How To Print In Php How to print to the users printer using PHP

[moodsey211 0]

I'm making a site which generates a number of reports. I want to print it to the user's printer. Any idea how can I obtain this.Thanks in advance.

[truefusion 3]

PHP is for server side scripting, not client side. In order to achieve this, you're going to need java script:

window.print()

[moodsey211 0]

Yes, that's really one of my concerns so I'm collecting ideas on how to go around it. the javascript print function is very primitive and it shows a dialog box before printing. need something to go around this.

[truefusion 3]

If the dialog box is the same one when you hit Ctrl+P on the keyboard (which i'm sure it is), then it is best if left that way. This allows users to pick the printer they want if they have more than one printer to choose from and it also allows them to modify the page margins, how many pages they want to print, etc.

[moodsey211 0]

I have two options to choose from. one is to connect to the client using a socket, or let the browser call my application. But both needs the client to install my app on their machines which has less security issues. my problem is which of the two would i choose.

[truefusion 3]

I'd go with the browser call, assuming the client can still print offline. But i am left wondering, what is the purpose of PHP here, then, if it's more related to a desktop application?

[jlhaslip 4]

One possibility might be to use the php functions to "write" a file for download and then have the client print it locally.

[moodsey211 0]

I was thinking of making php write a file and let the browser automatically call my app if ever it encounters the file created by php. But the action should be generated by php. or something like that. sounds wild.

[raqib 0]

as far as i know it is not possible in php. If possible pls somebody explain the procedure.

[moodsey211 0]

as far as i know it is not possible in php. If possible pls somebody explain the procedure.

its possible. but you need to install something on the clients machine to be able to print to their printers. It's impossible to do it alone with just a server side script.

[iGuest 3]

 

you can use this code:

<form><input type="button" value="Print This Page" onClick="window.Print()" /></form>

-reply by msdivie

[iGuest 3]

its possible. But you need to install something on the clients machineTo be able to print to their printers. It's impossible to do it aloneWith just a server side script.

 moodsey211, you cannot install something on the users machine, it is not user friendly and also, the application of that is not legal, cause then anyone can install malware via server side code.

-reply by Skovoski

 

[k_nitin_r 8]

Yes, that's really one of my concerns so I'm collecting ideas on how to go around it. the javascript print function is very primitive and it shows a dialog box before printing. need something to go around this.

If you do not wish to show the print dialog box, then you would need a Java applet or an ActiveX control - a signed applet or control can do quite a bit outside the security sandbox, making the browser little more than a mere container for a desktop application.

You might want to stick with the idea of displaying a print dialog box because some people have multiple printers configured and they might want to have the option of selecting a printer.

BTW, I think a desktop application is better suited for this situation - get the user to download an application that connects to the server via web services. That way, you can modify your existing PHP scripts to serve data to the client and use the client application to customize the print behavior to your liking.

Regards,
Nitin

[contactskn 2]

Dear friend I think you should generate a plain looking report and after being displayed in the browser it can be printed by using the print option of the browser. Other wise you should use java script to solve your problem if you want the report to be printed directly.?

[iGuest 3]

Just thought I'd put my two cents in on this. There is a free php library called fpdf, which you can use to make a pdf file that can be displayed on the screen. The user can then just print the pdf file with the browser. I use it in my web app for report generation. It works great. Check it out.