I am working on a VB.NET (windows form) project. I have a form and I have to print the contents in it.

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I have created a Form which has Labels, TextBoxes with text, PictureBox with a picture, Buttons, DateTimePicker and a image as Form Background. I want to print all these things i.e. the form except buttons and Form Border.
I have used PrintDocunt Control, PrintDialog Control and PrintForm Control.
The PrintDocument Control prints a blank document and PrintForm Control prints a cropped form with buttons and form borders. As a result buttons and form borders are appeared in document and picturebox got cropped, which I don't want.

Note: *I am using Visual Studio Community 2017 with Access Database 2016.
*VB as programming language.
*To use PrintForm control I have installed Visual Studio PowerPacks 12.0.
*The application doesn't have any error and/or exceptions. So I didn't post the full code.
*The only problem is that Printing a blank document and a cropped document.

What I have tried:

'This Code Prints A blank Document

VB

Private Sub Print_btn_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Print_btn.Click
        PrintDialog1.Document = PrintDocument1
        PrintDialog1.PrinterSettings = PrintDocument1.PrinterSettings
        PrintDialog1.AllowSomePages = True

        If PrintDialog1.ShowDialog = DialogResult.OK Then
            PrintDocument1.PrinterSettings = PrintDialog1.PrinterSettings
            PrintDocument1.Print()
        End If
    End Sub

'This Code Prints A cropped document with buttons and Form Borders

VB

Private Sub Print_btn_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Print_btn.Click
        If PrintDialog1.ShowDialog = DialogResult.OK Then
            PrintDocument1.PrinterSettings = PrintDialog1.PrinterSettings
            PrintForm1.Print()
        End If
    End Sub

Posted 12-Aug-18 21:47pm

Debsbond008

Updated 29-Aug-18 4:19am

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2 solutions

Solution 1

Yes, it will - because you haven't set a handler for the PrintDocument.PrintPage Event (System.Drawing.Printing)[^] which is where the actual work of printing the document content takes place.

The link includes a basic example.

Posted 12-Aug-18 22:28pm

OriginalGriff

Comments

Debsbond008 14-Aug-18 12:30pm

Thanks OriginalGriff for reply. The provided link is using a text file that is already saved in computer and prints the text file. What I actually want here is to print all the form components as they are except buttons and form borders.
For example if my form has 4 Labels at left, 4 TextBoxes in middle, 1 PictureBox at right and 4 Buttons at the bottom of the Form then all the Labels, TextBoxes, PictureBox will be printed except 4 Buttons.
**I do not want to save the form as a file and use it to print further.
*But I understand that i have to use PrintPageEvent handler to do so.

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Debsbond008 · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-29T04:20:00

I got the a solution from OriginalGriff's Idea of using a Handler to PrintDocument.PrintPage Event and Google.
Step1: Get the image of the whole form.
Step2. Crop the generated image and get image of client area/ form without border.
Step3. Print The Image.
Code For Print Button and PrintDocument.PrintPage Event

VB

Private Sub Print_btn_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Print_btn.Click
        PrintPreviewDialog1.Document = PrintDocument1
        PrintDocument1.OriginAtMargins = False
        AddHandler PrintDocument1.PrintPage, AddressOf PrintDocument1_PrintPage
        PrintPreviewDialog1.ShowDialog()
    End Sub

    Private Sub PrintDocument1_PrintPage(sender As Object, e As Printing.PrintPageEventArgs) Handles PrintDocument1.PrintPage
        Dim print_bmp As Bitmap = GetClientareaImage(Me)
        e.Graphics.DrawImage(print_bmp, 0, 0)
    End Sub

Code For getting image of client area.
**I am using modules to declare functions and Subs that are required globally for this project..

VB

Module Image_processor

    Public Function GetControlImage(ByVal ctrl As Control) As Bitmap
        Dim ctrl_bmp As New Bitmap(ctrl.Width, ctrl.Height)
        ctrl.DrawToBitmap(ctrl_bmp, New Rectangle(0, 0, ctrl.Width, ctrl.Height))
        Return ctrl_bmp
    End Function

    Public Function GetClientareaImage(ByVal frm As Form) As Bitmap
        Using Cropped_frm As Bitmap = GetControlImage(frm)
            Dim Border As Point = frm.PointToScreen(New Point(0, 0))
            Dim client_x As Integer = Border.X - frm.Left
            Dim client_y As Integer = Border.Y - frm.Top
            Dim client_wd As Integer = frm.ClientSize.Width
            Dim client_ht As Integer = frm.ClientSize.Height

            Dim client_bmp As New Bitmap(client_wd, client_ht)
            Using client_graph As Graphics = Graphics.FromImage(client_bmp)
                client_graph.DrawImage(Cropped_frm, 0, 0, New Rectangle(client_x, client_y, client_wd, client_ht), GraphicsUnit.Pixel)
            End Using
            Return client_bmp
        End Using

    End Function
End Module

Thaks a lot CodeProject, OriginalGriff and Coders