QPrinter Class Reference
The QPrinter class is a paint device that paints on a printer.
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#include <qprinter.h>
Inherits QPaintDevice.
List of all member functions.
Public Members
enum
PrinterMode { ScreenResolution, PrinterResolution, HighResolution, Compatible }
QPrinter ( PrinterMode m = ScreenResolution )
enum
PageSize { A4, B5, Letter, Legal, Executive, A0, A1, A2, A3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, B0, B1, B10, B2, B3, B4, B6, B7, B8, B9, C5E, Comm10E, DLE, Folio, Ledger, Tabloid, Custom, NPageSize = Custom }
enum
PageOrder { FirstPageFirst, LastPageFirst }
enum
PaperSource { OnlyOne, Lower, Middle, Manual, Envelope, EnvelopeManual, Auto, Tractor, SmallFormat, LargeFormat, LargeCapacity, Cassette, FormSource }
virtual void
setCreator ( const QString & creator )
virtual void
setFromTo ( int fromPage, int toPage )
virtual void
setMinMax ( int minPage, int maxPage )
bool
setup ( QWidget * parent = 0 )
Protected Members
Detailed Description
The QPrinter class is a paint device that paints on a printer.
On Windows it uses the built-in printer drivers. On X11 it
generates postscript and sends that to lpr, lp, or another print
command.
QPrinter is used much the same way as QWidget and QPixmap are
used. The big difference is that you must keep track of the pages.
QPrinter supports a number of settable parameters, most of which can be
changed by the end user when the application calls QPrinter::setup().
The most important parameters are:
- setOrientation() tells QPrinter to turn the page (virtual).
- setPageSize() tells QPrinter what page size to expect from the
printer.
- setResolution() tells QPrinter what resolution you wish the
printer to provide (in dpi).
- setFullPage() tells QPrinter whether you want to deal with the
full page (so you can have accurate margins, etc.) or just with
the part the printer can draw on. The default is FALSE, so that by
default you can probably paint on (0,0) but the document's margins
are unknown.
- setNumCopies() tells QPrinter how many copies of the document
it should print.
- setMinMax() tells QPrinter and QPrintDialog what the allowed
range for fromPage() and toPage() are.
Except where noted, you can only call the set functions before
setup(), or between QPainter::end() and setup(). (Some may have
effect between setup() and begin(), or between begin() and end(),
but that's strictly undocumented and such behaviour may differ
depending on platform.)
There are also some settings that the user sets (through the printer
dialog) and that applications are expected to obey:
- pageOrder() tells the application program whether to print
first-page-first or last-page-first.
- colorMode() tells the application program whether to print
in color or grayscale. (If you print in color and the printer does
not support color, Qt will try to approximate. The document may
take longer to print, but the quality should not be made visibly
poorer.)
- fromPage() and toPage() indicate what pages the application
program should print.
- paperSource() tells the application progam which paper source
to print from.
You can of course call these functions to establish defaults
before you ask the user through QPrinter::setup().
Once you start printing, newPage() is essential. You will
probably also need to look at the QPaintDeviceMetrics for the
printer (see the simple
print function in the Application walk-through). Note that the
paint device metrics are valid only after the QPrinter has been set
up, i.e., after setup() has returned successfully. If you want
high-quality printing with accurate margins, setFullPage(TRUE) is
a must.
If you want to abort the print job, abort() will make a best effort.
It may cancel the entire job or just some of it.
Member Type Documentation
QPrinter::ColorMode
This enum type is used to indicate whether QPrinter should print in
color or not. The possible values are:
- QPrinter::Color - print in color if available, otherwise in grayscale. This
is the default.
- QPrinter::GrayScale - print in grayscale, even on color printers.
Might be a little faster than Color.
QPrinter::Orientation
This enum type (not to be confused with Qt::Orientation) is used to
decide how Qt should print on each sheet.
- QPrinter::Portrait - the page's height is greater than its width (the
default).
- QPrinter::Landscape - the page's width is greater than its height.
This type interacts with QPrinter::PageSize and
QPrinter::setFullPage() to determine the final size of the page
available to the application.
QPrinter::PageOrder
This enum type is used by QPrinter/QPrintDialog to tell the
application program how to print. The possible values are
- QPrinter::FirstPageFirst - the lowest-numbered page should
be printed first.
- QPrinter::LastPageFirst - the highest-numbered page should
be printed first.
QPrinter::PageSize
This enum type decides what paper size QPrinter is to use. QPrinter
does not check that the paper size is available; it just uses this
information, together with Orientation and QPrinter::setFullPage(), to
determine the printable area (see QPaintDeviceMetrics).
