CGW-Printing/README.md

LAAPC Print Service

A Windows service for managing print jobs from Harbor/Clipper legacy applications to modern laser printers with multi-tray support.

Overview

This service solves the problem of migrating from dot-matrix printers with carbon copy paper to laser printers with colored paper trays. It:

• ✅ Prevents file overwrites by immediately moving capture files to a queue with GUID-based names
• ✅ Maintains print order with a persistent queue system
• ✅ Controls printer trays via Windows print queue API for "carbon copy" simulation
• ✅ Transforms content with configurable rules per document type
• ✅ Archives prints for record-keeping

Architecture

• PrintService: Windows service that runs continuously, monitors for print jobs, and processes them
• PrintServiceCLI: Command-line tool for Harbor/Clipper to submit print jobs via IPC (named pipes)

Quick Start

1. Configure

Edit PrintService/appsettings.json:

{
  "AppSettings": {
    "CapturesPath": "C:\\Users\\Work\\Desktop\\LAAPC\\Captures",
    "DocumentTypes": [
      {
        "Name": "invoice",
        "PrinterName": "Your_Actual_Printer_Name",
        "TraySequence": [ 3, 4, 1, 2 ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Important: Replace Your_Actual_Printer_Name with actual Windows printer name(s).

2. Build

# Build for 32-bit (supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows)
dotnet build -c Release -r win-x86

# Or publish self-contained (includes .NET runtime)
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x86 --self-contained true -o publish/x86

3. Install Service

# Run as Administrator
sc.exe create "LAAPC Print Service" binPath="C:\Path\To\PrintService.exe" start=auto
sc.exe start "LAAPC Print Service"

4. Test CLI

PrintServiceCLI.exe -f "C:\Captures\test.txt" -t invoice -o 12345

Usage

From Harbor/Clipper

Replace your current Rust CLI calls with:

PrintServiceCLI.exe -f <filepath> -t <doctype> [-o <ordernumber>]

Examples:

PrintServiceCLI.exe -f "C:\Captures\inv001.txt" -t invoice
PrintServiceCLI.exe -f "C:\Captures\ord002.txt" -t order -o 600005
PrintServiceCLI.exe -f "C:\Captures\del003.txt" -t delivery

CLI Options

• -f, --file <path>: Path to capture file (required)
• -t, --type <type>: Document type: invoice, order, delivery, etc. (required)
• -o, --order <num>: Optional order number
• -h, --help: Show help

Configuration

Document Types

Each document type in appsettings.json specifies:

{
  "Name": "invoice",                          // Document type identifier
  "PrinterName": "HP LaserJet 500",          // Windows printer name
  "TraySequence": [ 3, 4, 1, 2 ],            // Tray order (simulates carbon copy)
  "FontName": "Courier New",                 // Font for rendering
  "FontSize": 10.0,                          // Font size in points
  "VerticalOffset": 0,                       // Adjust vertical positioning (pixels)
  "HorizontalOffset": 0,                     // Adjust horizontal positioning (pixels)
  "ArchiveAfterPrint": true,                 // Archive or delete after printing
  "ArchivePath": "C:\\Archive\\Invoices",    // Where to archive
  "Transformations": [                       // Text transformation rules
    {
      "Pattern": "W1DUPLICATE INVW0",       // Regex pattern to find
      "Replacement": "",                     // Replace with (empty = remove)
      "Description": "Remove duplicate marker"
    }
  ]
}

Tray Mapping

The TraySequence specifies which physical printer trays to use for each page/copy:

• Example: [3, 4, 1, 2] prints:
  • Page 1 → Tray 3 (e.g., Pink paper)
  • Page 2 → Tray 4 (e.g., Orange paper)
  • Page 3 → Tray 1 (e.g., Blue paper)
  • Page 4 → Tray 2 (e.g., Green paper)

Note: Tray numbers may need adjustment per printer model. Use the included tray discovery tool (see Troubleshooting).

Project Structure

PrintService/
├── Models/
│   ├── PrintJob.cs          - Print job data model
│   ├── DocumentConfig.cs    - Document type configuration
│   └── AppSettings.cs       - Application settings
├── Services/
│   ├── PrintQueueService.cs     - Job queue management
│   ├── FileMonitorService.cs    - File system monitoring
│   ├── PrinterService.cs        - Windows printer integration
│   ├── DocumentProcessor.cs     - Content transformation
│   └── IpcService.cs             - Named pipe IPC server
├── Worker.cs                - Main service coordinator
├── Program.cs               - Service host configuration
└── appsettings.json         - Configuration file

PrintServiceCLI/
└── Program.cs               - Command-line interface

Troubleshooting

Service won't start

1. Check Windows Event Viewer → Application logs
2. Verify paths in appsettings.json exist
3. Run with elevated privileges

Printer not found

List installed printers:

Get-Printer | Select-Object Name

Update PrinterName in config to match exactly.

Wrong trays selected

Tray mapping varies by printer model. To discover available trays, temporarily add logging to PrinterService.ListPaperSources() and check service logs.

Files being overwritten

Ensure Harbor/Clipper is calling the CLI (not writing directly to Captures folder). The service immediately moves files to prevent timestamp collisions.

Print order issues

Check queue_state.json - jobs are processed FIFO. If order is wrong, check file timestamps.

Monitoring

Service Status

Get-Service "LAAPC Print Service"
sc.exe query "LAAPC Print Service"

Logs

Check Windows Event Viewer or configure file logging in appsettings.json.

Queue State

Inspect queue_state.json (location specified in appsettings.json) to see pending jobs.

Folders

• Queue/ - Files being processed (GUID-named)
• Archive/ - Completed jobs (if archiving enabled)
• Errors/ - Failed jobs after max retries

Uninstall

# Run as Administrator
sc.exe stop "LAAPC Print Service"
sc.exe delete "LAAPC Print Service"

Development

Build for debugging

dotnet build -c Debug

Run service locally (not as Windows Service)

dotnet run --project PrintService/PrintService.csproj

Watch mode (auto-rebuild on changes)

dotnet watch run --project PrintService/PrintService.csproj

VS Code Tasks

Use Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) → "Tasks: Run Task":

• build-all-x86 - Build release for 32-bit
• publish-all-x86 - Create deployment package
• run-service - Run service locally for testing

Technical Details

IPC Protocol

The CLI communicates with the service via Windows Named Pipes (\\.\pipe\PrintServicePipe):

Request:

{
  "FilePath": "C:\\Captures\\file.txt",
  "DocumentType": "invoice",
  "OrderNumber": "12345"
}

Response:

{
  "Success": true,
  "Message": "Job {guid} queued successfully"
}

Print Queue Integration

Uses System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument with per-page PageSettings.PaperSource control:

• Content rendered with Graphics.DrawString() for pixel-perfect positioning
• Jobs go through Windows print queue (visible in Windows printer UI)
• Survives service restarts via persistent queue state

File Safety

1. CLI sends command with file path
2. Service immediately moves file to Queue folder with GUID name
3. Original filename preserved in job metadata
4. Prevents timestamp collision overwrites

License

[Your License Here]

Support

For issues or questions, contact [Your Contact Info]