Develop Reference

Checking print job status with Winspool Drv

recently I was testing printing using winspool drv and I managed to be able to print successfully through a string (extracted from prn file). Now I want to check the status of my print job. I have read the winspool api documentation but there isn't much of C# examples, so I am kind of lost.
I chanced upon this link and I am facing issues implementing it .
This is my current code
#region Send to Printer
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.drv", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern Boolean SetDefaultPrinter(String name);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
public static bool SendBytesToPrinter(string szPrinterName, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount)
{
Int32 dwError = 0, dwWritten = 0;
IntPtr hPrinter = new IntPtr(0);
DOCINFOA di = new DOCINFOA();
bool bSuccess = false; // Assume failure unless you specifically succeed.
di.pDocName = "Document";
di.pDataType = "RAW";
// Open the printer.
if (OpenPrinter(szPrinterName.Normalize(), out hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero))
{
if (hPrinter.ToInt32() == 0)
return false; //Printer not found!!
// Start a document.
if (StartDocPrinter(hPrinter, 1, di))
{
// Start a page.
if (StartPagePrinter(hPrinter))
{
// Write your bytes.
bSuccess = WritePrinter(hPrinter, pBytes, dwCount, out dwWritten);
EndPagePrinter(hPrinter);
}
EndDocPrinter(hPrinter);
}
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
// If you did not succeed, GetLastError may give more information
// about why not.
if (bSuccess == false)
{
dwError = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
return bSuccess;
} public static bool SendStringToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szString)
{
bool bSuccess = false;
try
{
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[szString.Length];
//your unmanaged pointer
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
//read content to array
bytes = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(szString);
bytes = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetPreamble().Concat(bytes).ToArray();
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(bytes.Length);
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(bytes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes, bytes.Length);
//send the unmanage bytes to the printer
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pUnmanagedBytes, bytes.Length);
//Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pUnmanagedBytes);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{ string s = ex.Message.ToString(); }
return bSuccess;
}
to call the method
SendStringToPrinter(printername, prnstring);
Appreciate if anyone could help thx!

In the code you already have, StartDocPrinter returns a job ID you can query using GetJob.
See here and here for possibly useful info.

Convert Arabic Text to Hex C#

I am building POS Application that print Arabic words into a receipt printer. I used Lprinter class to send printing commands to the printer. my problem is that I can not print Arabic directly to the printer, so after multiple workarounds and search, I found a way to print Arabic on my printer. First I made couple modifiaction to Lprinter class where I changed
CharSet.Ansi
to
CharSet.Auto
also, I copied the print method and changed Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi to Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemUni. so when I print Arabic, I would call the new method.
This is actually worked for me. now I am trying to convert Arabic text to hex in order to send it to the printer.
I tried the following:
byte[] bytes1 = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("ا");
Array.Reverse(bytes1);
var hexString = BitConverter.ToString(bytes1);
hexString = hexString.Replace("-", "");
MyPrinter.PrintAr(hexString);
However, I get the actual hex, as I could not insert \x to allow the printer identify that this is hex rather than text.
FYI, when I send
MyPrinter.PrintAr("\xFEEF\xFE8F\xFEA3");
it actually print Arabic.
I would really appreciate your help in how I could accurately transform Arabic text to hex and then add \x or \u before each hex.
Below is the LPrinter class after modification:
class LPrinter
{
// Structure and API declarions:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterW", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
/*=================================================*/
private IntPtr HandlePrinter;
private PrinterSettings ps;
public LPrinter()
{
HandlePrinter = IntPtr.Zero;
ps = new PrinterSettings();
}
public string PrinterName
{
get
{
return ps.PrinterName;
}
set
{
ps.PrinterName = value;
}
}
public bool ChoosePrinter()
{
PrintDialog pd = new PrintDialog();
pd.PrinterSettings = ps;
if (pd.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
ps = pd.PrinterSettings;
return true;
}
else return false;
}
public bool Open(string DocName)
{
// see if printer is already open
if (HandlePrinter != IntPtr.Zero) return false;
// opens the printer
bool risp = OpenPrinter(ps.PrinterName, out HandlePrinter, IntPtr.Zero);
if (risp == false) return false;
// starts a print job
DOCINFOA MyDocInfo = new DOCINFOA();
MyDocInfo.pDocName = DocName;
MyDocInfo.pOutputFile = null;
MyDocInfo.pDataType = "RAW";
if (StartDocPrinter(HandlePrinter, 1, MyDocInfo))
{
StartPagePrinter(HandlePrinter); //starts a page
return true;
}
else return false;
}
public bool Close()
{
if (HandlePrinter == IntPtr.Zero) return false;
if (!EndPagePrinter(HandlePrinter)) return false;
if (!EndDocPrinter(HandlePrinter)) return false;
if (!ClosePrinter(HandlePrinter)) return false;
HandlePrinter = IntPtr.Zero;
return true;
}
public bool Print(string outputstring)
{
if (HandlePrinter == IntPtr.Zero) return false;
//IntPtr buf = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(outputstring);
IntPtr buf = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemUni(outputstring);
Int32 done = 0;
bool ok = WritePrinter(HandlePrinter, buf, outputstring.Length, out done);
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(buf);
if (!ok) return false;
else return true;
}
public bool PrintAr(string outputstring)
{
if (HandlePrinter == IntPtr.Zero) return false;
// IntPtr buf = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(outputstring);
IntPtr buf = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemUni(outputstring);
Int32 done = 0;
bool ok = WritePrinter(HandlePrinter, buf, outputstring.Length, out done);
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(buf);
if (!ok) return false;
else return true;
}
}