The defined sizes (with setFullPage( TRUE )) are
- QPrinter::A0 - 841 x 1189 mm
- QPrinter::A1 - 594 x 841 mm
- QPrinter::A2 - 420 x 594 mm
- QPrinter::A3 - 297 x 420 mm
- QPrinter::A4 - 210 x 297 mm, 8.26 x 11.7 inches
- QPrinter::A5 - 148 x 210 mm
- QPrinter::A6 - 105 x 148 mm
- QPrinter::A7 - 74 x 105 mm
- QPrinter::A8 - 52 x 74 mm
- QPrinter::A9 - 37 x 52 mm
- QPrinter::B0 - 1030 x 1456 mm
- QPrinter::B1 - 728 x 1030 mm
- QPrinter::B10 - 32 x 45 mm
- QPrinter::B2 - 515 x 728 mm
- QPrinter::B3 - 364 x 515 mm
- QPrinter::B4 - 257 x 364 mm
- QPrinter::B5 - 182 x 257 mm, 7.17 x 10.13 inches
- QPrinter::B6 - 128 x 182 mm
- QPrinter::B7 - 91 x 128 mm
- QPrinter::B8 - 64 x 91 mm
- QPrinter::B9 - 45 x 64 mm
- QPrinter::C5E - 163 x 229 mm
- QPrinter::Comm10E - 105 x 241 mm, US Common #10 Envelope
- QPrinter::DLE - 110 x 220 mm
- QPrinter::Executive - 7.5 x 10 inches, 191 x 254 mm
- QPrinter::Folio - 210 x 330 mm
- QPrinter::Ledger - 432 x 279 mm
- QPrinter::Legal - 8.5 x 14 inches, 216 x 356 mm
- QPrinter::Letter - 8.5 x 11 inches, 216 x 279 mm
- QPrinter::Tabloid - 279 x 432 mm
With setFullPage(FALSE) (the default), the metrics will be a bit
smaller; how much depends on the printer in use.
QPrinter::PaperSource
This enum type decides what paper source QPrinter is to use. QPrinter
does not check that the paper source is available; it just uses this
information to try and set the paper source. Whether it will set the
paper source depends on whether the printer has that particular source.
Note: It is currently only implemented for Windows.
- QPrinter::OnlyOne
- QPrinter::Lower
- QPrinter::Middle
- QPrinter::Manual
- QPrinter::Envelope
- QPrinter::EnvelopeManual
- QPrinter::Auto
- QPrinter::Tractor
- QPrinter::SmallFormat
- QPrinter::LargeFormat
- QPrinter::LargeCapacity
- QPrinter::Cassette
- QPrinter::FormSource -
QPrinter::PrinterMode
This enum describes the mode the printer should work in. It basically
presets a certain resolution and working mode.
- QPrinter::ScreenResolution - Sets the resolution of the print device to the
screen resolution. This has the big advantage, that the results obtained
when painting on the printer will match more or less exactly the visible
output on the screen. It is the easiest to use, as fontmetrics on the
screen and on the printer are the same. This is the default value.
- QPrinter::PrinterResolution - Use the physical resolution of the printer on
Windows. On Unix, set the postscript resolution to 72 dpi.
- QPrinter::HighResolution - Use printer resolution on windows, set the resolution
of the postscript driver to 600dpi.
- QPrinter::Compatible - Almost the same as PrinterResolution, but keeps some
peculiarities of the printer dirver of Qt-2.x. This is useful, when porting an
application from Qt-2.x to Qt-3.
Member Function Documentation
QPrinter::QPrinter ( PrinterMode m = ScreenResolution )
Constructs a printer paint device.
QPrinter::~QPrinter ()
Destroys the printer paint device and cleans up.
bool QPrinter::abort ()
Aborts the print job.
Returns TRUE if successful, otherwise FALSE.
See also aborted().
bool QPrinter::aborted () const
Returns TRUE is the printer job was aborted, otherwise FALSE.
See also abort().
ColorMode QPrinter::colorMode () const
Returns the current color mode. The default color mode is Color.
See also setColorMode().
QString QPrinter::creator () const
Returns the creator name.
See also setCreator().
QString QPrinter::docName () const
Returns the document name.
See also setDocName().
int QPrinter::fromPage () const
Returns the from-page setting. The default value is 0.
The programmer is responsible for reading this setting and printing
accordingly.
See also setFromTo() and toPage().
bool QPrinter::fullPage () const
Returns TRUE if the origin of the printer's coordinate system is
at the corner of the sheet and FALSE if it is at the edge of the
printable area.
