Printing Labels Fast on Elton printer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

My program right now generates USPS style shipping label using
System.Drawing.Graphics. It works fine except that the printer prints really
slowly. I want to make my program take advantage of true type fonts. So I
assume it's possible to send Font Type and the text to the printer, and the
printer should digest and print faster. Still, barcode info needs to be sent
as an image.

When I print fifty copies of the same label it prints really fast (cache),
so I guess the printer itself is capable of printing fast.

Any idea's on how can I speed up printing labels using my c# program?

printer specs: http://ups.zebra.com/ctp/prod_2844_specifications.aspx

here is a part of my code:

public void Print()
{
CreatePrintDocument();
printDocument.Print();
}

private void CreatePrintDocument()
{
printDocument = new PrintDocument();
printDocument.DocumentName = "Shipping Labels";
printDocument.BeginPrint += new
PrintEventHandler(printDocument_BeginPrint);
printDocument.PrintPage += new
PrintPageEventHandler(printDocument_PrintPage);

printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PaperSize =
PageLayout.GetPageSize(settings.LabelLayout);
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.Margins =
PageLayout.GetPageMargins(settings.LabelLayout);
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.Landscape =
PageLayout.IsLandScape(settings.LabelLayout);

PrepareDocument();
}

private void PrepareDocument()
{
double labelsCount = Convert.ToDouble(shippingLabels.Count);
double labelsPerPage =
Convert.ToDouble(PageLayout.GetLabelsPerPage(settings.LabelLayout));

pagesCounter =
Convert.ToInt32(Math.Ceiling(labelsCount/labelsPerPage));

printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.MinimumPage
= 0;
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.MaximumPage
= pagesCounter;
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.FromPage =

printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.MinimumPage;
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.ToPage =

printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.PrinterSettings.MaximumPage;
}

private void printDocument_PrintPage(object sender,
PrintPageEventArgs e)
{
PointF startPoint;

e.Graphics.SetClip(e.MarginBounds);
startPoint = new PointF(e.PageSettings.Margins.Left,
e.PageSettings.Margins.Top);
DrawShippingLabel_Label_4_8(e.Graphics, startPoint,
this.Labels[labelIndex]);}
}

private void DrawShippingLabel_Label_4_6(Graphics graphics, PointF
startPoint, ShippingLabel shippingLabel)
{
Pen drawPen;
Font drawFont;
Rectangle rectangle;
Margins margins;

Rbarcode1D barCode;

string drawString;
string[] drawText;

graphics.TranslateTransform(startPoint.X, startPoint.Y);

//Begin: Generating EAN128\subset C barcode
barCode = new Rbarcode1D();
if(shippingLabel.shippingMethod !=
OrderShippingMethod.International_DHL)
{
switch(settings.BarcodeType)
{
case BarcodeTypes.BAR39: barCode.BarType
= Rbarcode1D.BAR39; break;
case BarcodeTypes.BAR39EXT:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.BAR39EXT; break;
case BarcodeTypes.CODABAR:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.CODABAR; break;
case BarcodeTypes.CODE11:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.CODE11; break;
case BarcodeTypes.CODE128:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.CODE128; break;
case BarcodeTypes.CODE93:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.CODE93; break;
case BarcodeTypes.CODE93EXT: barCode.BarType =
Rbarcode1D.CODE93EXT; break;
case BarcodeTypes.EAN128:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.EAN128; break;
case BarcodeTypes.EAN13: barCode.BarType
= Rbarcode1D.EAN13; break;
case BarcodeTypes.EAN8:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.EAN8; break;
case BarcodeTypes.IND25: barCode.BarType
= Rbarcode1D.IND25; break;
case BarcodeTypes.MAT25: barCode.BarType
= Rbarcode1D.MAT25; break;
case BarcodeTypes.MSI:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.MSI; break;
case BarcodeTypes.POSTNET:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.POSTNET; break;
case BarcodeTypes.UPCA:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.UPCA; break;
case BarcodeTypes.UPCE:
barCode.BarType = Rbarcode1D.UPCE; break;
}
barCode.BarCode128Set = (char) settings.Barcode128Set;
barCode.BarCheckCharacter = settings.BarCheckCharacter;
barCode.BarDrawText = false;
barCode.BarleftMargin = 0;
barCode.BartopMargin = 0;
barCode.Nsize = 1;
barCode.Xsize = 1;
barCode.BarHeight = 70;
barCode.BarguardBars = true;
barCode.Data =
shippingLabel.BarCodeData.Replace(" ", "");
//End: Generating EAN128\subset C barcode

//Begin: Drawing a barcode
drawString = "e/ USPS DELIVERY CONFIRM";

drawFont = new Font("Sans Serif", 12, FontStyle.Bold);

graphics.TranslateTransform(4, 95 +
graphics.MeasureString(drawString, drawFont).Height + 15,
System.Drawing.Drawing2D.MatrixOrder.Append);

graphics.ScaleTransform(2.0F, 1.0F);
barCode.paintBarcode(graphics);

graphics.ResetTransform();
//End: Drawing a barcode

graphics.TranslateTransform(startPoint.X, startPoint.Y);

