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Print to File in C#

Hi, I'm using C#.NET 2010. I am using the PrintDialog Object and would like to print to a file rather than to the printer. When I select the "Print to File" checkbox, I can't find where it's creating the new file. Where does the Print to File option go?

I have it printing to the printer, but am struggling with "print to file" part.

I only have an option to give the file a name not to select a path. How can I select the path?

An example would be very helpful.

Thank you,
Fulano

Dmitry G

You need to set thepath:

printD.PrinterSettings.PrintToFile = true;
printD.PrinterSettings.PrintFileName = @"c:\temp\test.txt";

See the solution here:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9675494/vb-net-printdialog-print-to-file

kaufmed

Try setting the PrintFileName property to your file name.

e.g.

printDialog1.PrinterSettings.PrintFileName = @"C:\Users\Kenneth\Desktop\test.ps";

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Mr_Fulano

ASKER

I was able to get it to print to a file, but the text comes out garbled. It seems you need to have a printer set up that allows for plain text printing and even that does not produce an exact representation of you original file.

Any thoughts on that?

kaufmed

Print to file prints Postscript files. It does not print text files. See: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/print-to-file

Mr_Fulano

ASKER

Hi Kaufmed, I understand that now after a lot of struggling with the file. The print to file produces an XPS file format. So, the magic questions become, how do you read that and how you print that?

It does me no good to have a file version of my document that I cannot read or print.

I tried MS Word, MS WordPad, Adobe Reader X, Internet Explorer, and of course NotePad. but none of those will work. So, what is the magic application that Microsoft uses for this?

SOLUTION

kaufmed

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Dmitry G

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