Package Exports

windows-pdf-printer-native
windows-pdf-printer-native/lib/index.js

This package does not declare an exports field, so the exports above have been automatically detected and optimized by JSPM instead. If any package subpath is missing, it is recommended to post an issue to the original package (windows-pdf-printer-native) to support the "exports" field. If that is not possible, create a JSPM override to customize the exports field for this package.

Readme

Windows PDF Printer Native

A high-performance PDF printing library for Node.js on Windows. Print PDFs directly to Windows printers using native GDI32 API and Google's PDFium rendering engine.

Features
Requirements
Installation
Quick Start
Usage Examples
API Reference
Performance
More Examples
Troubleshooting
Documentation
Contributing
License

Features

🖨️ Windows Native - Direct integration with Windows printing system (GDI32 + PDFium)
⚡ High Performance - 44% faster than legacy approaches
📄 Quality Control - Print at 150, 300, or 600 DPI
🎯 Full Configuration - Paper size, duplex, orientation, color mode, paper tray
📦 TypeScript Support - Full type definitions included
🔧 No Setup Required - PDFium library included in the package

Requirements

Node.js 22.0.0 or higher
Windows 7 or later (Windows 10/11 recommended)

Installation

npm install windows-pdf-printer-native

Note: All required dependencies (including PDFium) are included. No additional setup needed!

Quick Start

import { PDFPrinter } from 'windows-pdf-printer-native';

// Print to default printer
const printer = new PDFPrinter();
await printer.print('./document.pdf');

// Print to specific printer
const printer = new PDFPrinter('HP LaserJet Pro');
await printer.print('./invoice.pdf');

Usage Examples

Basic Printing

import { PDFPrinter, PrinterManager } from 'windows-pdf-printer-native';

// List available printers
const printers = await PrinterManager.getAvailablePrinters();
printers.forEach(p => console.log(p.name));

// Get default printer
const defaultPrinter = await PrinterManager.getDefaultPrinter();

// Print with default settings (300 DPI)
const printer = new PDFPrinter();
await printer.print('./document.pdf');

Advanced Configuration

import { 
  PDFPrinter,
  PrintQuality,
  PaperSize,
  DuplexMode,
  PageOrientation,
  ColorMode,
  PaperTray
} from 'windows-pdf-printer-native';

const printer = new PDFPrinter();

await printer.print('./document.pdf', {
  copies: 2,
  quality: PrintQuality.HIGH,              // 600 DPI
  paperSize: PaperSize.A4,                 // 210 x 297 mm
  duplex: DuplexMode.VERTICAL,             // Long-edge binding
  orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE,  // Horizontal
  color: ColorMode.COLOR,                  // Color printing
  paperTray: PaperTray.AUTO                // Auto-select tray
});

Print Quality Options

import { PrintQuality } from 'windows-pdf-printer-native';

// Low quality - fast (150 DPI)
await printer.print('./draft.pdf', { 
  quality: PrintQuality.LOW
});

// Medium quality - default (300 DPI)
await printer.print('./document.pdf', { 
  quality: PrintQuality.MEDIUM
});

// High quality - best for images (600 DPI)
await printer.print('./photo.pdf', { 
  quality: PrintQuality.HIGH
});

Interactive Print Dialog

// Show Windows print dialog
await printer.print('./document.pdf', {
  showPrintDialog: true
});

// Pre-populate dialog settings
await printer.print('./document.pdf', {
  showPrintDialog: true,
  copies: 2,
  duplex: DuplexMode.VERTICAL,
  paperSize: PaperSize.A4
});

API Reference

Classes

`PDFPrinter`

Main class for printing PDF documents.

API Reference

PDFPrinter

Main class for printing PDF documents.

Constructor

new PDFPrinter(printerName?: string)

Parameters:

printerName (optional): Name of the printer. If not provided, uses the system default printer.

Methods

`print(pdfPath: string, options?: PrintOptions): Promise<void>`

Print a PDF file.

await printer.print('./document.pdf', {
  copies: 2,
  quality: PrintQuality.HIGH,
  paperSize: PaperSize.A4,
  duplex: DuplexMode.VERTICAL
});

Parameters:

pdfPath: Absolute or relative path to the PDF file
options: Print configuration options (see PrintOptions below)

`printRaw(data: Buffer, documentName?: string, options?: PrintOptions): Promise<void>`

Print from a PDF buffer.

const pdfBuffer = fs.readFileSync('./doc.pdf');
await printer.printRaw(pdfBuffer, 'MyDocument', options);

Parameters:

data: PDF file as Buffer
documentName (optional): Name for the print job
options: Print configuration options

`getPrinterName(): string`

Get the name of the printer being used.

const name = printer.getPrinterName();
console.log('Using printer:', name);

`setCacheEnabled(enabled: boolean): void`

Enable or disable page caching. Caching improves performance when printing multiple copies but uses more memory.

// Disable cache for batch processing
printer.setCacheEnabled(false);

PrinterManager

Static class for managing printers.