Epson TM-T88V printer drawer kick

My client has bought a new Cash Drawer for his POS system.
Features fo the cash drawer as follows:
Model: D41SRB
SKU: D41SRB
Electronic Cash Drawer Black 16",
Roller, 24V Epson STD RJ11, Stainless front
5 Bill/5 Coin
1mm steel case
Two extra brackets inside top of case for added durability`
Its connected to the reciept printer EPSON TM-T88V Receipt.
I need to open this drawer from a click of button in my C# application, however when I set the drawer to open after print from Printer Preference it works. So , I am sure its connected fine. I need something similar to this ARTICLE but in C#.
So please help

To open the drawer on the TM-T88 series, you have to have it connected via a serial or network port.
The following command sequence is what I used. This is really old code, but it should do the job. You have to open the port and initialize the printer before doing anything else, so that's in there too.
private SerialPort serialPort1 = new SerialPort();
public void OpenPort()
{
serialPort1.PortName = "COM1";
serialPort1.Encoding = Encoding.ASCII;
serialPort1.BaudRate = 38400;
serialPort1.Parity = System.IO.Ports.Parity.None;
serialPort1.DataBits = 8;
serialPort1.StopBits = System.IO.Ports.StopBits.One;
serialPort1.DtrEnable = true;
serialPort1.Open();
}
public void InitializePrinter()
{
serialPort1.Write(Char.ConvertFromUtf32(27) + char.ConvertFromUtf32(64));
}
public void OpenDrawer()
{
serialPort1.Write(char.ConvertFromUtf32(27) +
char.ConvertFromUtf32(112) +
char.ConvertFromUtf32(0) +
char.ConvertFromUtf32(5) +
char.ConvertFromUtf32(5));
}

