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basilic001's avatar
basilic001
Copper Contributor
May 17, 2024

Regenerate a PDF file with a PDF printer

Hello.

We have issues with PDF files which need to be re-generated, using the "microsoft print to PDF" printer fixed issues that we have.

How can I code that in C#? I have tried heaps of codes, nothing worked.

I have tried this :

 

 try
 {
     ProcessStartInfo info = new ProcessStartInfo
     {
         FileName = filePath,
         Verb = "PrintTo",
         Arguments = "\"" + outputFilePath + "\" \"Microsoft Print to PDF\"",
         CreateNoWindow = true,
         WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden
     };

     using (Process p = new Process())
     {
         p.StartInfo = info;
         p.Start();
         p.WaitForExit();
     }
 }
 catch (Exception ex)
 {
     MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
 }

 

but it's not adapter for Windows, or even :

 

 try
 {
     PrintDocument pd = new PrintDocument();
     ProcessStartInfo info = new ProcessStartInfo(filePath);
     info.Verb = "Print";
     pd.PrinterSettings.PrintToFile = true;
     pd.PrinterSettings.PrinterName = "Microsoft Print to PDF";
     pd.PrinterSettings.PrintFileName = outputFilePath;
     pd.Print();
     info.CreateNoWindow = true;
 }
 catch (Exception ex)
 {
     MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
 }

 

which generates empty files...

Thanks

Csharp

1 Reply

  • Abhishek_Khatri's avatar
    Abhishek_Khatri
    Brass Contributor
    Jul 09, 2024
    To programmatically print a PDF file to a new PDF file using the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer in C#, you can use the PrintDocument class and the PrintControllerWithStatusDialog class to manage the printing process. The issue with generating empty files might be related to how the PrintDocument class handles the printing.

    Here’s a more detailed example that should help you achieve your goal:

    Add a reference to System.Drawing and System.Drawing.Printing in your project.

    Use the following code to print the PDF:
    using System;
    using System.Diagnostics;
    using System.Drawing.Printing;
    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

    namespace PdfPrinter
    {
    class Program
    {
    [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
    static extern bool SetDefaultPrinter(string name);

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
    string filePath = @"C:\path\to\your\input.pdf";
    string outputFilePath = @"C:\path\to\your\output.pdf";

    try
    {
    PrintToPdf(filePath, outputFilePath);
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
    }
    }

    static void PrintToPdf(string inputFilePath, string outputFilePath)
    {
    var printerName = "Microsoft Print to PDF";

    // Set the default printer to Microsoft Print to PDF
    if (!SetDefaultPrinter(printerName))
    {
    throw new Exception("Could not set the default printer.");
    }

    // Create the print process
    ProcessStartInfo printProcessInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
    {
    Verb = "print",
    FileName = inputFilePath,
    CreateNoWindow = true,
    WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden
    };

    // Create a temp print document
    using (PrintDocument printDocument = new PrintDocument())
    {
    printDocument.PrinterSettings.PrinterName = printerName;
    printDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintToFile = true;
    printDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintFileName = outputFilePath;
    printDocument.PrintController = new StandardPrintController(); // Suppress the Print Dialog

    // Start the print process
    using (Process printProcess = Process.Start(printProcessInfo))
    {
    if (printProcess != null)
    {
    printProcess.WaitForExit();
    }
    }
    }
    }
    }
    }




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