What is PrintLink

PrintLink is a print service installed on the computer with your printers. Business apps call it directly to put paper out, instead of relying on the browser print dialog or an ageing browser plug-in.

The problem it solves

A web page cannot reach a printer: window.print() only opens the browser's print dialog. It cannot print silently, cannot pick a tray, duplex mode or copy count, and has no idea what the printer actually supports.

PrintLink fills that gap: a small service running next to the printer. Your app hands it the content, and it handles layout, checks the options against the printer's real capabilities, and prints.

What it can print

These can be mixed inside one job — say "a photo, then report pages 2–4, then a packing slip". The user sees one preview and the printer receives one job. See composite jobs.

How it is used

Add one <script> tag to your page, then three steps:

await client.connect();            // connect to PrintLink on this computer
await client.ensureAuthorized();   // the local user confirms once
await client.compose({ queueId }).addPdf(bytes).printAndWait();

"This computer" is the point: the page reaches PrintLink over 127.0.0.1 on the same machine, so your web app can live on the public internet — the user clicks print in your ERP, paper comes out on their own desk, and PrintLink never exposes a port.

If the printer is not on the user's computer (a shared workstation in a warehouse, for example), an administrator explicitly enables LAN or remote access, see deployment topology.

What the user sees

• Tray icon: pause or start the service at any time.
• Console window: overview, printers, jobs, reports, printer health, security & sites, settings.
• Preview window: opened by a preview call; paper only comes out after the user confirms.
• Floating progress window (optional): shows progress in a screen corner.

Supported systems

Next steps

• Install: download and run PrintLink.
• Quick start: your first page in five steps.
• How to integrate: wire it into your project.