How To Print a Composite Image From a RichTextBox

MORE INFORMATION

Step-by-Step Example

1. Create a Standard EXE project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default.
2. Place two PictureBoxes and three CommandButton controls on Form1. Adjust the size of Picture2 so that it is at least as large as Picture1.
3. Select Components from the Project menu and check the Microsoft Rich Textbox Control 6.0.
4. Place a RichTextBox control inside Picture1.
5. Place the following code in the General Declarations Section of Form1:

         Option Explicit
   
         Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias _
            "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, _
            ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
   
         Private Const WM_PAINT = &HF
         Private Const WM_PRINT = &H317
         Private Const PRF_CLIENT = &H4&    ' Draw the window's client area
         Private Const PRF_CHILDREN = &H10& ' Draw all visible child
         Private Const PRF_OWNED = &H20&    ' Draw all owned windows
   
         Private Sub Command1_Click()
         ' Use the .bmp of your choice and make sure to give the full path.
            RichTextBox1.OLEObjects.Add , , "c:\windows\triangles.bmp"
         End Sub
   
         Private Sub Command2_Click()
            Dim rv As Long
            Picture1.SetFocus  ' So that the button doesn't look pressed
            Picture2.AutoRedraw = True
            rv = SendMessage(Picture1.hwnd, WM_PAINT, Picture2.hDC, 0)
            rv = SendMessage(Picture1.hwnd, WM_PRINT, Picture2.hDC, _
                 PRF_CHILDREN + PRF_CLIENT + PRF_OWNED)
            Picture2.Picture = Picture2.Image
            Picture2.AutoRedraw = False
            Command1.SetFocus  ' Return Focus
         End Sub
   
         Private Sub Command3_Click()
            Printer.PaintPicture Picture2.Picture, 0, 0
            Printer.EndDoc
         End Sub
   
   						

6. Run the project and click Command1, which puts a .bmp file into the RichTextBox. You will see a border around the .bmp. Click elsewhere on the RichTextBox and the border is removed. Type something into the RichTextBox.
7. Click on Command2, which copies the whole picture into the PictureBox, Picture2.
8. Click on Command3 to print the whole composite image.
   
   Because Picture2 is used only for intermediate data, you may wish to make it invisible by setting Picture2.Visible = False.

Limitations

This method is useful only if you have small RTF documents with composite images that can be displayed without scrolling.

This method only captures whatever is in the PictureBox, Picture1.

The text output may not be of as good a quality as text printed directly to the printer.