//Begin: Drawing other parts of the barcode
drawPen = new Pen(Brushes.Black, 6);

graphics.DrawLine(drawPen, 0, 100, 380, 100);
graphics.DrawLine(drawPen, 0, 230, 380, 230);
graphics.DrawString(drawString, drawFont, Brushes.Black,
GetCentreXCoordinate(0, 380,
Convert.ToInt32(graphics.MeasureString(drawString, drawFont).Width)),
105);

drawFont.Dispose();
drawPen.Dispose();

drawFont = new Font("Sans Serif", 12, FontStyle.Bold);

drawString = shippingLabel.BarCodeData;

graphics.DrawString(drawString, drawFont, Brushes.Black,
GetCentreXCoordinate(0, 380,
Convert.ToInt32(graphics.MeasureString(drawString, drawFont).Width)),
205);

drawFont.Dispose();
//End: Drawing other parts of the barcode

}

//Begin: Drawing Return Address
drawFont = new Font("Times New Roman", 12);

rectangle = new Rectangle(new Point(0, 0), new Size(300, 0));
margins = new Margins(5, 5, 5, 5);

drawText = new string[4];
drawText[0] = shippingLabel.CompanyName;
drawText[1] = shippingLabel.CompanyAddress;
drawText[2] = shippingLabel.CompanyCity + ", " +
shippingLabel.CompanyState
+ " " + shippingLabel.CompanyZipCode.ToUpper();
drawText[3] = shippingLabel.CompanyEMail;

DrawTextInRectangle(graphics, Brushes.Black, null, drawFont,
drawText, ref rectangle, margins, true);

drawFont.Dispose();
//End: Drawing Return Address

//Begin: Drawing SKUs and order number for specified order
drawText = new string[5];
drawText[0] = DateTime.Now.ToString();
drawText[1] = "";
drawText[2] = "NUM: ";
foreach(string SKU in shippingLabel.SKUs)
{
drawText[2] += " " + SKU;
}
drawText[3] = "";
drawText[4] = "Order #" + shippingLabel.OrderNumber;

rectangle = new Rectangle(new Point(0, 240), new Size(380, 0));
margins = new Margins (10, 10, 10, 10);

drawFont = new Font("Times New Roman", 12);
drawPen = new Pen(System.Drawing.Color.Black, 2);

DrawTextInRectangle(graphics, Brushes.Black, drawPen,
drawFont, drawText, ref rectangle, margins, false);

drawPen.Dispose();
drawFont.Dispose();
//End: Drawing SKUs and order number for specified order

//Begin: Drawing Customer information
drawFont = new Font("Times New Roman", 16);

//This position is calculating depending on previous rectangle!
rectangle = new Rectangle(new Point(0, rectangle.Top +
rectangle.Height), new Size(380, 0));
margins = new Margins(0, 0, 10, 10);

drawText = new string[4];
drawText[0] = shippingLabel.CustomerName;
drawText[1] = shippingLabel.AddressLine1;
drawText[2] = shippingLabel.AddressLine2;
drawText[3] = shippingLabel.City + ", " + shippingLabel.State
+ " " + shippingLabel.ZipCode.ToUpper();


DrawTextInRectangle(graphics, Brushes.Black, null, drawFont,
drawText, ref rectangle, margins, true);
//Begin: Drawing a "Do Not Bend" string

drawString = "Do Not Bend";

drawFont = new Font("Sans Serif", 36, FontStyle.Bold);
graphics.DrawString(drawString, drawFont, Brushes.Black,
GetCentreXCoordinate(0, 380,
Convert.ToInt32(graphics.MeasureString(drawString, drawFont).Width)),
500);
drawFont.Dispose();
//End: Drawing a "Do Not Bend" string

drawFont.Dispose();
barCode.Dispose();

graphics.ResetTransform();
}
 
My program right now generates USPS style shipping label using
System.Drawing.Graphics. It works fine except that the printer prints really
slowly. I want to make my program take advantage of true type fonts. So I
assume it's possible to send Font Type and the text to the printer, and the
printer should digest and print faster. Still, barcode info needs to be sent
as an image.
Click to expand...

Absolutely not true. The Eltron printers have barcode-generation logic
built in. For example, sending this string to the printer:

"N" + chr(13) + "B10,10,0,3,3,7,200,B,""998152-001""" + chr(13) + "P1" +
chr(13)

would produce a Code 39 barcode starting at 10 dots down, 10 dots from left
margin, with a height of 200 dots.
Any idea's on how can I speed up printing labels using my c# program?

printer specs: http://ups.zebra.com/ctp/prod_2844_specifications.aspx
Click to expand...

See http://www.ptshome.com/public/EPL2en.pdf
 
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