I am able to solve my issue I used
RawPrinterHelper.SendStringToPrinter("EPSON TM-T88V Receipt", System.Text.ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString(new byte[] { 27, 112, 48, 55, 121 }));
got this drawer code from http://keyhut.com/popopen.htm
Heres My whole code:
public class RawPrinterHelper
{
// Structure and API declarions:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
// SendBytesToPrinter()
// When the function is given a printer name and an unmanaged array
// of bytes, the function sends those bytes to the print queue.
// Returns true on success, false on failure.
public static bool SendBytesToPrinter(string szPrinterName, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount)
{
Int32 dwError = 0, dwWritten = 0;
IntPtr hPrinter = new IntPtr(0);
DOCINFOA di = new DOCINFOA();
bool bSuccess = false; // Assume failure unless you specifically succeed.
di.pDocName = "RAW Document";
// Win7
di.pDataType = "RAW";
// Win8+
// di.pDataType = "XPS_PASS";
// Open the printer.
if (OpenPrinter(szPrinterName.Normalize(), out hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero))
{
// Start a document.
if (StartDocPrinter(hPrinter, 1, di))
{
// Start a page.
if (StartPagePrinter(hPrinter))
{
// Write your bytes.
bSuccess = WritePrinter(hPrinter, pBytes, dwCount, out dwWritten);
EndPagePrinter(hPrinter);
}
EndDocPrinter(hPrinter);
}
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
// If you did not succeed, GetLastError may give more information
// about why not.
if (bSuccess == false)
{
dwError = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
return bSuccess;
}
public static bool SendFileToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szFileName)
{
// Open the file.
FileStream fs = new FileStream(szFileName, FileMode.Open);
// Create a BinaryReader on the file.
BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs);
// Dim an array of bytes big enough to hold the file's contents.
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[fs.Length];
bool bSuccess = false;
// Your unmanaged pointer.
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
int nLength;
nLength = Convert.ToInt32(fs.Length);
// Read the contents of the file into the array.
bytes = br.ReadBytes(nLength);
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(nLength);
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(bytes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Send the unmanaged bytes to the printer.
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pUnmanagedBytes);
fs.Close();
fs.Dispose();
fs = null;
return bSuccess;
}
public static bool SendStringToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szString)
{
IntPtr pBytes;
Int32 dwCount;
// How many characters are in the string?
dwCount = szString.Length;
// Assume that the printer is expecting ANSI text, and then convert
// the string to ANSI text.
pBytes = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(szString);
// Send the converted ANSI string to the printer.
SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pBytes, dwCount);
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pBytes);
return true;
}
}
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
RawPrinterHelper.SendStringToPrinter("EPSON TM-T88V Receipt", System.Text.ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString(new byte[] { 27, 112, 48, 55, 121 }));
}
After this by clicking on button1 it kicks the drawer.

assume your serial port is called "port".
Just use: port.writeLine("\x10\x14\x01\x00\x08"); // For Cash Drawer 0
Just use: port.writeLine("\x10\x14\x01\x01\x08"); // For Cash Drawer 1
as the printer can talk to 2 cash drawers.
Commands:
ASCII DCE DC4 n m t
Hex 10 14 n m t
Decimal 16 20 n m t
Where n = 1, m = 0 or 1 (cash drawer #), t <= 1, t <=8

Automated Printing with Crystal Reports and PDFs

I am trying to automate one of our daily print jobs.
On the old VBA program...
We are creating the crystal report, grabbing an 8 1/2 x 11 pdf, then grabbing an 11 x 17 pdf
The program then prints these in consecutive order. They are all sent to the same printer, but the 11 x 17 pdf uses another driver specifically for the paper size. Both pdfs are shelled in adobe and printed.
We are now trying to do the same thing in C#, except without shelling. There are still two drivers set up for the printer, and I have been trying to send the raw data directly to them, but I still have one issue...
The 11 x 17 pdfs are not "true" 11 x 17's (sometimes 12.8 x 18.4, etc.). This causes the printer to stop printing (even appear offline) until you select a tray from the physical printer and click start.
I have played with the driver enough to believe that the driver is not the issue, but the program is to blame. I am trying to use winspool to complete this process, but don't know if this is the right approach.`
namespace WorkOrderMass.Helper
{
public class RawPrinterHelper
{[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
// SendBytesToPrinter()
// When the function is given a printer name and an unmanaged array
// of bytes, the function sends those bytes to the print queue.
// Returns true on success, false on failure.
public static bool SendBytesToPrinter(string szPrinterName, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount)
{
Int32 dwError = 0, dwWritten = 0;
IntPtr hPrinter = new IntPtr(0);
DOCINFOA di = new DOCINFOA();
PrinterSettings ps = new PrinterSettings();
bool bSuccess = false; // Assume failure unless you specifically succeed.
di.pDocName = "PDF Document";
di.pDataType = "RAW";
PrintDocument pd = new PrintDocument();
pd.DefaultPageSettings.PaperSize = new PaperSize("PaperA3", 840, 1180);
pd.Print();
// Open the printer.
if (OpenPrinter(szPrinterName.Normalize(), out hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero))
{
// Start a document.
if (StartDocPrinter(hPrinter, 1, di))
{
// Start a page.
if (StartPagePrinter(hPrinter))
{
// Write your bytes.
bSuccess = WritePrinter(hPrinter, pBytes, dwCount, out dwWritten);
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(5000);
EndPagePrinter(hPrinter);
}
EndDocPrinter(hPrinter);
}
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
// If you did not succeed, GetLastError may give more information
// about why not.
if (bSuccess == false)
{
dwError = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
return bSuccess;
}
public static bool SendFileToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szFileName)
{
// Open the file.
bool bSuccess = true;
using (FileStream fs = new FileStream(szFileName, FileMode.Open))
{
using (BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs))
{
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[fs.Length];
// Your unmanaged pointer.
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
int nLength;
nLength = Convert.ToInt32(fs.Length);
// Read the contents of the file into the array.
bytes = br.ReadBytes(nLength);
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(nLength);
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(bytes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Send the unmanaged bytes to the printer.
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pUnmanagedBytes);
}
}
return bSuccess;
}
}
}`

Answer: Program is now using SumantraPDF to silently print the PDF's.