See setFullPage() for more detail and some warnings.
See also setFullPage(), PageSize and QPaintDeviceMetrics.
QSize QPrinter::margins () const
Returns the width of the left/right and top/bottom margins of the
printer. This is a best-effort guess, not based on perfect knowledge.
If you have called setFullPage( TRUE ) (this is recommended for
high-quality printing), margins().width() may be treated as the
smallest sane left/right margin you can use, and margins().height() as
the smallest sane top/bottom margins you can use.
If you have called setFullPage( FALSE ) (this is the default),
margins() is automatically subtracted from the pageSize() by QPrinter.
See also setFullPage(), QPaintDeviceMetrics and PageSize.
int QPrinter::maxPage () const
Returns the max-page setting. A user can't choose a higher pagenumber
than maxPage() when he or she selects a printrange. The default value is 0.
See also minPage() and setMinMax().
int QPrinter::minPage () const
Returns the min-page setting, i.e. the lowest pagenumber a user
is allowed to choose. The default value is 0.
See also maxPage() and setMinMax().
bool QPrinter::newPage ()
Advances to a new page on the printer.
Returns TRUE if successful, otherwise FALSE.
Examples: action/application.cpp, application/application.cpp, helpviewer/helpwindow.cpp and mdi/application.cpp.
int QPrinter::numCopies () const
Returns the number of copies to be printed. The default value is 1.
See also setNumCopies().
Orientation QPrinter::orientation () const
Returns the orientation setting. The default value is QPrinter::Portrait.
See also setOrientation().
QString QPrinter::outputFileName () const
Returns the name of the output file. There is no default file name.
See also setOutputFileName() and setOutputToFile().
bool QPrinter::outputToFile () const
Returns TRUE if the output should be written to a file, or FALSE if the
output should be sent directly to the printer.
The default setting is FALSE.
This function is currently supported only under X11.
See also setOutputToFile() and setOutputFileName().
PageOrder QPrinter::pageOrder () const
Returns the current page order.
The default page order is FirstPageFirst.
PageSize QPrinter::pageSize () const
Returns the printer page size. The default value is system-dependent.
See also setPageSize().
PaperSource QPrinter::paperSource () const
Returns the currently set paper source of the printer.
See also setPaperSource().
QString QPrinter::printProgram () const
Returns the name of the program that sends the print output to the printer.
The default is to return a null string; meaning that QPrinter will
try to be smart in a system-dependent way. On X11 only, you can set
it to something different to use a specific print program.
On Windows, this function returns the name of the printer device driver.
See also setPrintProgram() and setPrinterSelectionOption().
QString QPrinter::printerName () const
Returns the printer name. This value is initially set to the name of the
default printer.
See also setPrinterName().
QString QPrinter::printerSelectionOption () const
Returns the printer options selection string. This is
useful only if the print command has been explicitly set.
The default value (a null string) implies to select printer in a
system-dependent manner.
Any other value implies to use that value.
See also setPrinterSelectionOption().
int QPrinter::resolution () const [virtual]
Returns the current assumed resolution of the printer, as set by
setResolution() or the printer subsystem.
See also setResolution().
Reimplemented from QPaintDevice.
void QPrinter::setColorMode ( ColorMode newColorMode ) [virtual]
Sets the printer's color mode to newColorMode, which can be
one of Color (the default) and GrayScale.
See also colorMode().
void QPrinter::setCreator ( const QString & creator ) [virtual]
Sets the creator name.
Calling this function has effect only for the X11 version of Qt.
The creator name is the name of the application that created the
document. If no creator name is specified, the creator will be
set to "Qt" with some version number.
See also creator().
void QPrinter::setDocName ( const QString & name ) [virtual]
Sets the document name.
void QPrinter::setFromTo ( int fromPage, int toPage ) [virtual]
Sets the from-page and to-page settings.
The from-page and to-page settings specify what pages to print.
This function is useful mostly to set a default value that the
user can override in the print dialog when you call setup().
See also fromPage(), toPage(), setMinMax() and setup().
void QPrinter::setFullPage ( bool fp ) [virtual]
Sets QPrinter to have the origin of the coordinate system at the
top-left corner of the paper if fp is TRUE, or where it thinks the
top-left corner of the printable area is if fp is FALSE.
The default is FALSE. You can (probably) print on (0,0), and
QPaintDeviceMetrics will report something smaller than the size
indicated by PageSize. (Note that QPrinter may be wrong - it does not
have perfect knowledge of the physical printer.)
