Print PDF from ASP.Net without preview

Question

I've generated a pdf using iTextSharp and I can preview it very well in ASP.Net but I need to send it directly to printer without a preview. I want the user to click the print button and automatically the document prints.

I know that a page can be sent directly to printer using the javascript window.print() but I don't know how to make it for a PDF.

Edit: it is not embedded, I generate it like this;

                ...
                FileStream stream = new FileStream(Request.PhysicalApplicationPath + "~1.pdf", FileMode.Create);
                Document pdf = new Document(PageSize.LETTER);
                PdfWriter writer = PdfWriter.GetInstance(pdf, stream);
                pdf.Open();
                pdf.Add(new Paragraph(member.ToString()));
                pdf.Close();

                Response.Redirect("~1.pdf");
                ...

And here I am.

Solution 1

Finally I made it, but I had to use an IFRAME, I defined an IFrame in the aspx and didn't set the src property, in the cs file I made generated the pdf file and set the src property of the iFrame as the generated pdf file name, like this;

Document pdf = new Document(PageSize.LETTER);
PdfWriter writer = PdfWriter.GetInstance(pdf, 
new FileStream(Request.PhysicalApplicationPath + "~1.pdf", FileMode.Create));
pdf.Open();

//This action leads directly to printer dialogue
PdfAction jAction = PdfAction.JavaScript("this.print(true);\r", writer);
writer.AddJavaScript(jAction);

pdf.Add(new Paragraph("My first PDF on line"));
pdf.Close();

//Open the pdf in the frame
frame1.Attributes["src"] = "~1.pdf";

And that made the trick, however, I think that i should implement your solution Stefan, the problem is that I'm new to asp.net and javascript and if I don't have a complete source code I could not code your suggestion but at least is the first step, I was very surprised how much code in html and javascript i need to learn. Thnx.

Solution 2

Is the pdf embedded in the page with embedd-tag or just opened in a frame or how are you showing it?

If its embedded, just make sure that the object is selected and then do a print().

Get the ref to the embedded document.

var x = document.getElementById("mypdfembeddobject");  
x.click();
x.setActive();
x.focus();
x.print();

Solution 3

It's a little more tricky if you're using pdfsharp but quite doable

PdfDocument document = new PdfDocument();
PdfPage page = document.AddPage(); 
XGraphics gfx = XGraphics.FromPdfPage(page); 
XFont font = new XFont("Verdana", 20, XFontStyle.BoldItalic); 
// Draw the text 
gfx.DrawString("Hello, World!", font, XBrushes.Black, 
    new XRect(0, 0, page.Width, page.Height), 
    XStringFormats.Center); 

// real stuff starts here

// current version of pdfsharp doesn't support actions 
// http://www.pdfsharp.net/wiki/WorkOnPdfObjects-sample.ashx
// so we got to get close to the metal see chapter 12.6.4 of 
// http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/pdf/index_reference.html
PdfDictionary dict = new PdfDictionary(document); // 
dict.Elements["/S"] = new PdfName("/JavaScript"); // 
dict.Elements["/JS"] = new PdfString("this.print(true);\r");
document.Internals.AddObject(dict);
document.Internals.Catalog.Elements["/OpenAction"] = 
    PdfInternals.GetReference(dict);
document.Save(Server.MapPath("2.pdf"));
frame1.Attributes["src"] = "2.pdf"; 

Comments

[Martin Clarke]

I find this approach prints a blank page on IE8.

[Cavyn VonDeylen]

Good idea, but I couldn't get it to work. Chrome and FF just ignore it, where IE9 gives a blank page.