Zebra Printer Russian Character

I have a zebra zt410 printer.
I've found a class to print a barcode with it.
RawPrinterHelper.cs
public class RawPrinterHelper
{
// Structure and API declarions:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
// SendBytesToPrinter()
// When the function is given a printer name and an unmanaged array
// of bytes, the function sends those bytes to the print queue.
// Returns true on success, false on failure.
public static bool SendBytesToPrinter(string szPrinterName, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount)
{
Int32 dwError = 0, dwWritten = 0;
IntPtr hPrinter = new IntPtr(0);
DOCINFOA di = new DOCINFOA();
bool bSuccess = false; // Assume failure unless you specifically succeed.
di.pDocName = "My C#.NET RAW Document";
di.pDataType = "RAW";
// Open the printer.
if (OpenPrinter(szPrinterName.Normalize(), out hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero))
{
// Start a document.
if (StartDocPrinter(hPrinter, 1, di))
{
// Start a page.
if (StartPagePrinter(hPrinter))
{
// Write your bytes.
bSuccess = WritePrinter(hPrinter, pBytes, dwCount, out dwWritten);
EndPagePrinter(hPrinter);
}
EndDocPrinter(hPrinter);
}
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
// If you did not succeed, GetLastError may give more information
// about why not.
if (bSuccess == false)
{
dwError = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
return bSuccess;
}
/// <summary>
///
/// </summary>
/// <param name="szPrinterName"></param>
/// <param name="szFileName"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool SendFileToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szFileName)
{
// Open the file.
FileStream fs = new FileStream(szFileName, FileMode.Open);
// Create a BinaryReader on the file.
BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs);
// Dim an array of bytes big enough to hold the file's contents.
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[fs.Length];
bool bSuccess = false;
// Your unmanaged pointer.
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
int nLength;
nLength = Convert.ToInt32(fs.Length);
// Read the contents of the file into the array.
bytes = br.ReadBytes(nLength);
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(nLength);
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(bytes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Send the unmanaged bytes to the printer.
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pUnmanagedBytes);
return bSuccess;
}
/// <summary>
///
/// </summary>
/// <param name="szPrinterName"></param>
/// <param name="szString"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool SendStringToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szString)
{
IntPtr pBytes;
Int32 dwCount;
// How many characters are in the string?
dwCount = szString.Length;
// Assume that the printer is expecting ANSI text, and then convert
// the string to ANSI text.
pBytes = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(szString);
// Send the converted ANSI string to the printer.
SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pBytes, dwCount);
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pBytes);
return true;
}
I'm sending data to printer like below:
StringBuilder strBldr = new StringBuilder();
strBldr.AppendLine("^XA");
strBldr.AppendLine("^FO40,100");
strBldr.AppendLine("^AQ,50,30");
strBldr.AppendLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "^FO220,50^A0,30,30^FD{0}^FS", m.No));
strBldr.AppendLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfoByIetfLanguageTag("en-EN"), "^FO220,90^A0,30,30^FD{0}^FS", m.DescriptionENG));
strBldr.AppendLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfoByIetfLanguageTag("ru-RU"), "^FO220,130^A0,30,30^FD{0}^FS", m.DescriptionRUS));
strBldr.AppendLine("^FO100,300^BY2");
strBldr.AppendLine("^BCN,60,Y,N,Y,N");
strBldr.AppendLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "^FD{0}^FS", m.No));
strBldr.AppendLine("^XZ");
RawPrinterHelper.SendStringToPrinter("ZDesigner ZT410-203dpi ZPL", strBldr.ToString());
English characters print normally, but Russian characters don't.
I've changed this line in RawPrinterHelper.cs
pBytes = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(szString);
to
pBytes = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemUni(szString);
but no effect.
Any help?
Regards.

