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How can i check or see the print preview of datagridview where my file is an access file and pls give me sample code.

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The question is about showing a print preview for a DataGridView bound to an Access file. asked for sample code, correctly noted a preview control/dialog is involved, and showed the simple act of assigning a PrintDocument to a PrintPreviewDialog. Below are two practical, complementary approaches: a quick snapshot (fast to implement) and a more robust paginated printer (recommended for full datasets and Access-bound grids).

Quick snapshot (good for small grids / exact on‑screen look). DrawToBitmap captures the visible portion of the grid and the PrintDocument draws that bitmap. Note: DrawToBitmap will only capture what’s currently visible on screen, so it is not suitable for very large or scrolled grids.

' Form-level:
Private gridBitmap As Bitmap

Private Sub MakeSnapshot()
    Dim w = DataGridView1.Width
    Dim h = DataGridView1.Height
    gridBitmap = New Bitmap(w, h)
    DataGridView1.DrawToBitmap(gridBitmap, New Rectangle(0, 0, w, h))
End Sub

Private Sub PrintDoc_PrintPage(sender As Object, e As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs) Handles PrintDocument1.PrintPage
    If gridBitmap IsNot Nothing Then
        Dim dest = e.MarginBounds
        e.Graphics.DrawImage(gridBitmap, dest)
    End If
    e.HasMorePages = False
End Sub

Robust paginated printing (recommended for full data): compute column widths scaled to the printable area, draw column headers, iterate rows and draw cell text, and set e.HasMorePages when the page fills. This prints all rows and handles pagination reliably.

' Form-level state:
Private curRow As Integer = 0
Private colLefts As New List(Of Integer)
Private colWidths As New List(Of Integer)

Private Sub PrintDoc_PrintPage(sender As Object, e As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs) Handles PrintDocument1.PrintPage
    Dim g = e.Graphics
    Dim left = e.MarginBounds.Left
    Dim y = e.MarginBounds.Top
    Dim headerFont = New Font("Arial", 9, FontStyle.Bold)
    Dim cellFont = New Font("Arial", 9)

    If colWidths.Count = 0 Then
        Dim totalColWidth = DataGridView1.Columns.Cast(Of DataGridViewColumn).Sum(Function(c) c.Width)
        Dim curLeft = left
        For Each c As DataGridViewColumn In DataGridView1.Columns
            Dim w = CInt(Math.Floor(c.Width / totalColWidth * e.MarginBounds.Width))
            colLefts.Add(curLeft)
            colWidths.Add(w)
            curLeft += w
        Next
    End If

    ' headers
    For i = 0 To DataGridView1.Columns.Count - 1
        Dim r = New Rectangle(colLefts(i), y, colWidths(i), 20)
        g.FillRectangle(Brushes.LightGray, r)
        g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black, r)
        g.DrawString(DataGridView1.Columns(i).HeaderText, headerFont, Brushes.Black, r)
    Next
    y += 22

    ' rows
    While curRow < DataGridView1.Rows.Count
        Dim row = DataGridView1.Rows(curRow)
        Dim rowHeight = Math.Max(20, CInt(cellFont.GetHeight(g)) + 4)
        If y + rowHeight > e.MarginBounds.Bottom Then
            e.HasMorePages = True
            Return
        End If
        For i = 0 To DataGridView1.Columns.Count - 1
            Dim r = New Rectangle(colLefts(i), y, colWidths(i), rowHeight)
            g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black, r)
            Dim txt = If(row.Cells(i).Value IsNot Nothing, row.Cells(i).Value.ToString(), "")
            g.DrawString(txt, cellFont, Brushes.Black, r)
        Next
        y += rowHeight
        curRow += 1
    End While

    e.HasMorePages = False
    colLefts.Clear() : colWidths.Clear() : curRow = 0
End Sub

Troubleshooting notes: hide unused columns before printing, set AllowUserToAddRows = False to avoid the new-row, format numbers/dates beforehand, and prefer printing from the DataTable (Access) when the grid is virtualized. Attach the PrintDocument to a PrintPreviewDialog or PrintPreviewControl (as demonstrated) to show the preview.

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Member Avatar for poojavb

To do the print preview part u need to add the print priview control or Dialog on ur form....

Member Avatar for Member #763477

Hi,
It is very involved printing a datagridview. if you have a printdocument already setup then you can use the following code to preview the document.

 Private Sub PrintPreview_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles PrintPreview.Click


        Dim dlg As New PrintPreviewDialog()
        'Dim d As Object
        Dim d
        dlg.Document = PrintDocument1
        d = PrintDocument1.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds

        dlg.ShowDialog()
    End Sub

Curtis

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