Printer language & sending commands

[Vlki]

Hello,

I can't find a way to send printer specific language codes to printer.

Part of my code :
String sString = "B50,0,0,3,1,2, 50,B," + "12345678901234 567890";
Font fFont = new Font("Arial", 16);
SolidBrush bBrush = new SolidBrush(Colo r.Black);
PointF pPoint = new PointF(150.0F, 150.0F);
ev.Graphics.Dra wString(sString , fFont, bBrush, pPoint);

First part of the sString should tel my printer to print a barcode. But all
I get is the whole sString contens printed out as-it-is.
I assume the problem is that I send graphical representation of sString to
printer and not a sequence of characters.
Should I try Streams or ......?????

Printer is Eltron TLP2046 BarCode Printer

thx,
Damijan the Puzzled
--
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build
bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce
bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.

[Kai Bohli]

Re: Printer language & sending commands

Hi !

You need to send the data raw to the printer, otherwise Windows will eat the control codes alive.

First of all read this article:
HOW TO: Send Raw Data to a Printer by Using Visual C# .NET

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=322091

Copy the article code into a classfile.
Then you'll have to do something like the code below. (sorry about the formating )

(Note: The SendDocTo Printer is my addon to the article, where I have added a few methods so I could
pass a memorystream, and stream from a embedded resource file etc.
I have a lot of experience with Eltron Orion/2443 and Zebra 2443/2444 and DataMax label printers,
but almost everything I've done is done in Delphi. I've jsut started porting this stuff to C#
myself. Anyway, if you're stucked - contact me and I can see if I can help you - no garantee though
:)


<snip>
private void btnPrint2_Click (object sender, System.EventArg s e)
{
PrintDialog pd = new PrintDialog();
pd.PrinterSetti ngs = new PrinterSettings ();
if (DialogResult.O K == pd.ShowDialog(t his))
{
MemoryStream memStrm = new MemoryStream();
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(me mStrm);
sw.WriteLine("\ x02L");
sw.WriteLine("H 07");
sw.WriteLine("D 11");
sw.WriteLine("1 911008020000251 0K Ny linje");
sw.WriteLine("1 911008010000251 0K OHM 1/4 WATT");
sw.Flush();
sw.WriteLine("1 a62100000000505 90PCS");
sw.WriteLine("E ");
sw.WriteLine("" );
sw.Flush();

memStrm.Positio n = 0;
LabelPrint.Send DocToPrinter(pd .PrinterSetting s.PrinterName,m emStrm);
sw.Close();

</snip>

<snip2>
private void btn3_Click(obje ct sender, System.EventArg s e)
{
PrintDialog pd = new PrintDialog();
pd.PrinterSetti ngs = new PrinterSettings ();
if (DialogResult.O K == pd.ShowDialog(t his))
{
string p = pd.PrinterSetti ngs.PrinterName ;
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"\x02L"); // ^BL
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"H07");
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"D11");
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"19110080100 002510K OHM 1/4 WATT");
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"1a621000000 0050590PCS");
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"E");
LabelPrint.Send StringToPrinter (p,"");
}
}
</snip2>


On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 14:38:31 +0200, "Vlki" <damijan.gradis er_at_neckerman n_si> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hello,
>
>I can't find a way to send printer specific language codes to printer.
>
>Part of my code :
>String sString = "B50,0,0,3,1,2, 50,B," + "12345678901234 567890";
>Font fFont = new Font("Arial", 16);
>SolidBrush bBrush = new SolidBrush(Colo r.Black);
>PointF pPoint = new PointF(150.0F, 150.0F);
>ev.Graphics.Dr awString(sStrin g, fFont, bBrush, pPoint);
>
>First part of the sString should tel my printer to print a barcode. But all
>I get is the whole sString contens printed out as-it-is.
>I assume the problem is that I send graphical representation of sString to
>printer and not a sequence of characters.
>Should I try Streams or ......?????
>
>Printer is Eltron TLP2046 BarCode Printer
>
>thx,
>Damijan the Puzzled[/color]

Best wishes
Kai Bohli
kaiboeNO_SPAM@o nline.no
Norway

[Emanuele Baglini]