Methods

`getAvailablePrinters(): Promise<PrinterInfo[]>`

List all available printers.

const printers = await PrinterManager.getAvailablePrinters();
printers.forEach(p => console.log(p.name));

`getDefaultPrinter(): Promise<string | null>`

Get the default printer name.

const defaultPrinter = await PrinterManager.getDefaultPrinter();

`printerExists(printerName: string): Promise<boolean>`

Check if a printer exists.

const exists = await PrinterManager.printerExists('HP LaserJet');

PrintOptions

Configuration options for printing.

interface PrintOptions {
  copies?: number;                 // Number of copies (default: 1)
  quality?: PrintQuality;          // Print quality (default: MEDIUM)
  paperSize?: PaperSize;           // Paper size (default: printer default)
  duplex?: DuplexMode;             // Duplex mode (default: SIMPLEX)
  orientation?: PageOrientation;   // Page orientation (default: PORTRAIT)
  color?: ColorMode;               // Color mode (default: COLOR)
  paperTray?: PaperTray;           // Paper tray (default: AUTO)
  collate?: boolean;               // Collate copies (default: false)
  showPrintDialog?: boolean;       // Show print dialog (default: false)
}

Enums

PrintQuality

enum PrintQuality {
  LOW = 150,      // Fast, lower quality
  MEDIUM = 300,   // Balanced (default)
  HIGH = 600      // Best quality, slower
}

PaperSize

enum PaperSize {
  LETTER = 1,     // 8.5 x 11 inches
  LEGAL = 5,      // 8.5 x 14 inches
  A3 = 8,         // 297 x 420 mm
  A4 = 9,         // 210 x 297 mm
  A5 = 11,        // 148 x 210 mm
  TABLOID = 3,    // 11 x 17 inches
  // ... 95 total sizes available
}

DuplexMode

enum DuplexMode {
  SIMPLEX = 1,      // Single-sided
  HORIZONTAL = 2,   // Flip on short edge
  VERTICAL = 3      // Flip on long edge
}

PageOrientation

enum PageOrientation {
  PORTRAIT = 1,     // Vertical
  LANDSCAPE = 2     // Horizontal
}

ColorMode

enum ColorMode {
  MONOCHROME = 1,   // Black and white
  COLOR = 2         // Color
}

PaperTray

enum PaperTray {
  AUTO = 7,         // Automatic selection
  UPPER = 1,        // Upper tray
  LOWER = 2,        // Lower tray
  MIDDLE = 3,       // Middle tray
  MANUAL = 4,       // Manual feed
  ENVELOPE = 5,     // Envelope feeder
  // ... more options available
}

PrinterInfo

Information about a printer.

interface PrinterInfo {
  name: string;           // Printer name
  serverName?: string;    // Server name (for network printers)
  portName?: string;      // Port name
  driverName?: string;    // Driver name
  location?: string;      // Physical location
  comment?: string;       // Description
  status: number;         // Status code
  isDefault?: boolean;    // Is default printer
}

Performance

This library is optimized for high performance:

⚡ 44% faster than legacy approaches
🔥 Page caching - Render once, print multiple copies instantly
💾 Memory efficient - Smart bitmap lifecycle management

Quality vs Speed

Quality	DPI	Speed	Best For
LOW	150	Fast	Draft documents
MEDIUM	300	Balanced ⭐	Standard documents
HIGH	600	Slower	Photos, presentations

Optimization Tips

// For multiple copies - use cache (enabled by default)
await printer.print('./report.pdf', { copies: 10 });

// For batch processing - disable cache
printer.setCacheEnabled(false);
for (const file of files) {
  await printer.print(file);
}

📖 See detailed benchmarks and optimization strategies in Performance Guide

More Examples

Check the examples/ directory for complete working examples:

simple-print.ts - Basic printing
advanced-print.ts - Full configuration
list-printers.ts - Enumerate printers
print-with-dialog.ts - Interactive dialog
test-performance.ts - Performance testing

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Printer not found?

// List all available printers
const printers = await PrinterManager.getAvailablePrinters();
console.log(printers);

Print job fails?

Verify printer is online and not paused
Check printer permissions
Ensure printer driver is installed
Try printing a test page from Windows Settings

PDF not rendering correctly?

Verify the PDF file is valid
Test with a simple PDF first
Try increasing print quality

📖 For detailed troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting Guide

Platform Support

Windows Only - This library is designed exclusively for Windows (7, 10, 11, Server).

For Unix/Linux/macOS, use unix-print.

How It Works

This library uses Windows native APIs:

PDFium - Renders PDF pages to bitmaps at specified DPI
GDI32 - Transfers bitmaps to printer via Windows Graphics Device Interface
Winspool - Manages printer configuration and job control

📖 For technical details, see Architecture Guide

Documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Testing

npm test                # Run all tests
npm run test:watch      # Watch mode
npm run test:coverage   # Coverage report

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.