PrintDC SDK
Included with PrinterCE SDK
Library Name : PrEngineCE.lib
DLL Name : PrEngineCE.dll

PrintDC SDK is a set of printing-related functions exported by the PrinterCE DLL (PrEngineCE.dll) that closely emulates the standard Windows printing process. PrintDC assists Windows Mobile/WinCE C/C++/MFC developers in porting applications from Windows as well as developers who are familiar with the standard Windows printing process. While the PrinterCE control offers many benefits for most Windows Mobile/WinCE apps that need printing, PrintDC can speed the task of porting printer functionality from an existing Windows app.

In order to emulate the standard Windows printing process as closely as possible, it was necessary to design PrintDC for use as a set of standard DLL-exported functions rather than as an ActiveX control like PrinterCE. This prevents use of PrintDC by eVB, but provides easy use by eVC/VCCE in C/C++/MFC apps. Note that PrintDC's functions closely emulate the Windows CE HPC and HPC/Pro printing functions. PrintDC is a part of PrinterCE SDK and works on Windows Mobile, Pocket PC, CE.Net and Windows CE devices.

Downloading & Using PrintDC SDK:
To use PrintDC, you need to download the following from the table below:

PrintDC Demo & Source Code:
The best way to demonstrate and explore PrintDC is to download the PrintDC Demo and PrinterCE (see table). The demo shows how PrintDC can select fonts and text attributes, print out text, draw objects (lines, rectangles, ellipsis), and a bitmap image. Anyone familiar with standard Windows printing code will be familiar with the steps found in the PrintDC demo. Note that the text portion of the demo determines the correct font size that will allow the array of text strings to fit within the page size. The demo source code includes code for reading and printing a BMP bitmap file and shows how to use PDC_SetAbortProc() to provide a "printing in progress" screen with cancel button for the user.

Overview of PrintDC Printing Process :
Below is an outline of the typical steps involved with using PrintDC to print on Windows CE devices. Notice that all PrintDC functions begin with the PDC_ prefix, but anyone familiar with standard Windows printing will easily recognize these steps:

Notes:

PrintDC Functions: Click here for PrintDC documentation

"Hello World" Example:
This demo function works with PrintDC (all of the PDC_xxx() functions) to pop up a "Select Printer" dialog box and then print out "Hello World". A "real" application would need to add other items such as an AbortProc (via PDC_SetAbortProc()) to display a "Printing in Progress" dialog box. See PrintDC_Demo for source code that implements a full-featured demo print page, including an example AbortProc and code to read a BMP file and print it out via PrintDC.

#include "PrintDC.h"   //Contains function definitions for PrintDC
// Be sure to download and copy PrEngineCE.lib files (see table above) for each processor
//   in each platform and add this to Project -> Settings -> Link -> Object/Library Modules.
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void PrintDC_HelloWorld(HWND hWnd)
{
   //Initialize PrintDC
   PDC_Init(_T("YOUR LICENSE KEY"));

   // Let user select printer
   PRINTDLG pdlg;
   memset(&pdlg, 0, sizeof(PRINTDLG));
   pdlg.cbStruct = sizeof(PRINTDLG);
   pdlg.hwndOwner= hWnd;
   pdlg.dwFlags = PD_SELECTPORTRAIT | PD_INTHOUSANDTHSOFINCHES;
   if (!PDC_PrintDlg(&pdlg)) {  //Show "Select Printer" dialog
      PDC_KillDoc(NULL);  //user may have pressed cancel - free PrintDC resources and clear error condition
      return;
   }

   //Get the printer DC
   HDC hPrDC;
   hPrDC=pdlg.hdc; //Can also use PDC_GetPrinterDC()
   if (hPrDC==NULL) return;
   //Get printer resolution
   int DPI;
   DPI=PDC_GetDeviceCaps(hPrDC,LOGPIXELSX);

   //Get our margins - stored as thousandths of an inch.since used PD_INTHOUSANDTHSOFINCHES
   // Convert margins to printer units (DPI) and subract physical offsets
   int leftmargin,topmargin;
   leftmargin=(pdlg.rcMargin.left*DPI)/1000 - PDC_GetDeviceCaps(hPrDC,PHYSICALOFFSETX);
   topmargin=(pdlg.rcMargin.top*DPI)/1000 - PDC_GetDeviceCaps(hPrDC,PHYSICALOFFSETY);

   //Lets get started printing
   DOCINFO di;
   PDC_StartDoc(hPrDC,&di);
   PDC_StartPage(hPrDC);

   //Print our text using default font
   LPTSTR lpStr;
   lpStr=_T("Hello World");
   PDC_ExtTextOut(hPrDC,leftmargin, topmargin, 0, NULL, lpStr, _tcslen(lpStr), NULL);

   //We're done... lets finish up
   PDC_EndPage(hPrDC);
   PDC_EndDoc(hPrDC);
   PDC_UnInit();
}