this link has given me an idea: Unicode characters on ZPL printer
I haven't done it with sending string, but I'm creating a uft-8 file before every printing job and sending this file to printer.
It's solved my problem.
If someone needs:
StreamWriter sw11 = new StreamWriter(fileName, false, Encoding.UTF8);
sw11.WriteLine("^XA");
sw11.WriteLine("^FO40,100");
sw11.WriteLine("^AQ,50,30");
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "^FO200,50^A0,40,40^FD{0}^FS", m.No));
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("tr-TR"), "^FO200,100^A0,30,25^FD{0}^FS", m.DescriptionTR));
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US"), "^FO200,135^A0,30,25^FD{0}^FS", m.DescriptionENG));
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("ru-RU"), "^FO200,170^A0,30,25^FD{0}^FS", m.DescriptionRUS));
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US"), "^FO200,205^A0,30,25^FD{0}^FS", m.Model));
sw11.WriteLine("^FO100,300^BY2");
sw11.WriteLine("^BCN,60,Y,N,Y,N");
sw11.WriteLine(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "^FD{0}^FS", m.No));
sw11.WriteLine("^XZ");
sw11.Close();
RawPrinterHelper.SendFileToPrinter(printerName, fileName);
RawPrinterHelper.cs
public class RawPrinterHelper
{
// Structure and API declarions:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi)]
public class DOCINFOA
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDocName;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pOutputFile;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)]
public string pDataType;
}
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "OpenPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool OpenPrinter([MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStr)] string szPrinter, out IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pd);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "ClosePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool ClosePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartDocPrinterA", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, Int32 level, [In, MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPStruct)] DOCINFOA di);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndDocPrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndDocPrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "StartPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool StartPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "EndPagePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool EndPagePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter);
[DllImport("winspool.Drv", EntryPoint = "WritePrinter", SetLastError = true, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool WritePrinter(IntPtr hPrinter, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount, out Int32 dwWritten);
// SendBytesToPrinter()
// When the function is given a printer name and an unmanaged array
// of bytes, the function sends those bytes to the print queue.
// Returns true on success, false on failure.
public static bool SendBytesToPrinter(string szPrinterName, IntPtr pBytes, Int32 dwCount)
{
Int32 dwError = 0, dwWritten = 0;
IntPtr hPrinter = new IntPtr(0);
DOCINFOA di = new DOCINFOA();
bool bSuccess = false; // Assume failure unless you specifically succeed.
di.pDocName = "My C#.NET RAW Document";
di.pDataType = "RAW";
// Open the printer.
if (OpenPrinter(szPrinterName.Normalize(), out hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero))
{
// Start a document.
if (StartDocPrinter(hPrinter, 1, di))
{
// Start a page.
if (StartPagePrinter(hPrinter))
{
// Write your bytes.
bSuccess = WritePrinter(hPrinter, pBytes, dwCount, out dwWritten);
EndPagePrinter(hPrinter);
}
EndDocPrinter(hPrinter);
}
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
// If you did not succeed, GetLastError may give more information
// about why not.
if (bSuccess == false)
{
dwError = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
return bSuccess;
}
/// <summary>
///
/// </summary>
/// <param name="szPrinterName"></param>
/// <param name="szFileName"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool SendFileToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szFileName)
{
// Open the file.
FileStream fs = new FileStream(szFileName, FileMode.Open);
// Create a BinaryReader on the file.
BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs);
// Dim an array of bytes big enough to hold the file's contents.
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[fs.Length];
bool bSuccess = false;
// Your unmanaged pointer.
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
int nLength;
nLength = Convert.ToInt32(fs.Length);
// Read the contents of the file into the array.
bytes = br.ReadBytes(nLength);
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(nLength);
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(bytes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Send the unmanaged bytes to the printer.
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pUnmanagedBytes, nLength);
// Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pUnmanagedBytes);
return bSuccess;
}
/// <summary>
///
/// </summary>
/// <param name="szPrinterName"></param>
/// <param name="szString"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool SendStringToPrinter(string szPrinterName, string szString)
{
IntPtr pBytes;
Int32 dwCount;
// How many characters are in the string?
dwCount = szString.Length;
// Assume that the printer is expecting ANSI text, and then convert
// the string to ANSI text.
pBytes = Marshal.StringToCoTaskMemAnsi(szString);
// Send the converted ANSI string to the printer.
SendBytesToPrinter(szPrinterName, pBytes, dwCount);
Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(pBytes);
return true;
}
Regards.