docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-capture-user-input-from-a-printdialog-at-run-time.md

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title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Capture User Input from a PrintDialog at Run Time	03/30/2017	csharp vb cpp	print options [Windows Forms], changing at run time printing [Windows Forms], options print options run time [Windows Forms], changing print options	438501d8-9a70-4fb3-aae6-e46579aba0c6

How to: Capture User Input from a PrintDialog at Run Time

While you can set options related to printing at design time, you will sometimes want to change these options at run time, most likely because of choices made by the user. You can capture user input for printing a document using the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog and the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument components.

To change print options programmatically

1. Add a xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog and a xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument component to your form.

2. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog.Document%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog to the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument added to the form.

   PrintDialog1.Document = PrintDocument1  
   

   printDialog1.Document = PrintDocument1;  
   

   printDialog1->Document = PrintDocument1;  
   

3. Display the xref:System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog component by using the xref:System.Windows.Forms.CommonDialog.ShowDialog%2A method.

   PrintDialog1.ShowDialog()  
   

   printDialog1.ShowDialog();  
   

   printDialog1->ShowDialog();  
   

4. The user's printing choices from the dialog will be copied to the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrinterSettings property of the xref:System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument component.

See also

• How to: Print a Multi-Page Text File in Windows Forms
• Windows Forms Print Support