docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-create-standard-windows-forms-print-jobs.md

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Create Standard Print Jobs	03/30/2017	csharp vb cpp	printing [Windows Forms] printing [Windows Forms], creating print jobs printing [Visual Basic], in Windows applications	03342b90-9cfe-40b2-838b-b479a13c5dea

How to: Create Standard Windows Forms Print Jobs

The foundation of printing in Windows Forms is the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument component—more specifically, the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.PrintPage event. By writing code to handle the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.PrintPage event, you can specify what to print and how to print it.

To create a print job

1. Add a xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument component to your form.

2. Write code to handle the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.PrintPage event.

   You will have to code your own printing logic. Additionally, you will have to specify the material to be printed.

   In the following code example, a sample graphic in the shape of a red rectangle is created in the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.PrintPage event handler to act as material to be printed.

   Private Sub PrintDocument1_PrintPage(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs) Handles PrintDocument1.PrintPage  
      e.Graphics.FillRectangle(Brushes.Red, New Rectangle(500, 500, 500, 500))  
   End Sub  
   

   private void printDocument1_PrintPage(object sender,
   System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs e)  
   {  
      e.Graphics.FillRectangle(Brushes.Red,
        new Rectangle(500, 500, 500, 500));  
   }  
   

   private:  
      void printDocument1_PrintPage(System::Object ^ sender,  
         System::Drawing::Printing::PrintPageEventArgs ^ e)  
      {  
         e->Graphics->FillRectangle(Brushes::Red,  
            Rectangle(500, 500, 500, 500));  
      }  
   

   (Visual C# and Visual C++) Place the following code in the form's constructor to register the event handler.

   this.printDocument1.PrintPage += new  
      System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventHandler  
      (this.printDocument1_PrintPage);  
   

   printDocument1->PrintPage += gcnew  
      System::Drawing::Printing::PrintPageEventHandler  
      (this, &Form1::printDocument1_PrintPage);  
   

   You may also want to write code for the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.BeginPrint and xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument.EndPrint events, perhaps including an integer representing the total number of pages to print that is decremented as each page prints.

   Note

   You can add a xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog component to your form to provide a clean and efficient user interface (UI) to your users. Setting the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog.Document%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog component enables you to set properties related to the print document you are working with on your form. For more information about the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog component, see PrintDialog Component.

   For more information about the specifics of Windows Forms print jobs, including how to create a print job programmatically, see xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs.

See also

• xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument
• Windows Forms Print Support