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Home > Forums > Programmers > Languages > Java Forum

printing ascii text to a network printer

CODE

import java.io.*;
import javax.print.*;
import javax.print.attribute.*;
import javax.print.attribute.standard.*;
import javax.print.event.*;

public class printtest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Open the image file
            InputStream is = new BufferedInputStream(
            new FileInputStream("filename.gif"));
            String testdata = "hello world \n have a nice day.";

            // Find the default service
            // DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.GIF;
            // DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor."text/plain";  <<-this will not compile
            //  DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.STRING;      //  <<-this will not compile
            PrintService service = PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();

            // Create the print job
            DocPrintJob job = service.createPrintJob();
            Doc doc= new SimpleDoc(testdata, flavor, null);

            // Monitor print job events; for the implementation of PrintJobWatcher,
            // see e702 Determining When a Print Job Has Finished
            PrintJobWatcher pjDone = new PrintJobWatcher(job);

            // Print it
            job.print(doc, null);

            // Wait for the print job to be done
            pjDone.waitForDone();

            // It is now safe to close the input stream
            is.close();
        } catch (PrintException e) {
        } catch (IOException e) {
        }
    }

    static class PrintJobWatcher {
        // true iff it is safe to close the print job's input stream
        boolean done = false;

        PrintJobWatcher(DocPrintJob job) {
            // Add a listener to the print job
            job.addPrintJobListener(new PrintJobAdapter() {
                public void printJobCanceled(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobCompleted(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobFailed(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobNoMoreEvents(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                void allDone() {
                    synchronized (PrintJobWatcher.this) {
                        done = true;
                        PrintJobWatcher.this.notify();
                    }
                }
            });
        }
        public synchronized void waitForDone() {
            try {
                while (!done) {
                    wait();
                }
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            }
        }
    }

}

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 8:27

ok, I figured the DocFlavor bit out, but now when i run the code I just get an invalid flavour exception.

I've tried setting the DocFlavor to CHAR_ARRAY but this doesn't help.

I only want and need to be able to print simple ascii from a String.

CODE

public class printtest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Open the image file

            char[] testdata = "hello world \n have a nice day.".toCharArray();


            //DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.STRING.TEXT_PLAIN;
            DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.CHAR_ARRAY.TEXT_PLAIN;

            // Find the default service

            PrintService service = PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();

            // Create the print job
            DocPrintJob job = service.createPrintJob();
            Doc doc= new SimpleDoc(testdata, flavor, null);


            // Print it
            job.print(doc, null);

        } catch (PrintException e) {
            System.out.println("print exception");
            System.out.println(e.getMessage());
        }
    }


}

sedj (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 8:30

Use the AUTOSENSE flavour, and a ByteArrayInputStream :

CODE

import java.io.*;
import javax.print.*;
import javax.print.attribute.*;
import javax.print.attribute.standard.*;
import javax.print.event.*;

public class PrintTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Open the image file
            String testData = "Hello World !";
            InputStream is = new ByteArrayInputStream(testData.getBytes());
            DocFlavor flavor =  DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.AUTOSENSE   ;

            // Find the default service
            PrintService service = PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();
            System.out.println(service);

            // Create the print job
            DocPrintJob job = service.createPrintJob();
            Doc doc= new SimpleDoc(is, flavor, null);

            // Monitor print job events; for the implementation of PrintJobWatcher,
            // see e702 Determining When a Print Job Has Finished
            PrintJobWatcher pjDone = new PrintJobWatcher(job);

            // Print it
            job.print(doc, null);

            // Wait for the print job to be done
            pjDone.waitForDone();

            // It is now safe to close the input stream
            is.close();
        } catch (PrintException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    static class PrintJobWatcher {
        // true iff it is safe to close the print job's input stream
        boolean done = false;

        PrintJobWatcher(DocPrintJob job) {
            // Add a listener to the print job
            job.addPrintJobListener(new PrintJobAdapter() {
                public void printJobCanceled(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobCompleted(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobFailed(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                public void printJobNoMoreEvents(PrintJobEvent pje) {
                    allDone();
                }
                void allDone() {
                    synchronized (PrintJobWatcher.this) {
                        done = true;
                        PrintJobWatcher.this.notify();
                    }
                }
            });
        }
        public synchronized void waitForDone() {
            try {
                while (!done) {
                    wait();
                }
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            }
        }
    }

}

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
http://www.primrose.org.uk

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 8:49

Sedj,

Have update my test scrip as you suggested and I can now print.

