Q175083: HOWTO: Print Line-by-Line to a Printer

Article: Q175083
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB
Last Modified: 11-SEP-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

Printing page-by-page is the Windows standard; however, it is sometimes
desirable to print to a printer line-by-line rather than page-by-page. One
advantage to printing line-by-line is that if there is a power failure while
printing, the data lost is one log item, at most. The Visual Basic Printer
object does not support this mode, but the Win32 API accomplishes this handily.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This technique will work only when printing to a local line printer, typically a
dot matrix printer. Laser and Ink Jet printers are page printers and will not
print in single line mode.


1. Create a new Visual Basic project and place a CommandButton on Form1.

2. Add the following code to Form1:

        Option Explicit

        Private Type DOCINFO
            pDocName As String
            pOutputFile As String
            pDatatype As String
        End Type

        Private Declare Function ClosePrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal _
           hPrinter As Long) As Long
        Private Declare Function EndDocPrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal _
           hPrinter As Long) As Long
        Private Declare Function EndPagePrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal _
           hPrinter As Long) As Long
        Private Declare Function OpenPrinter Lib "winspool.drv" Alias _
           "OpenPrinterA" (ByVal pPrinterName As String, phPrinter As Long, _
            ByVal pDefault As Long) As Long
        Private Declare Function StartDocPrinter Lib "winspool.drv" Alias _
           "StartDocPrinterA" (ByVal hPrinter As Long, ByVal Level As Long, _
           pDocInfo As DOCINFO) As Long
        Private Declare Function StartPagePrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal _
           hPrinter As Long) As Long
        Private Declare Function WritePrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal _
           hPrinter As Long, pBuf As Any, ByVal cdBuf As Long, _
           pcWritten As Long) As Long

        Dim lhPrinter As Long

        Private Sub Command1_Click()
               Dim lReturn As Long
               Dim lpcWritten As Long
               Dim sWrittenData As String
               sWrittenData = "How's that for Magic !!!!" & vbCrLf
               lReturn = WritePrinter(lhPrinter, ByVal sWrittenData, _
                  Len(sWrittenData), lpcWritten)
        End Sub

        Private Sub Form_Load()
            Dim lReturn As Long
            Dim lDoc As Long
            Dim MyDocInfo As DOCINFO

            lReturn = OpenPrinter(Printer.DeviceName, lhPrinter, 0)
            If lReturn = 0 Then
                MsgBox "The Printer Name you typed wasn't recognized."
                Exit Sub
            End If
            MyDocInfo.pDocName = "AAAAAA"
            MyDocInfo.pOutputFile = vbNullString
            MyDocInfo.pDatatype = vbNullString
            lDoc = StartDocPrinter(lhPrinter, 1, MyDocInfo)
            Call StartPagePrinter(lhPrinter)
        End Sub

        Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
            Dim lReturn As Long

            lReturn = EndPagePrinter(lhPrinter)
            lReturn = EndDocPrinter(lhPrinter)
            lReturn = ClosePrinter(lhPrinter)
        End Sub

3. Make the logging printer the default and run the application. Every time you
  click Command1, a line should be immediately printed to your printer.

WARNING: Pressing the End button on the toolbar or selecting the Run / End menu
option will not close the current print job and may block further jobs from
printing to that printer. This is because the code to close the print job is in
the Form_Unload event. This event is not executed when the sample is closed by
the design environment. Always terminate the application by clicking the Close
button, using the System menu, or entering Alt-F4.

REFERENCES
==========

For more information about using the Win32 API to send data directly to the
printer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q154078 : HOWTO: Send Raw Data to a Printer Using the Win32 API from VB

Additional query words: receipt

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Keywords          : kbprint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVB600Search kbVBA500 kbVBA600 kbVB500 kbVB600 kbVB400Search kbVB400
Issue type        : kbhowto

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