COMPARISON

PDFPrinting.NET vs IronPDF: Technical Comparison Guide

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When .NET developers need to print PDFs, they find libraries with different focuses. PDFPrinting.NET is dedicated to silent PDF printing on Windows, while IronPDF offers full PDF management. This comparison looks at both libraries, examining their architecture, features, and suitability for various applications.

What Is PDFPrinting.NET?

PDFPrinting.NET is a commercial library designed to simplify printing PDF documents programmatically without user intervention. It operates mainly within Windows, focusing on silent and smooth printing of PDFs—sending them directly to printers with minimal hassle.

The library uses the Windows printing system, providing detailed control over printing settings like paper size and scaling. This focus makes it ideal for automated PDF printing.

Key features of PDFPrinting.NET include:

  • Silent Printing Focus: Designed for automated printing without user interaction
  • Windows Integration: Uses Windows Print API for printer control
  • Printing Only: Cannot create or modify PDFs
  • Windows Specific: No support for Linux/macOS
  • Commercial License: Paid licensing model

What Is IronPDF?

IronPDF is a complete .NET library for managing PDFs. The ChromePdfRenderer class uses a modern Chromium-based engine for HTML-to-PDF conversion, while the PdfDocument class offers extensive manipulation, extraction, and printing capabilities.

Unlike PDFPrinting.NET, IronPDF handles the entire PDF lifecycle—creation from HTML and URLs, text extraction, document manipulation, merging, watermarking, security features, digital signatures, and printing—all in one library that works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Architectural Comparison

The main difference between PDFPrinting.NET and IronPDF is their scope: printing-only versus full PDF lifecycle management.

AspectPDFPrinting.NETIronPDF
Primary FocusSilent PDF printingFull PDF lifecycle
PDF CreationNot supportedComplete
HTML to PDFNot supportedFull Chromium engine
PDF ManipulationNot supportedMerge, split, rotate
Text ExtractionNot supportedSupported
Platform SupportWindows onlyCross-platform
Silent PrintingYesYes
Printer IntegrationWindows Print APICross-platform printing
LicenseCommercialCommercial

For applications needing only PDF printing on Windows, PDFPrinting.NET is a focused solution. For applications needing PDF generation, manipulation, or cross-platform support, IronPDF offers comprehensive capabilities.

HTML to PDF Conversion

HTML-to-PDF conversion highlights the capability gap between these libraries.

PDFPrinting.NET HTML-to-PDF approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        converter.ConvertHtmlToPdf(html, "output.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        converter.ConvertHtmlToPdf(html, "output.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully");
    }
}
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IronPDF HTML-to-PDF approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully");
    }
}
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PDFPrinting.NET's HtmlToPdfConverter uses ConvertHtmlToPdf() to take HTML content and an output path directly. IronPDF's ChromePdfRenderer uses RenderHtmlAsPdf() to return a PdfDocument object that can be saved, manipulated, or printed.

IronPDF's approach uses an internal browser engine for rendering, accurately replicating the styling and rendering of web documents into PDFs with full CSS3 and JavaScript support. For detailed guidance on HTML-to-PDF conversion patterns, see the HTML to PDF tutorial.

URL to PDF Conversion

Converting web pages to PDF follows similar patterns with different class structures.

PDFPrinting.NET URL-to-PDF approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new WebPageToPdfConverter();
        string url = "https://www.example.com";
        converter.Convert(url, "webpage.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF from URL created successfully");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new WebPageToPdfConverter();
        string url = "https://www.example.com";
        converter.Convert(url, "webpage.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF from URL created successfully");
    }
}
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IronPDF URL-to-PDF approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF from URL created successfully");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF from URL created successfully");
    }
}
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PDFPrinting.NET uses a separate WebPageToPdfConverter class for URL conversion, while IronPDF uses the same ChromePdfRenderer with RenderUrlAsPdf(). IronPDF's unified renderer class handles HTML strings, HTML files, and URLs through different methods on the same object. Learn more about URL to PDF conversion in the IronPDF documentation.

Headers and Footers

Adding headers and footers to generated PDFs shows different configuration approaches.