The strange thing is with a test string of:
"hello world \r\n have a nice day"

I get two sheet from the printer.
The FIRST one has the "have a nice day" on it and the second has "hello world"!

I have tried changing the newline chars (\n, \r, \r\n) but this seems to have no effect.

here is the listing (excluding the PrintJobWatcher bit)

CODE

public class printtest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Open the image file

            String testData = "hello world \r\n have a nice day.";
            InputStream is = new ByteArrayInputStream(testData.getBytes());
            DocFlavor flavor =  DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.AUTOSENSE   ;


            //DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.STRING.TEXT_PLAIN;
            //DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.CHAR_ARRAY.TEXT_PLAIN;

            // Find the default service

            PrintService service = PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();
            System.out.println(service);

            // Create the print job
            DocPrintJob job = service.createPrintJob();
            Doc doc= new SimpleDoc(is, flavor, null);

            PrintJobWatcher pjDone = new PrintJobWatcher(job);

            // Print it
            job.print(doc, null);

            pjDone.waitForDone();

            // It is now safe to close the input stream
            is.close();


        } catch (PrintException e) {
            System.out.println("print exception");
            System.out.println(e.getMessage());
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.out.println("IO exception");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

    }

sedj (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 8:58

Maybe its your printer ... it works fine for me.

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
http://www.primrose.org.uk

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 9:00

rofl, that would just be my luck. Thanks for your help. I'll try with a non-hp printer.

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 9:06

when i first tried the code I got an error concerning the PrintJobWatcher "non static variable this cannot be referenced from a static context" so I made the PrintJobWatcher class static. Would this have affected it's functionality?

Could these weird printing effects I'm getting be connected?

sedj (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 9:10

No, that would not affect the print job.

Maybe you should have a go at playing around with different DocFlavor's, and data types.
You can get the supported types like this :

CODE

            PrintService service = PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();
            System.out.println(service +" supports :");
            DocFlavor[] flavors = service.getSupportedDocFlavors() ;
            for (int i = 0; i < flavors.length; i++) {
                 System.out.println("\t" +flavors[i]);
            }

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
http://www.primrose.org.uk

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 9:35

It seems my printer supports the following types:

       image/gif; class="[B"
        image/gif; class="java.io.InputStream"
        image/gif; class="java.net.URL"
        image/jpeg; class="[B"
        image/jpeg; class="java.io.InputStream"
        image/jpeg; class="java.net.URL"
        image/png; class="[B"
        image/png; class="java.io.InputStream"
        image/png; class="java.net.URL"
        application/x-java-jvm-local-objectref; class="java.awt.print.Pageable"
        application/x-java-jvm-local-objectref; class="java.awt.print.Printable"
        application/octet-stream; class="[B"
        application/octet-stream; class="java.net.URL"
        application/octet-stream; class="java.io.InputStream"

however, I cannot work out how to define a DocFlavor using these types.

Either I get an invalid Flavour exception or the code won't compile. I can't seem to find any examples on the web. Could you give me a few examples of how to define differed DocFlavors please?

sedj (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 9:57

You need to look at the class name, and the data type. Eg :

image/png; class="java.io.InputStream"

For this, use a ByteArrayInputStream, a byte[] for the data to build the stream, and the DocFlavor DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.GIF

Also, look at the docs, eg for InputStream classes :

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/javax/print/DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.html

It describes what MIME types map to what.

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
http://www.primrose.org.uk

mes123 (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 10:27

I simply don't understand this. I've read the link you gave and I've tried what seemed to be the most sensible:

DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.TEXT_PLAIN_HOST;

exception: Invalid Flavor

So I tried

DocFlavor flavor = DocFlavor.STRING.TEXT_PLAIN;
( Doc doc= new SimpleDoc(testData, flavor, null);)

exception Invalid Flavor

The original DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.AUTOSENSE; sort of works but the first character of the test string is printed on it's own on the second page and the rest of the string appear on the first page. If I put a newline (\n) in the middle of the string the first page contains the whole string minus the newline and it's first char. The first part of the string upto the newline then apprears on the second page.

This is driving me mad, where am i going wrong?

sedj (Programmer)

23 Sep 05 12:40

Not really sure I'm afraid !
It works on our printers, so there is not a lot more I can do. You'll just have to google about or do some trial and error :(

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
http://www.primrose.org.uk

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