I would like to make a program that provides me with the print counter of a selected printer. I want to know at any given time how many prints/copies the device has done.
Is there an easy way to achieve this? I have searched but can't seem to find a solutions.
Thank you in advance.
Edit (added code: this is code that i found on the internet that will serve as a starting point to list all installed printers + properties source: Wade Brooks)
Imports System.Drawing.Printing 'Printer Settings
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices 'Printer Information
Imports System.text 'String Builder
Public Class frmPrinterInfoExample
#Region "Imports for Printer Information"
<DllImport("winspool.drv", EntryPoint:="OpenPrinterW", CharSet:=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError:=True, ExactSpelling:=True, CallingConvention:=CallingConvention.StdCall)> _
Private Shared Function OpenPrinter(ByVal pPrinterName As String, ByRef hPrinter As IntPtr, ByVal pDefault As IntPtr) As Boolean
End Function
<DllImport("winspool.drv", CharSet:=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError:=True, ExactSpelling:=True, CallingConvention:=CallingConvention.StdCall)> _
Private Shared Function ClosePrinter(ByVal hPrinter As IntPtr) As Boolean
End Function
<DllImport("winspool.drv", EntryPoint:="GetPrinterW", CharSet:=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError:=True, ExactSpelling:=True, CallingConvention:=CallingConvention.StdCall)> _
Private Shared Function GetPrinter(ByVal hPrinter As IntPtr, ByVal dwLevel As Integer, ByVal pPrinter As IntPtr, ByVal cbBuf As Integer, ByRef pcbNeeded As Integer) As Boolean
End Function
#End Region
#Region "Variables"
Dim mstrInfo As StringBuilder 'Info for User
'Printer Info structure
<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet:=CharSet.Auto)> Public Structure PRINTER_INFO_2
Dim pServerName As String
Dim pPrinterName As String
Dim pShareName As String
Dim pPortName As String
Dim pDriverName As String
Dim pComment As String
Dim pLocation As String
Dim pDevMode As Integer
Dim pSepFile As String
Dim pPrintProcessor As String
Dim pDatatype As String
Dim pParameters As String
Dim pSecurityDescriptor As Integer
Dim Attributes As Integer
Dim Priority As Integer
Dim DefaultPriority As Integer
Dim StartTime As Integer
Dim UntilTime As Integer
Dim Status As Integer
Dim cJobs As Integer
Dim AveragePPM As Integer
End Structure
#End Region
#Region "Private Methods"
''' <summary>
''' Populate printer list
''' </summary>
Private Sub btnPrinterList_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnPrinterList.Click
Try
PopulateInstalledPrintersCombo()
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
End Try
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' List of installed printers
''' </summary>
Private Sub PopulateInstalledPrintersCombo()
Try
cboInstalledPrinters.Items.Clear()
' Add list of installed printers found to the combo box.
For Each strPrinter As String In PrinterSettings.InstalledPrinters
cboInstalledPrinters.Items.Add(strPrinter)
Next
If cboInstalledPrinters.Items.Count > 0 Then
cboInstalledPrinters.SelectedIndex = 0
End If
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
End Try
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Show other printer info to user
''' </summary>
Private Sub OtherPrinterInfo()
Dim prtPrinter As PrinterSettings = Nothing
Try
prtPrinter = New PrinterSettings
prtPrinter.PrinterName = cboInstalledPrinters.Text
'Assumes textbox1 cleared in calling function
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("SupportsColor: {0}{1}", prtPrinter.SupportsColor, vbCrLf))
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("IsDefaultPrinter: {0}{1}", prtPrinter.IsDefaultPrinter, vbCrLf))
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("CanDuplex: {0}{1}", prtPrinter.CanDuplex, vbCrLf))
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("IsPlotter: {0}{1}", prtPrinter.IsPlotter, vbCrLf))
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("MaximumCopies: {0}{1}", prtPrinter.MaximumCopies, vbCrLf))
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
End Try
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Printer Information
''' </summary>
Private Function GetPrinterInfo(ByVal sName As String) As PRINTER_INFO_2
Dim hPrinter As IntPtr = IntPtr.Zero
Dim pPrinterInfo As IntPtr = IntPtr.Zero
Dim iNeed As Integer = -1
Dim SizeOf As Integer = -1
Try
'Open printer object
If (Not OpenPrinter(sName, hPrinter, IntPtr.Zero)) Then
Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHR(System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetHRForLastWin32Error())
End If
Try
' Get the number of bytes needed.