Re: Printer language &amp; sending commands

"Kai Bohli" <kaiboe@online. nospam> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:710me0ds20 tp2orabr7cq9lap cdefabt4p@4ax.c om...[color=blue]
> Hi !
>
> You need to send the data raw to the printer, otherwise Windows will eat[/color]
the control codes alive.[color=blue]
>
> First of all read this article:
> HOW TO: Send Raw Data to a Printer by Using Visual C# .NET
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=322091
>
> Copy the article code into a classfile.
> Then you'll have to do something like the code below. (sorry about the[/color]
formating )[color=blue]
>
> (Note: The SendDocTo Printer is my addon to the article, where I have[/color]
added a few methods so I could[color=blue]
> pass a memorystream, and stream from a embedded resource file etc.
> I have a lot of experience with Eltron Orion/2443 and Zebra 2443/2444 and[/color]
DataMax label printers,[color=blue]
> but almost everything I've done is done in Delphi. I've jsut started[/color]
porting this stuff to C#[color=blue]
> myself. Anyway, if you're stucked - contact me and I can see if I can help[/color]
you - no garantee though[color=blue]
> :)[/color]

Hi,
I'm trying to print on an Eltron TLP2247. Using the example that you
suggest, nothing appen on the printer.
How can i sent EPL command do the printer?

Thnks
EMA

[Kai Bohli]

Re: Printer language &amp; sending commands

Hi Emanuele !

Sorry for the late answer. The sample that I posted was for a Datamax printer. So in Eltron/Zebra,
it should go something like this:

char sn = '"';
MemoryStream memStrm = new MemoryStream();
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(me mStrm);
sw.WriteLine("\ n"); // new line to start command structure
sw.WriteLine("N "); // clear image memory from last printed label
sw.WriteLine("X 0,0,4,752,584") ; // draw a box
sw.WriteLine("L O0,144,752,4"); // draw a line
sw.WriteLine("A 40,400,1,1,1,1, N," + sn + "Made in Norway" + sn);
sw.WriteLine("B 280,440,0,1,2,3 ,96,B," + sn + "S 000001" + sn); // write a barcode
sw.Flush();
sw.WriteLine("P 1"); // print 1 label
sw.WriteLine("" ); // empty line
sw.Flush();

memStrm.Positio n = 0;
LabelPrint.Send DocToPrinter(pd .PrinterSetting s.PrinterName,m emStrm);
sw.Close();

The sample above is simple, but it's all I had time to do now. Not that you should add a method to
the article file called SendDocToPrinte r. I've posted the code below:
<code for the SendDocToPrinte r function>
public static bool SendDocToPrinte r( string szPrinterName, MemoryStream ms)
{
// Open the file.
//FileStream fs = new FileStream(szFi leName, FileMode.Open);
// Create a BinaryReader on the file.
BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(ms );
// Dim an array of bytes big enough to hold the file's contents.
Byte []bytes = new Byte[ms.Length];
bool bSuccess = false;
// Your unmanaged pointer.
IntPtr pUnmanagedBytes = new IntPtr(0);
int nLength;

nLength = Convert.ToInt32 (ms.Length);
// Read the contents of the file into the array.
bytes = br.ReadBytes( nLength );
// Allocate some unmanaged memory for those bytes.
pUnmanagedBytes = Marshal.AllocCo TaskMem(nLength );
// Copy the managed byte array into the unmanaged array.
Marshal.Copy(by tes, 0, pUnmanagedBytes , nLength);
// Send the unmanaged bytes to the printer.
bSuccess = SendBytesToPrin ter(szPrinterNa me, pUnmanagedBytes , nLength);
// Free the unmanaged memory that you allocated earlier.
Marshal.FreeCoT askMem(pUnmanag edBytes);
return bSuccess;
}
</code for the SendDocToPrinte r function>

[color=blue]
>I'm trying to print on an Eltron TLP2247. Using the example that you
>suggest, nothing appen on the printer.
>How can i sent EPL command do the printer?
>
>Thnks
>EMA[/color]


Best wishes
Kai Bohli
kaiboeNO_SPAM@o nline.no
Norway