PDFPrinting.NET headers and footers:

// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        converter.HeaderText = "Company Report";
        converter.FooterText = "Page {page} of {total}";
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        converter.ConvertHtmlToPdf(html, "report.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers/footers created");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
using PDFPrinting.NET;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        converter.HeaderText = "Company Report";
        converter.FooterText = "Page {page} of {total}";
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        converter.ConvertHtmlToPdf(html, "report.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers/footers created");
    }
}
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IronPDF headers and footers:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Company Report</div>"
        };
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        };
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("report.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers/footers created");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Company Report</div>"
        };
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        };
        string html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("report.pdf");
        Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers/footers created");
    }
}
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PDFPrinting.NET uses simple string properties (HeaderText, FooterText) with placeholders like {page} and {total}. IronPDF uses HtmlHeaderFooter objects that accept full HTML content via the HtmlFragment property, enabling rich styling with CSS. Note the placeholder syntax difference: PDFPrinting.NET uses {total} while IronPDF uses {total-pages}.

This HTML-based approach in IronPDF provides complete styling control through CSS, allowing complex header and footer designs. For comprehensive implementation guidance, see the headers and footers documentation.

API Mapping Reference

For teams evaluating PDFPrinting.NET migration to IronPDF, understanding the API mappings helps estimate development effort.

Core Classes

PDFPrinting.NETIronPDF
PDFPrinterPdfDocument
HtmlToPdfConverterChromePdfRenderer
WebPageToPdfConverterChromePdfRenderer
Print settings propertiesPrintSettings

Printing Methods

PDFPrinting.NETIronPDF
printer.Print(filePath)pdf.Print()
printer.Print(filePath, printerName)pdf.Print(printerName)
printer.PrinterName = "..."pdf.Print("...")
printer.GetPrintDocument(path)pdf.GetPrintDocument()
printer.Copies = nprintSettings.NumberOfCopies = n
printer.Duplex = trueprintSettings.DuplexMode = Duplex.Vertical
printer.CollatePages = trueprintSettings.Collate = true

Features Unavailable in PDFPrinting.NET

IronPDF FeatureDescription
renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)Create PDF from HTML with Chromium engine
renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)Create PDF from URL
PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs)Combine multiple PDFs
pdf.CopyPages(start, end)Extract specific pages
pdf.ApplyWatermark(html)Add watermarks
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPasswordPassword protection
pdf.Sign(certificate)Digital signatures
pdf.ExtractAllText()Extract text content
pdf.Form.GetFieldByName(name).ValueForm filling

These additional capabilities in IronPDF extend beyond printing to provide complete PDF lifecycle management. For PDF manipulation features, see the merge and split PDFs guide.

Platform Support Comparison

A significant architectural difference lies in platform support.

PDFPrinting.NET platform support:

  • Windows only
  • Relies on Windows printing infrastructure
  • Requires Windows Print Spooler service
  • No Linux or macOS support

IronPDF platform support:

  • Windows, Linux, and macOS
  • Cross-platform printing capabilities
  • Linux requires CUPS (Common Unix Printing System)
  • Consistent API across all platforms

For organizations deploying to Linux servers or building cross-platform applications, PDFPrinting.NET's Windows-only limitation creates architectural constraints. IronPDF's cross-platform support enables deployment flexibility without code changes.

Load-Then-Print Pattern Difference

A key API difference involves how PDFs are loaded for printing.

PDFPrinting.NET direct printing:

var printer = new PDFPrinter();
printer.PrinterName = "Office Printer";
printer.Print("document.pdf");  // Path passed directly
var printer = new PDFPrinter();
printer.PrinterName = "Office Printer";
printer.Print("document.pdf");  // Path passed directly
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IronPDF load-then-print:

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");  // Load first
pdf.Print("Office Printer");  // Then print
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");  // Load first
pdf.Print("Office Printer");  // Then print
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PDFPrinting.NET passes the file path directly to the Print() method. IronPDF uses a load-then-operate pattern where the PDF is first loaded into a PdfDocument object, then operations like printing are performed on that object. This pattern enables IronPDF to support manipulation before printing—such as adding watermarks, merging documents, or extracting text.

Feature Comparison Summary

The scope difference between PDFPrinting.NET and IronPDF spans virtually every PDF operation beyond basic printing.

FeaturePDFPrinting.NETIronPDF
Primary FunctionalitySilent PDF printingFull cycle handling (create, edit, print)
Platform SupportWindows onlyCross-platform
PDF Creation/ManipulationNoYes
HTML-to-PDF ConversionLimitedYes (Chromium engine)
URL-to-PDF ConversionLimitedYes
Text ExtractionNoYes
PDF MergingNoYes
WatermarksNoYes
Password ProtectionNoYes
Digital SignaturesNoYes
Form FillingNoYes
Suitability for Automated WorkflowsHighHigh
Additional DependenciesRelies on Windows printersInternal browser engine for rendering
LicensingCommercialCommercial

Applications requiring watermarking, PDF merging, text extraction, or security features cannot achieve these with PDFPrinting.NET.