GetPrinter(hPrinter, 2, IntPtr.Zero, 0, iNeed)
' Allocate enough memory.
pPrinterInfo = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(iNeed)
SizeOf = iNeed
If (Not GetPrinter(hPrinter, 2, pPrinterInfo, SizeOf, iNeed)) Then
Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHR(System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetHRForLastWin32Error())
End If
' Now marshal the structure manually.
Dim PrinterInfo As PRINTER_INFO_2 = CType(Marshal.PtrToStructure(pPrinterInfo, GetType(PRINTER_INFO_2)), PRINTER_INFO_2)
Return PrinterInfo
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
Finally
' Close the printer object.
ClosePrinter(hPrinter)
' Deallocate the memory.
Marshal.FreeHGlobal(pPrinterInfo)
End Try
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
End Try
Return New PRINTER_INFO_2()
End Function
''' <summary>
''' Handles printer info button click
''' </summary>
Private Sub btnPrinterInfo_Click_1(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnPrinterInfo.Click
Try
Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor
If mstrInfo IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo = Nothing
End If
mstrInfo = New StringBuilder
Dim PrinterInformation As PRINTER_INFO_2 = GetPrinterInfo(cboInstalledPrinters.Text)
txtPrinterInfo.Clear()
'Show info in Text box
If PrinterInformation.pPrinterName IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("PrinterName: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pPrinterName, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pPortName IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("PortName: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pPortName, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pComment IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("Comment: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pComment, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pDatatype IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("Datatype: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pDatatype, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pDriverName IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("DriverName: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pDriverName, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pLocation IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("Location: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pLocation, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pParameters IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("Parameters: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pParameters, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pPrintProcessor IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("PrintProcessor: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pPrintProcessor, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pServerName IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("ServerName: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pServerName, vbCrLf))
End If
If PrinterInformation.pShareName IsNot Nothing Then
mstrInfo.Append(String.Format("ShareName: {0}{1}", PrinterInformation.pShareName, vbCrLf))
End If
'Get other info
OtherPrinterInfo()
'Add info to textbox
txtPrinterInfo.Text = mstrInfo.ToString
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
Finally
'Clean up
If (mstrInfo IsNot Nothing) Then
mstrInfo = Nothing
End If
Cursor = Cursors.Default
End Try
End Sub
''' <summary>
''' Close Form
''' </summary>
Private Sub cmdClose_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdClose.Click
Try
Close()
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
End Try
End Sub
#End Region
EDIT 2 I have found this function that does give me the print counter of some printers but not all. The general HP printers and all are no problem but a multifunctional printer (Kyocera/ Konica Minolta) allways returns an error and a value of 0.
Public Function GetPageCount(ByVal PrinterIP As String) As Integer
Dim tcpClient As TcpClient
Dim connector As New cliConnector
Try
tcpClient = connector.Connect(PrinterIP, 9100, 1000)
tcpClient.SendTimeout = 1000
tcpClient.ReceiveTimeout = 1000
Dim networkStream As NetworkStream = tcpClient.GetStream()
If networkStream.CanWrite And networkStream.CanRead Then
' Do a simple write.
Dim txt As String
txt = Chr(27) & "%-12345X@PJL" & vbLf & "@PJL INFO PAGECOUNT" & vbLf & Chr(27) & "%-12345X" & vbLf
Dim sendBytes As [Byte]() = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(txt)
networkStream.Write(sendBytes, 0, sendBytes.Length)
' Read the NetworkStream into a byte buffer.
Dim bytes(tcpClient.ReceiveBufferSize) As Byte
networkStream.Read(bytes, 0, CInt(tcpClient.ReceiveBufferSize))
' Output the data received from the host to the console.
Dim returndata As String = Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes)
tcpClient.Close()
Return returndata.Substring(returndata.IndexOf(vbNewLine) + 1, returndata.Substring(returndata.IndexOf(vbNewLine) + 1).IndexOf(vbNewLine))
Else
If Not networkStream.CanRead Then
tcpClient.Close()
Return False
Else
If Not networkStream.CanWrite Then
tcpClient.Close()
Return False
End If
End If
End If
tcpClient.Close()
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Return False
End Try
End Function
