PrintCapabilities Class

Definition

Defines the capabilities of a printer.

public ref class PrintCapabilities sealed
public sealed class PrintCapabilities
type PrintCapabilities = class
Public NotInheritable Class PrintCapabilities
Inheritance
PrintCapabilities

Examples

The following example shows how to determine the capabilities of a specific printer and how to configure a print job to take advantage of them.

// ---------------------- GetPrintTicketFromPrinter -----------------------
/// <summary>
///   Returns a PrintTicket based on the current default printer.</summary>
/// <returns>
///   A PrintTicket for the current local default printer.</returns>
PrintTicket^ GetPrintTicketFromPrinter ()
{
   PrintQueue^ printQueue = nullptr;

   LocalPrintServer^ localPrintServer = gcnew LocalPrintServer();

   // Retrieving collection of local printer on user machine
   PrintQueueCollection^ localPrinterCollection = localPrintServer->GetPrintQueues();

   System::Collections::IEnumerator^ localPrinterEnumerator = localPrinterCollection->GetEnumerator();

   if (localPrinterEnumerator->MoveNext())
   {
      // Get PrintQueue from first available printer
      printQueue = ((PrintQueue^)localPrinterEnumerator->Current);
   } else
   {
      return nullptr;
   }
   // Get default PrintTicket from printer
   PrintTicket^ printTicket = printQueue->DefaultPrintTicket;

   PrintCapabilities^ printCapabilities = printQueue->GetPrintCapabilities();

   // Modify PrintTicket
   if (printCapabilities->CollationCapability->Contains(Collation::Collated))
   {
      printTicket->Collation = Collation::Collated;
   }
   if (printCapabilities->DuplexingCapability->Contains(Duplexing::TwoSidedLongEdge))
   {
      printTicket->Duplexing = Duplexing::TwoSidedLongEdge;
   }
   if (printCapabilities->StaplingCapability->Contains(Stapling::StapleDualLeft))
   {
      printTicket->Stapling = Stapling::StapleDualLeft;
   }
   return printTicket;
};// end:GetPrintTicketFromPrinter()
// ---------------------- GetPrintTicketFromPrinter -----------------------
/// <summary>
///   Returns a PrintTicket based on the current default printer.</summary>
/// <returns>
///   A PrintTicket for the current local default printer.</returns>
private PrintTicket GetPrintTicketFromPrinter()
{
    PrintQueue printQueue = null;

    LocalPrintServer localPrintServer = new LocalPrintServer();

    // Retrieving collection of local printer on user machine
    PrintQueueCollection localPrinterCollection =
        localPrintServer.GetPrintQueues();

    System.Collections.IEnumerator localPrinterEnumerator =
        localPrinterCollection.GetEnumerator();

    if (localPrinterEnumerator.MoveNext())
    {
        // Get PrintQueue from first available printer
        printQueue = (PrintQueue)localPrinterEnumerator.Current;
    }
    else
    {
        // No printer exist, return null PrintTicket
        return null;
    }

    // Get default PrintTicket from printer
    PrintTicket printTicket = printQueue.DefaultPrintTicket;

    PrintCapabilities printCapabilities = printQueue.GetPrintCapabilities();

    // Modify PrintTicket
    if (printCapabilities.CollationCapability.Contains(Collation.Collated))
    {
        printTicket.Collation = Collation.Collated;
    }

    if ( printCapabilities.DuplexingCapability.Contains(
            Duplexing.TwoSidedLongEdge) )
    {
        printTicket.Duplexing = Duplexing.TwoSidedLongEdge;
    }

    if (printCapabilities.StaplingCapability.Contains(Stapling.StapleDualLeft))
    {
        printTicket.Stapling = Stapling.StapleDualLeft;
    }

    return printTicket;
}// end:GetPrintTicketFromPrinter()
' ---------------------- GetPrintTicketFromPrinter -----------------------
''' <summary>
'''   Returns a PrintTicket based on the current default printer.</summary>
''' <returns>
'''   A PrintTicket for the current local default printer.</returns>
Private Function GetPrintTicketFromPrinter() As PrintTicket
    Dim printQueue As PrintQueue = Nothing

    Dim localPrintServer As New LocalPrintServer()

    ' Retrieving collection of local printer on user machine
    Dim localPrinterCollection As PrintQueueCollection = localPrintServer.GetPrintQueues()

    Dim localPrinterEnumerator As System.Collections.IEnumerator = localPrinterCollection.GetEnumerator()

    If localPrinterEnumerator.MoveNext() Then
        ' Get PrintQueue from first available printer
        printQueue = CType(localPrinterEnumerator.Current, PrintQueue)
    Else
        ' No printer exist, return null PrintTicket
        Return Nothing
    End If

    ' Get default PrintTicket from printer
    Dim printTicket As PrintTicket = printQueue.DefaultPrintTicket

    Dim printCapabilities As PrintCapabilities = printQueue.GetPrintCapabilities()

