PDF to Printer

Print PDF files and images directly to Windows printers from Node.js or Electron. Works with office printers, label printers (Zebra, Rollo), and network printers alike.

Features

• Print PDFs and images to any Windows printer
• Precise control over printing options (pages, orientation, paper size, etc.)
• Label printer support (Rollo, Zebra, and more)
• Printer discovery - list all available printers
• Fast and reliable using SumatraPDF engine
• TypeScript support with full type definitions
• Windows only - for Unix-like systems, see unix-print

Requirements

• Windows — for macOS and Linux, use unix-print (same API, same author)
• Node.js 14 or later

Installation

npm install pdf-to-printer
# or
yarn add pdf-to-printer

Quick Start

import { print, getPrinters, getDefaultPrinter } from "pdf-to-printer";

// Print to default printer
await print("document.pdf");

// Print with options
await print("document.pdf", {
  printer: "HP LaserJet",
  pages: "1-3",
  copies: 2,
  paperSize: "A4",
});

// List available printers
const printers = await getPrinters();
console.log(printers);

// Get default printer
const defaultPrinter = await getDefaultPrinter();
console.log(defaultPrinter?.name);

Common Use Cases

Shipping label printing — send generated labels directly to a Zebra or Rollo printer in an order fulfillment backend:

await print("label.pdf", {
  printer: "Zebra ZTC ZPL",
  paperSize: "4x6",
  scale: "noscale",
});

Invoice and receipt printing — print from a Node.js server without any user interaction:

await print("invoice.pdf", {
  printer: "Office HP LaserJet",
  silent: true,
  copies: 2,
  side: "duplex",
});

Electron desktop app — paths inside .asar archives are handled automatically:

import path from "path";
import { print } from "pdf-to-printer";

await print(path.join(__dirname, "report.pdf"), {
  printer: "Microsoft Print to PDF",
  orientation: "landscape",
  paperSize: "A4",
});

Print specific pages only:

await print("document.pdf", { pages: "1-3,5", subset: "odd" });

Support This Project

If you rely on this package, please consider supporting it. Maintaining an open source project takes time and your support would be greatly appreciated.

API Reference

print(pdf, options?)

Prints a PDF file to a printer.

Parameters:

• pdf (string): Path to the PDF file to print
• options (PrintOptions, optional): Printing configuration options

Returns: Promise<void>

Throws: Error if the PDF file doesn't exist, the operating system is not supported, or printing fails

PrintOptions

Option	Type	Description
printer	string	Name of the printer to use (default: system default printer)
pages	string	Pages to print (e.g., "1-3,5" or "1,3,5")
subset	"odd" | "even"	Print only odd or even pages
orientation	"portrait" | "landscape"	Page orientation
scale	"noscale" | "shrink" | "fit"	Content scaling
monochrome	boolean	Print in black and white
side	"duplex" | "duplexshort" | "duplexlong" | "simplex"	Duplex printing mode
bin	string	Paper tray/bin to use (number or name)
paperSize	string	Paper size (e.g., "A4", "letter", "legal")
silent	boolean	Suppress error messages
printDialog	boolean	Show print dialog instead of printing directly
sumatraPdfPath	string	Custom path to SumatraPDF executable
copies	number	Number of copies to print (default: 1)
paperkind	number	Allow to choose custom paper size by kind

getPrinters()

Gets a list of all available printers on the system.

Returns: Promise<Printer[]>

Throws: Error if the operating system is not supported or if the command fails

Example:

import { getPrinters } from "pdf-to-printer";

const printers = await getPrinters();
console.log(printers);
// [
//   { deviceId: "HP_LaserJet", name: "HP LaserJet Pro", paperSizes: ["A4", "Letter"] },
//   { deviceId: "Canon_Pixma", name: "Canon PIXMA", paperSizes: ["A4", "A3"] }
// ]

getDefaultPrinter()

Gets the default printer information.

Returns: Promise<Printer | null>

Throws: Error if the operating system is not supported or if the command fails

Example:

import { getDefaultPrinter } from "pdf-to-printer";

const defaultPrinter = await getDefaultPrinter();
if (defaultPrinter) {
  console.log(`Default printer: ${defaultPrinter.name}`);
  console.log(`Device ID: ${defaultPrinter.deviceId}`);
  console.log(`Paper sizes: ${defaultPrinter.paperSizes.join(", ")}`);
} else {
  console.log("No default printer set");
}

Printer Type

type Printer = {
  deviceId: string; // Unique identifier for the printer device
  name: string; // Human-readable name of the printer
  paperSizes: string[]; // Array of supported paper sizes
};

License

MIT