If you set it to TRUE, QPaintDeviceMetrics will report the exact same size
as indicated by PageSize, but you cannot print on all of that - you have
to take care of the output margins yourself.
See also PageSize, setPageSize(), QPaintDeviceMetrics and fullPage().
Example: helpviewer/helpwindow.cpp.
void QPrinter::setMinMax ( int minPage, int maxPage ) [virtual]
Sets the min-page and max-page settings.
The min-page and max-page restrict the from-page and to-page
settings. When the printer setup dialog comes up, the user cannot
select from and to that are outside the range specified by min and
max pages.
See also minPage(), maxPage(), setFromTo() and setup().
void QPrinter::setNumCopies ( int numCopies ) [virtual]
Sets the number of pages to be printed.
The printer driver reads this setting and prints the specified number of
copies.
See also numCopies() and setup().
void QPrinter::setOrientation ( Orientation orientation ) [virtual]
Sets the print orientation.
The orientation can be either QPrinter::Portrait or
QPrinter::Landscape.
The printer driver reads this setting and prints using the specified
orientation. On Windows however, this setting won't take effect until
the printer dialog is shown (using QPrinter::setup() ).
See also orientation().
void QPrinter::setOutputFileName ( const QString & fileName ) [virtual]
Sets the name of the output file.
Setting a null name (0 or "") disables output to a file, i.e., calls
setOutputToFile(FALSE). Setting a non-null name enables output to a
file, i.e. calls setOutputToFile(TRUE).
This function is currently supported only under X11.
See also outputFileName() and setOutputToFile().
void QPrinter::setOutputToFile ( bool enable ) [virtual]
Specifies whether the output should be written to a file or sent
directly to the printer.
Will output to a file if enable is TRUE, or will output directly
to the printer if enable is FALSE.
This function is currently supported only under X11.
See also outputToFile() and setOutputFileName().
void QPrinter::setPageOrder ( PageOrder newPageOrder ) [virtual]
Sets the page order to newPageOrder.
The page order can be QPrinter::FirstPageFirst or QPrinter::LastPageFirst. The application programmer is responsible
for reading the page order and printing accordingly.
This function is useful mostly for setting a default value that the
user can override in the print dialog when you call setup().
void QPrinter::setPageSize ( PageSize newPageSize ) [virtual]
Sets the printer page size to newPageSize if that size is
supported. The result if undefined if newPageSize is not
supported.
The default page size is system-dependent.
This function is useful mostly for setting a default value that the
user can override in the print dialog when you call setup().
See also pageSize(), PageSize, setFullPage() and setResolution().
void QPrinter::setPaperSource ( PaperSource source ) [virtual]
Sets the paper source setting.
See also paperSource().
void QPrinter::setPrintProgram ( const QString & printProg ) [virtual]
Sets the name of the program that should do the print job.
On X11, this function sets the program to call with the PostScript
output. On other platforms, it has no effect.
See also printProgram().
void QPrinter::setPrinterName ( const QString & name ) [virtual]
Sets the printer name.
The default printer will be used if no printer name is set.
Under X11, the PRINTER environment variable defines the
default printer. Under any other window system, the window
system defines the default printer.
See also printerName().
void QPrinter::setPrinterSelectionOption ( const QString & option ) [virtual]
Sets the printer to use option to select printer. option
is null by default (meaning to be a little smart), but it can be set to
other values to use a specific printer selection option.
If the printer selection option is changed while the printer is
active, the current print job may or may not be affected.
void QPrinter::setResolution ( int dpi ) [virtual]
Requests the printer to operate at dpi if possible, or do the
best it can.
This setting affects the coordinate system as returned by
e.g. QPaintDeviceMetrics and QPainter::viewport().
The value depends on the PrintingMode used in the QPrinter constructor.
By default, the dpi value of the screen is used.
This function must be called before setup() to have an effect on all platforms.
See also resolution() and setPageSize().
Reimplemented from QPaintDevice.
bool QPrinter::setup ( QWidget * parent = 0 )
Opens a printer setup dialog and asks the user to specify what printer
to use and miscellaneous printer settings.
Returns TRUE if the user pressed "OK" to print, or FALSE if the
user cancelled the operation.
Examples: action/application.cpp, application/application.cpp, drawdemo/drawdemo.cpp, helpviewer/helpwindow.cpp and mdi/application.cpp.
int QPrinter::toPage () const
Returns the to-page setting. The default value is 0.
The programmer is responsible for reading this setting and printing
accordingly.
See also setFromTo() and fromPage().
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