    ' Modify PrintTicket
    If printCapabilities.CollationCapability.Contains(Collation.Collated) Then
        printTicket.Collation = Collation.Collated
    End If

    If printCapabilities.DuplexingCapability.Contains(Duplexing.TwoSidedLongEdge) Then
        printTicket.Duplexing = Duplexing.TwoSidedLongEdge
    End If

    If printCapabilities.StaplingCapability.Contains(Stapling.StapleDualLeft) Then
        printTicket.Stapling = Stapling.StapleDualLeft
    End If

    Return printTicket
End Function ' end:GetPrintTicketFromPrinter()

Remarks

A PrintCapabilities object is an easy-to-work-with representation of a certain type of XML document called a PrintCapabilities document. The latter is a snapshot of all of a printer's capabilities and their current settings. For example, if the printer supports color printing, then the document would have a <PageOutputColor … > element that sets out how color output will be handled. The element is, in turn, represented by the OutputColorCapability property of the PrintCapabilities object. If the printer does not support color, then there is no <PageOutputColor … > element in the document and the value of the OutputColorCapability property is null. The PrintCapabilities document must conform to the Print Schema.

The PrintCapabilities class enables your application to obtain a printer's capabilities without having to engage in any direct reading of XML Stream objects.

All of the most popular features of file and photo printers, for both home and business, are encapsulated by the PrintCapabilities class. But the Print Schema defines many more, less common, features and it can be extended to handle features of specialty printing devices. So, although the PrintTicket and PrintCapabilities classes cannot be inherited, you can extend the Print Schema to recognize print device features that are not accounted for in the PrintTicket or PrintCapabilities classes.

Note When the PrintCapabilities object is created with the constructor that takes a PrintCapabilities document (as a Stream) parameter, that entire document is stored in a non-public field in the object, including the XML elements within it that express less common features that are not represented by any of the public properties of the PrintCapabilities class. In fact, if the driver that produced the PrintCapabilities document is using a private extension of the Print Schema, that privately defined markup is also stored as part of the non-public PrintCapabilities document.

Caution

Classes within the System.Printing namespace are not supported for use within a Windows service or ASP.NET application or service. Attempting to use these classes from within one of these application types may produce unexpected problems, such as diminished service performance and run-time exceptions.

If you want to print from a Windows Forms application, see the System.Drawing.Printing namespace.

Constructors

PrintCapabilities(Stream)

Initializes a new instance of the PrintCapabilities class by using an XML stream (that contains a PrintCapabilities document) that specifies printer capabilities and complies with the XML Print Schema.

Properties

CollationCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify the collation capabilities of a printer.

DeviceFontSubstitutionCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify whether and how a printer can substitute device-based fonts for computer-based fonts.

DuplexingCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify whether and how a printer can perform two-sided printing.

InputBinCapability

Gets a collection of values that indicate what input bin (paper tray) is used.

MaxCopyCount

Gets a value indicating the maximum number of copies that the device can print in a single print job.

OrientedPageMediaHeight

Gets a value indicating the height of the imageable area on a page, where height means the vertical dimension relative to the page's orientation.

OrientedPageMediaWidth

Gets a value indicating the width of the imageable area on a page, where width means the horizontal dimension relative to the page's orientation.

OutputColorCapability

Gets a collection of values that specify the ways in which a printer can print content with color and shades of gray.

OutputQualityCapability

Gets a collection of values that indicate the types of output quality the printer supports.

PageBorderlessCapability

Gets a collection of values that indicate whether the printer can print up to the edge of the media.

PageImageableArea

Gets an object that represents the area of a page that the printer can use.

PageMediaSizeCapability

Gets a collection of PageMediaSize objects that identify the paper and media sizes that a printer supports.

PageMediaTypeCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify what types of paper and other media a printer supports.

PageOrderCapability

Gets a collection of values that indicate whether a printer is capable of printing multiple-page documents from front-to-back, back-to-front, or both ways.

PageOrientationCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify what types of page orientation a printer supports.

PageResolutionCapability

Gets a collection of PageResolution objects that identify what levels of page resolution the printer supports.

PageScalingFactorRange

Gets the maximum and minimum percentages by which a printer can enlarge or reduce the print image on a page.

PagesPerSheetCapability

Gets a collection of integers, each identifying the number of pages that a user can choose to print on a single side of a sheet of paper.

PagesPerSheetDirectionCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify what patterns a printer supports for presenting multiple pages on a single side of a sheet of paper.

PhotoPrintingIntentCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify the quality options the printer supports for printing photographs.

StaplingCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify the types of automatic stapling that a printer supports.

TrueTypeFontModeCapability

Gets a collection of values that identify the methods that a printer supports for handling TrueType fonts.

Methods

Equals(Object)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()

Serves as the default hash function.

(Inherited from Object)
GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.

(Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone()

Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.

(Inherited from Object)
ToString()

Returns a string that represents the current object.

(Inherited from Object)

Applies to