HowTo: Set the Margins and Landscape PageSettings for a PrintDocument

ID: W3298006

Background

This document describes how to use the .NET Framework PageSettings object to control the Margins and Landscape settings of any PrintDocument derived class.

Applies to :

• PrintDocument
• PrintForm
• PrintAdapters: PrintListView, PrintRichTextBox, PrintTreeView and PrintDataTable
• PrintChainManager

Adjusting properties of the PageSettings Object

Margin widths are controlled by the Margins property of the PageSettings object, and page orientation is controlled by the Landscape setting.

In the printing lifecycle of a PrintDocument there are two opportunities to set the PageSettings

1. set the PrintDocument.DefaultPageSettings properties to control the default margin size etc of all pages printed by the PrintDocument, or
2. set e.PageSettings.Margins in the PrintDocument.QueryPageSettings event to set each printed page's settings individually

Setting the default size for all pages in the form Load event via the DefaultPageSettings property:

VB.NET Sample, showing setting the Margins and Landscape for a PrintForm PrintDocument:

Private Sub frmSimpleForm_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load 
  Dim newMargins As System.Drawing.Printing.Margins
  newMargins = New System.Drawing.Printing.Margins(20, 20, 20, 20) 
  Me.PrintForm1.DefaultPageSettings.Margins = newMargins 
  Me.PrintForm1.DefaultPageSettings.Landscape = True
End Sub 

Setting each page's Margin size individually via the QueryPageSettingsEventArgs.PageSettings property in the QueryPageSettings event:

VB.NET Sample, showing setting the Margins and Landscape for a PrintForm PrintDocument in the QueryPageSettings event:

Private Sub PrintForm1_QueryPageSettings(ByVal sender As Object, _
ByVal e As System.Drawing.Printing.QueryPageSettingsEventArgs) Handles PrintForm1.QueryPageSettings
  Dim newMargins As System.Drawing.Printing.Margins
  newMargins = New System.Drawing.Printing.Margins(20, 20, 20, 20) 
  e.PageSettings.Margins = newMargins 
  e.PageSettings.Landscape = True
End Sub 

Last updated 04-Aug-2005