When Teams Consider Moving from PDFPrinting.NET to IronPDF

Several factors drive teams to evaluate IronPDF as an alternative to PDFPrinting.NET:

PDF Generation Requirements: PDFPrinting.NET cannot create PDFs—it only prints existing ones. Applications needing to generate PDFs from HTML templates, reports, or web content require IronPDF's creation capabilities.

Cross-Platform Needs: PDFPrinting.NET is tied to Windows printing infrastructure. Organizations deploying to Linux servers, building Docker containers, or targeting macOS need IronPDF's cross-platform support.

Document Manipulation: PDFPrinting.NET cannot merge, split, watermark, or modify PDFs. Applications requiring document assembly or modification before printing need IronPDF's manipulation capabilities.

Text Extraction: PDFPrinting.NET cannot read or extract content from PDFs. Applications requiring PDF content analysis or search functionality need IronPDF's extraction capabilities.

Generate-Then-Print Workflows: With IronPDF, applications can generate PDFs from HTML templates, add watermarks or headers, then print—all in a single workflow. PDFPrinting.NET requires separate tools for generation and printing.

Security Features: PDFPrinting.NET cannot add passwords, encryption, or digital signatures. Applications with document security requirements need IronPDF's security capabilities.

Installation Comparison

PDFPrinting.NET installation:

Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
Install-Package PDFPrinting.NET
SHELL

Windows-only with dependencies on Windows Print Spooler service.

IronPDF installation:

Install-Package IronPdf
Install-Package IronPdf
SHELL

IronPDF requires a license key configuration:

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
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IronPDF's first run downloads the Chromium rendering engine (~150MB one-time). For Linux deployments, additional dependencies and CUPS installation are required for printing. The library supports .NET Framework, .NET Core, .NET 5+, and forward compatibility into .NET 10 and C# 14.

Making the Decision

The choice between PDFPrinting.NET and IronPDF depends on your application requirements:

Consider PDFPrinting.NET if: Your sole requirement is reliable and silent PDF printing within a Windows environment, you have no demands for document creation or manipulation, and cross-platform support is not needed.

Consider IronPDF if: Your project demands full PDF processing capabilities, you need cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS), you require document creation from HTML or URLs, you need PDF manipulation (merge, split, watermark), you need text extraction or security features, or you want generate-then-print workflows.

For most modern applications—especially those requiring PDF generation or cross-platform deployment—IronPDF's comprehensive approach provides significant advantages over PDFPrinting.NET's printing-only focus.

Getting Started with IronPDF

To evaluate IronPDF for your PDF needs:

  1. Install via NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
  2. Review the getting started documentation
  3. Explore HTML to PDF tutorials for creation patterns
  4. Check the printing guide for print-specific features
  5. Review the API reference for complete method documentation

The IronPDF tutorials provide comprehensive examples covering common scenarios from basic conversion to advanced PDF manipulation and printing workflows.

Conclusion

PDFPrinting.NET and IronPDF serve different purposes in the .NET PDF ecosystem. PDFPrinting.NET excels at silent PDF printing within Windows environments—providing detailed control over printing parameters with minimal hassle. IronPDF offers a complete PDF solution covering creation, extraction, manipulation, security, and printing in a single cross-platform library.

For applications requiring only PDF printing on Windows, PDFPrinting.NET's focused approach may be appropriate. For applications needing PDF generation, document manipulation, cross-platform support, or any capabilities beyond printing, IronPDF provides these features natively without requiring additional libraries.

The decision extends beyond current requirements to anticipated needs and deployment environments. While PDFPrinting.NET excels in its narrow domain of Windows PDF printing, IronPDF excels in versatility and comprehensive PDF management. Organizations often start with printing requirements but expand to need generation and manipulation—choosing IronPDF from the start provides a foundation for these expanded requirements while enabling cross-platform deployment flexibility.

Evaluate your complete PDF requirements—current and anticipated—when selecting between these libraries. The printing-only nature of PDFPrinting.NET and its Windows-only constraint create capability and platform boundaries that become apparent as applications mature and deployment requirements expand.