How to print PDF Documents in C# and .NET using Adobe, Foxit

Printing PDF documents is one of the most common tasks in the development of enterprise applications, document management systems, and business process automation. In this article, we will look at how to implement PDF printing in C# and the platform.NET, using popular tools: Adobe, Foxit, and the SautinSoft Document .NET library.

In modern business, document automation is becoming an integral part of improving efficiency. The ability to automatically print PDF reports, invoices, contracts, and other documents is convenient, time—saving, and error-reducing. In addition, such solutions are in demand in accounting systems, logistics, medical information systems and various portals. There are often situations when it is necessary to organize mass printing, integrate printing into workflows, or provide documentation management without user involvement.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Add SautinSoft.Document from Nuget.
  2. Create a new document.
  3. Add a content.
  4. Save the document as PDF.
  5. Print our PDF using the Adobe Reader.

First of all, let's create a simple document with inscription: " Hi Dear Friends" and Save a document as the PDF file: 

             // Let's create a simple PDF document.
            DocumentCore dc = new DocumentCore();

            // Add new section.
            Section section = new Section(dc);
            dc.Sections.Add(section);

            // Let's set page size A4.
            section.PageSetup.PaperType = PaperType.A4;

            // Add a paragraph using ContentRange:
            dc.Content.End.Insert("\nHi Dear Friends.", new CharacterFormat() { Size = 25, FontColor = Color.Blue, Bold = true });
            SpecialCharacter lBr = new SpecialCharacter(dc, SpecialCharacterType.LineBreak);
            dc.Content.End.Insert(lBr.Content);
            dc.Content.End.Insert("I'm happy to see you!", new CharacterFormat() { Size = 20, FontColor = Color.DarkGreen, UnderlineStyle = UnderlineType.Single });

            // Save PDF to a file
            dc.Save(pdfPath, new PdfSaveOptions());
The next step: Create a new process: Acrobat Reader. You may change it on Foxit Reader. 

                      string processFilename = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.LocalMachine
                     .OpenSubKey("Software")
                     .OpenSubKey("Microsoft")
                     .OpenSubKey("Windows")
                     .OpenSubKey("CurrentVersion")
                     .OpenSubKey("App Paths")
                     .OpenSubKey("AcroRd32.exe")
                     .GetValue(String.Empty).ToString();

And the last step is printing the PDF. 

            // Let's transfer our PDF file to the process Adobe Reader
            ProcessStartInfo info = new ProcessStartInfo();
            info.Verb = "print";
            info.FileName = processFilename;
            info.Arguments = String.Format("/p /h {0}", pdfPath);
            info.CreateNoWindow = true;
            
            //(It won't be hidden anyway... thanks Adobe!)
            info.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
            info.UseShellExecute = false;

            Process p = Process.Start(info);
            p.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;

 

Well done!

 

Complete code

using SautinSoft.Document;
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Text;
using System.Diagnostics;

namespace Example
{
    class Program
    {       
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            CreateAndPrintPdf();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a new document and saves it into PDF format. Print PDF using your default printer.
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// Details: https://www.sautinsoft.com/products/document/help/net/developer-guide/print-document-net-csharp-vb.php
        /// </remarks>
        public static void CreateAndPrintPdf()
        {
            // Set the path to create pdf document.
            string pdfPath = @"Result.pdf";

            // Let's create a simple PDF document.
            DocumentCore dc = new DocumentCore();

            // Add new section.
            Section section = new Section(dc);
            dc.Sections.Add(section);

            // Let's set page size A4.
            section.PageSetup.PaperType = PaperType.A4;

            // Add a paragraph using ContentRange:
            dc.Content.End.Insert("\nHi Dear Friends.", new CharacterFormat() { Size = 25, FontColor = Color.Blue, Bold = true });
            SpecialCharacter lBr = new SpecialCharacter(dc, SpecialCharacterType.LineBreak);
            dc.Content.End.Insert(lBr.Content);
            dc.Content.End.Insert("I'm happy to see you!", new CharacterFormat() { Size = 20, FontColor = Color.DarkGreen, UnderlineStyle = UnderlineType.Single });

            // Save PDF to a file
            dc.Save(pdfPath, new PdfSaveOptions());

            // Create a new process: Acrobat Reader. You may change in on Foxit Reader.
            string processFilename = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.LocalMachine
                     .OpenSubKey("Software")
                     .OpenSubKey("Microsoft")
                     .OpenSubKey("Windows")
                     .OpenSubKey("CurrentVersion")
                     .OpenSubKey("App Paths")
                     .OpenSubKey("Acrobat.exe")
                     .GetValue(String.Empty).ToString();

            // Let's transfer our PDF file to the process Adobe Reader
            ProcessStartInfo info = new ProcessStartInfo();
            info.Verb = "print";
            info.FileName = processFilename;
            info.Arguments = String.Format("/p /h {0}", pdfPath);
            info.CreateNoWindow = true;
            
            //(It won't be hidden anyway... thanks Adobe!)
            info.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
            info.UseShellExecute = false;

            Process p = Process.Start(info);
            p.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;

            // Print our PDF
            int counter = 0;
            while (!p.HasExited)
            {
                System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);
                counter += 1;
                if (counter == 5) break;
            }
            if (!p.HasExited)
            {
                p.CloseMainWindow();
                p.Kill();
            }

            // Open the result for demonstration purposes.
            System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(pdfPath) { UseShellExecute = true });
        }
    }
}

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