Force Landscape Printing

[Dennis Putnam]

I have a printjob set up that is working with one problem.

public class EventPrinter {
	
	public static void print() {
		PrinterJob job=PrinterJob.getPrinterJob();
		job.setPrintable(new PrintEvents());
		PageFormat pf=job.defaultPage();
		pf.setOrientation(PageFormat.LANDSCAPE);
		boolean doPrint=job.printDialog();
		if (doPrint) {
			try {
				job.print();
			}
			catch (PrinterException e) {
				// TODO print error
			}
		}
	}
}

While the layout is landscape the target printer orientation is portrait by default. The user has to remember to switch it to landscape. Short of generating a reminder message during the print dialog, is there not a way to force the print driver to use landscape rather than the default? TIA.

[Tony Docherty]

This is not an area I'm particularly experienced in so the following advice may or may not be useful.
Have you tried using the printDialog(PrintRequestAttributeSet attribs) method adding the OrientationRequested.LANDSCAPE attribute to the attribute set?

[Dennis Putnam]

Thanks for the reply. I have not since I was not aware of it. I'll have to read up on it.

[Dennis Putnam]

I am not having much success getting what I need. I was successful in implementing PageRequestAttributeSet. The page setup pops up with landscape selected, although I don't know why I need that since it is now selected. However, that does not help since the print services apparently ignore that. I then tried using PrintService and created a combobox so the user can select the printer in my application. Again that all works and the correct printer is selected when the print dialog comes up. Unfortunately the orientation is still the default rather than landscape. I now have 2 issues to over come. The first is to eliminate the page setup popup which is not needed even if it worked. The second is to set landscape orientation. FWIW, here is the new print class:

public static void print() {
	PrintRequestAttributeSet attr=new HashPrintRequestAttributeSet();
	attr.add(OrientationRequested.LANDSCAPE);
	PrinterJob job=PrinterJob.getPrinterJob();
	job.pageDialog(attr);
	try {
		job.setPrintService(PrintType.getPrinter());
	} catch (PrinterException e1) {
		MessageScreen.showWindow("Error setting Printer Service: "+e1.getMessage());
	}
	job.setPrintable(new PrintEvents());
	PageFormat pf=job.defaultPage();
	pf.setOrientation(PageFormat.LANDSCAPE);
	boolean doPrint=job.printDialog();
	if (doPrint) {
		try {
			job.print();
		}
		catch (PrinterException e) {
			// TODO print error
		}
	}
}

This is how I get the selected printer service:

public class PrintType extends Thread {
	private JFrame printFrame=null;
	private static String printType="";
	private static PrintService[] printers={};
	private static int printerServiceIndex=-1;
	
	public PrintType() {
		initialize();
	}
	
	public void run() {
		PrintType window = new PrintType();
		window.printFrame.setVisible(true);
	}
	
	private void initialize() {
		printFrame=new JFrame();
		int width=340;
		int height=20;
		int topradio=50;
		int topcombo=5;
		int left=100;
		
		printFrame.getContentPane().setFont(new Font("Times New Roman", Font.PLAIN, 16));
		printFrame.getContentPane().setLayout(null);
		printFrame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
		printFrame.setBounds(200,200,350,250);
		printFrame.setTitle("KCBS Events Search");
		
		JLabel comboLabel=new JLabel();
		comboLabel.setBounds(5, topcombo, width, height);
		comboLabel.setText("Select Printer:");
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(comboLabel);
		
		final JComboBox<String> printerNames=new JComboBox<String>();
		printerNames.setBounds(100, topcombo, 200, height);
		PrintService defaultPrint=PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();
		printers=PrinterJob.lookupPrintServices();
		for (PrintService printService:printers) {
			printerNames.addItem(printService.getName());
			if (defaultPrint.equals(printService)) {
				printerNames.setSelectedItem(printService.getName());
			}
		}
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(printerNames);
		
		JLabel prompt = new JLabel("<html><h3>Select type of events to be printed</h3></html>");
		prompt.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
		prompt.setBounds(5, topradio, width, height);
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(prompt);
		
		JRadioButton appliedButton = new JRadioButton("Applied Events Only");
		appliedButton.setBounds(left,topradio+30,width,height);
		appliedButton.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.LEFT);
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(appliedButton);
		
		JRadioButton confirmedButton = new JRadioButton("Confirmed Events");
		confirmedButton.setBounds(left,topradio+50,width,height);
		confirmedButton.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.LEFT);
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(confirmedButton);
		
		JRadioButton bothButton = new JRadioButton("Confirmed and Applied Events");
		bothButton.setBounds(left,topradio+70,width,height);
		bothButton.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.LEFT);
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(bothButton);
		
		JRadioButton allButton = new JRadioButton("All Events");
		allButton.setBounds(left,topradio+90,width,height);
		allButton.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.LEFT);
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(allButton);
		
		final ButtonGroup types=new ButtonGroup();
		types.add(appliedButton);
		types.add(confirmedButton);
		types.add(bothButton);
		types.add(allButton);
		types.setSelected(allButton.getModel(),true);
		
		JButton print=new JButton("Print");
		print.setBounds(left, topradio+120, 70, height);
		print.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
			@Override
			public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
				Enumeration<AbstractButton> buttons=types.getElements();
				while (buttons.hasMoreElements()) {
					JRadioButton temp=(JRadioButton) buttons.nextElement();
					if (temp.isSelected()) {
						printType=temp.getText();
					}
				}
				printerServiceIndex=printerNames.getSelectedIndex();
				MenuBar.loop.exit();
				printFrame.dispose();
			}
		});
		printFrame.getContentPane().add(print);
	}
	
	public static String getType() {
		return(printType);
	}
	
	public static PrintService getPrinter() {
		return(printers[printerServiceIndex]);
	}
}

[Tony Docherty]

It may be that your printer ignores the orientation setting. If you get the PrintService object it has some methods for querying if the printer supports certain attributes and values. It may be worth checking to see if your print does support this although I would be surprised if any printer that can print landscape does not support the setting.

[Dennis Putnam]

Thanks and I agree that it is unlikely since I have several different printers and all (mis)behave the same.

[Tony Docherty]

Yes, that makes it even more unlikely then.

I think I may have spotted your error, when you call setPrintable() I think you may need to pass the required page format to it as a second parameter, as follows:

    PageFormat pf=job.defaultPage();  
    pf.setOrientation(PageFormat.LANDSCAPE);  
    job.setPrintable(new PrintEvents(), pf);  

[Dennis Putnam]

Bingo!!! That was it. However, I am still getting the print dialog which I neither need nor want. That only started happening when I added the PrintRequestAttributeSet code. Is there a way to eliminate it?

[Dennis Putnam]

Never mind. I got it. The call to pageDialog() was not necessary.

[Jay Dilla]

Is there a way to achieve this without using the Printable interface? Have been stuck on this for a while.