A tiny javascript library to help printing from the web.
PDF Printing
Print.js was primarily written to help us print PDF files directly within our apps, without leaving the interface, and no use of embeds. For unique situations where there is no need for users to open or download the PDF files, and instead, they just need to print them.
One scenario where this is useful, for example, is when users request to print reports that are generated on the server side. These reports are sent back as PDF files. There is no need to open these files before printing them. Print.js offers a quick way to print these files within our apps.
PDF files must be served from the same domain as your app is hosted under. Print.js uses iframe to load files before printing them, therefore, it is limited by the Same Origin Policy. This helps preventing Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Example
Add a button to print a PDF file located on your hosting server:
<button type="button" onclick="printJS('docs/printjs.pdf')">
Print PDF
</button>
Result:
For large files, you can show a message to the user when loading files.
<button type="button" onclick="printJS({printable:'docs/xx_large_printjs.pdf', type:'pdf', showModal:true})">
Print PDF with Message
</button>
Result:
The library supports base64 PDF printing:
<button type="button" onclick="printJS({printable: base64, type: 'pdf', base64: true})">
Print PDF with Message
</button>
Result:
HTML Printing
Sometimes we just want to print selected parts of a HTML page, and that can be tricky. With Print.js, we can easily pass the id of the element that we want to print. The element can be of any tag, as long it has a unique id. The library will try to print it very close to how it looks on screen, and at the same time, it will create a printer friendly format for it.
Print.js accepts an object with arguments. Let's print the form again, but now we will add a header to the page:
<button type="button" onclick="printJS({ printable: 'printJS-form', type: 'html', header: 'PrintJS - Form Element Selection' })">
Print Form with Header
</button>
Result:
Sinhala Wela Katha Ape Paula 13 [upd] -
For a new reader wondering what actual content lies inside the fabled , here are three classic story archetypes that likely appeared:
I see my friends turning the Andare (court jester) into an Instagram reel. I see the tale of Punchi Apachchi (The tiny beetle) being used as an analogy for environmental collapse in university debates. We have stopped telling the stories verbatim. Instead, we are remixing the ancestors.
In the age of TikTok and YouTube, the slow, deliberate prose of a Wela Katha has lost its market. Teenagers no longer read about the vap magula (harvest festival). However, the resurgence of interest in keywords like on Google indicates a quiet renaissance.
JSON Printing
A simple and quick way to print dynamic data or array of javascript objects.
Example
We have the following data set in our javascript code. This would probably come from an AJAX call to a server API:
For a new reader wondering what actual content lies inside the fabled , here are three classic story archetypes that likely appeared:
I see my friends turning the Andare (court jester) into an Instagram reel. I see the tale of Punchi Apachchi (The tiny beetle) being used as an analogy for environmental collapse in university debates. We have stopped telling the stories verbatim. Instead, we are remixing the ancestors.
In the age of TikTok and YouTube, the slow, deliberate prose of a Wela Katha has lost its market. Teenagers no longer read about the vap magula (harvest festival). However, the resurgence of interest in keywords like on Google indicates a quiet renaissance.
Browser Compatibility
Currently, not all library features are working between browsers. Below are the results of tests done with these major browsers, using their latest versions.
Google Chrome
Safari
Firefox
Edge
Opera
Internet Explorer
PDF
HTML
Images
JSON
Thank you BrowserStack for the support. Amazing cross-browser testing tool.
Development and Support
Please report issues and feature requests in GitHub Issues.
If you have questions when implementing or using the library, ask about it in StackOverflow.
Pull requests are very welcome! Make sure your patches are well tested: README.md.
Print.js was built from the hard work of all these contributors.