Thread: OpenPrinter

I'm assuming you got the code sample, but I'll repost it anyway.

Code:

#include <windows.h>

int main(void)
{
    HDC        hdc   = NULL;
    DOCINFO    di    = { 0 };
    TEXTMETRIC tm    = { 0 };
    ULONG      y     = 10;

    /* Get a device context for the printer. We should use PrintDlg to retrive an HDC
     * or at least GetDefaultPrinter to get the printer name to use. */
    hdc = CreateDC(TEXT("WINSPOOL"), TEXT("HP DeskJet 712C"), NULL, NULL);

    /* Start the document. */
    di.cbSize      = sizeof(DOCINFO); 
    di.lpszDocName = TEXT("Print Test"); 
    di.fwType      = 0; 
    StartDoc(hdc, &di);

    StartPage(hdc); /* Start a page. */

    /* Set the alignment mode so we can output text and it will automatically be horizontally positioned. */
    SetTextAlign(hdc, GetTextAlign(hdc) | TA_UPDATECP);

    /* Get the height of text. */
    GetTextMetrics(hdc, &tm);

    /* Set start position. */
    MoveToEx(hdc, 10, y, NULL);

    /* We can now use the GDI functions to output content. */
    TextOut(hdc, 0, 0, TEXT("Hello World"), lstrlen(TEXT("Hello World")));

    /* Move to new line. */
    MoveToEx(hdc, 10, y += tm.tmHeight + tm.tmExternalLeading, NULL);

    TextOut(hdc, 0, 0, TEXT("Bye World. "), lstrlen(TEXT("Bye World ")));
    TextOut(hdc, 0, 0, TEXT("Maybe not!"), lstrlen(TEXT("Maybe not!")));

    /* Move to new line. */
    MoveToEx(hdc, 10, y += tm.tmHeight + tm.tmExternalLeading, NULL);

    TextOut(hdc, 0, 0, TEXT("OK Now!"), lstrlen(TEXT("OK Now!")));

    EndPage(hdc);  /* End page. */
    EndDoc(hdc);   /* End document. */
    DeleteDC(hdc); /* Cleanup hdc. */

    return 0;
}

Just out of curiosity... On my Inkjet printer each character printed has its own width. If I wanted to print, say a report with formated output where each word on a line was lined up to create multiple columns, would I use TabbedTextOut or can I just change settings in the TextMetrics structure? Or is there an easier way?

Yes, TabbedTextOut would probably be a good idea. The other alternative is to do it manually. You can move around using the MoveToEx function. You can get the length of a specific string by using the GetTextExtentPoint32 function.

The width of a character is not determined by the printer, but by what font you are using. The font can be changed. Search the board for CreateFont for examples.