path\\to\\your\\file.pdf";
        // Print PDFs
        Printer.Print(document);
    }
}

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
        // Specify the file path
        var document = "C:\\path\\to\\your\\file.pdf";
        // Print PDFs
        Printer.Print(document);
    }
}

Imports IronPrint
Friend Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY"
		' Specify the file path
		Dim document = "C:\path\to\your\file.pdf"
		' Print PDFs
		Printer.Print(document)
	End Sub
End Class

Printing silently comes with the benefit of not needing any user interaction to print the PDF, which is helpful for situations where automation is required to streamline the workflow. For situations that require user interaction, such as a dialog box before printing, you can use ShowPrintDialog, which achieves the same result but with a dialog as an additional step.

Although this example only demonstrates printing a PDF file, IronPrint also supports various file formats, including PDF, PNG, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, IMAGE, and BITMAP.

Customizing Print Settings

IronPrint allows you to customize print settings according to your application's requirements. You can configure settings like DPI, number of copies, paper orientation, and more using the PrintSettings class. The following code example helps you set the page settings and print PDF documents:

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        IronPrint.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
        Console.WriteLine("Printing Started...");
        // Specify the file path
        string filePath = "C:\\path\\to\\your\\file.pdf";
        // Configure print settings
        PrintSettings printSettings = new PrintSettings();
        printSettings.Dpi = 300;
        printSettings.NumberOfCopies = 2;
        printSettings.PaperOrientation = PaperOrientation.Landscape;
        // Print the document with custom settings
        Printer.Print(filePath, printSettings);
        // Print using the Print dialog
        Printer.ShowPrintDialog(filePath, printSettings);
    }
}

using IronPrint;
class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        IronPrint.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY";
        Console.WriteLine("Printing Started...");
        // Specify the file path
        string filePath = "C:\\path\\to\\your\\file.pdf";
        // Configure print settings
        PrintSettings printSettings = new PrintSettings();
        printSettings.Dpi = 300;
        printSettings.NumberOfCopies = 2;
        printSettings.PaperOrientation = PaperOrientation.Landscape;
        // Print the document with custom settings
        Printer.Print(filePath, printSettings);
        // Print using the Print dialog
        Printer.ShowPrintDialog(filePath, printSettings);
    }
}

Imports IronPrint
Friend Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		IronPrint.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONPRINT_LICENSE_KEY"
		Console.WriteLine("Printing Started...")
		' Specify the file path
		Dim filePath As String = "C:\path\to\your\file.pdf"
		' Configure print settings
		Dim printSettings As New PrintSettings()
		printSettings.Dpi = 300
		printSettings.NumberOfCopies = 2
		printSettings.PaperOrientation = PaperOrientation.Landscape
		' Print the document with custom settings
		Printer.Print(filePath, printSettings)
		' Print using the Print dialog
		Printer.ShowPrintDialog(filePath, printSettings)
	End Sub
End Class

Here is what the output looks like:

If the physical printer is not installed then the default printer is used to print PDF documents. To get all the available printers, you can also use the GetPrinterNames method.

// Retrieve printers' name
List<string> printersName = Printer.GetPrinterNames();
foreach (string printer in printersName)
{
    Console.WriteLine(printer);
}

// Retrieve printers' name
List<string> printersName = Printer.GetPrinterNames();
foreach (string printer in printersName)
{
    Console.WriteLine(printer);
}

' Retrieve printers' name
Dim printersName As List(Of String) = Printer.GetPrinterNames()
For Each printer As String In printersName
	Console.WriteLine(printer)
Next printer

For more detailed information, please visit the documentation page.