PdfiumViewer Print PDF in C# Alternatives Using IronPrint

Introduction

Every developer eventually encounters this scenario: someone requests something that seems straightforward. “We just need the system to print PDF files.” You agree, thinking it’s a quick job. Printing PDFs has been around for ages, right? But once you start, you quickly see that printing PDFs in C# is trickier than it looks.

Working with PDFs in .NET can be tricky. Two popular tools are PdfiumViewer and IronPrint.

• PdfiumViewer is an open-source .NET PDF library wrapper around Google’s PDFium that gives you fast, native-quality PDF document (Portable Document Format) rendering and a ready-made WinForms/WPF viewer/control; it’s ideal when you only need high-fidelity viewing and some basic print PDF document/export features in a desktop app and want something free and lightweight.

• IronPrint is commercial printing PDF library. It focuses on printing across platforms like Windows, macOS, and even mobile. It has advanced features like silent printing, default printer control, and async jobs. Best for enterprise apps that need reliable, large-scale printing.

In short:

• Pick PdfiumViewer print PDF C# if you need a free, open-source viewer with basic printing.

• Pick IronPrint if you need cross-platform printing, enterprise support, and advanced printing control.

Why this matters

Printing PDF files and input PDF file rendering are harder than they look. Rendering engines, printer APIs, licensing, and OS support all change the final experience. Many developers ask: Should I use a free tool like PdfiumViewer or pay for a commercial option like IronPrint?

This guide looks at both, along with the code snippet. We’ll compare their features, performance, costs, and real-world use cases.

Quick background (what each product is)

PdfiumViewer - Print PDF C#

PdfiumViewer is a .NET control and library built on top of the PDFium engine (the open-source PDF renderer used by Chromium). Several forks and .NET wrappers exist; PdfiumViewer provides PdfDocument, PdfRenderer, and viewer controls to embed in WinForms/WPF apps and offers printing multiple PDF files via the native rendering output. Because it is a wrapper, functionality tracks what PDFium itself offers and depends on native PDFium binaries for each platform/architecture.

IronPrint

IronPrint is a commercial printing library from Iron Software designed to bring robust printing capabilities to .NET developers. IronPrint focuses on printing (PDFs, images, documents) and offers features like silent printing, asynchronous printing, a Printer class with dialog and non-dialog options, cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, mobile targets), merge multiple PDF files, and dedicated documentation and support. It’s positioned as an all-in-one print library for production apps and is distributed via NuGet.

Scope & use

PdfiumViewer

• Best for displaying PDFs with accurate rendering. Good if users click “Print” and use the system dialog.

IronPrint

• Best for apps that must print in the background (server-side silent printing, programmatic control of printer settings, print queues, asynchronous or background printing, and platform-specific print targets), across many platforms, or without user interaction.

Platform support

• PdfiumViewer: Mostly Windows. Cross-platform is possible but requires effort and binary management.

• IronPrint: Built for cross-platform use. Works with MAUI, Avalonia, web servers, and mobile devices.

Rendering quality of the PDF document

PdfiumViewer/PDFium:

• Uses Google’s PDFium renderer — the same engine Chromium uses — so rendering fidelity (text shapes, fonts, vector graphics, transparency, annotations) is excellent and consistent with modern browsers. PDFium's rendering is native and tuned for accurate on-screen and print rendering. If pixel-accurate display of PDFs is critical, PDFium is a top-tier option.

IronPrint:

• IronPrint focuses on printing rather than being a rendering engine. For printing PDFs, it will rely on its internal rendering and OS printing stack to deliver accurate output. Iron Software’s commercial products (IronPDF to generate PDF documents, IronPrint) generally aim for high-quality results and provide helpers to ensure fonts and layout translate correctly to printers. For apps where rendering fidelity must match a browser’s PDF view, PDFium’s direct renderer may have an edge; for production printing (paper size, duplex, margins), IronPrint provides many practical helpers and printer-facing features.

Features - Printing PDF files

PdfiumViewer

• Prints through Windows dialogs.

• Silent printing is hard.

• Advanced printer control takes extra code.

IronPrint

• Made for programmatic printing.

• Silent printing, async jobs, printer selection.

• Handles network printers, batch printing, and server jobs.

Developer experience using a PDF file

PdfiumViewer

• Simple to add for Windows apps: NuGet packages exist, and you get ready-made viewer controls and a small API surface. If your team is comfortable dealing with native dependency packaging (PDFium binaries for each target architecture), it’s straightforward. Open-source nature makes debugging and customization easier — you can inspect or fork the code if needed. Example usage pattern: load PdfDocument, attach PdfRenderer to a WinForms control, render PDF file name pages, and respond to user actions.

IronPrint

• Commercial SDK with official docs, examples, and customer support. Integration is typically quick for supported platforms because IronPrint aims to abstract platform-specific printer differences. The trade-off: you’re using a closed-source product and must follow licensing terms. The documentation includes examples for silent printing, configuring printers, and handling cross-platform specifics—useful in enterprise teams that prefer vendor support.

Licensing, cost, and support

• PdfiumViewer: Open-source (varying forks with differing licenses; check the specific project). Free to use, modify, and ship subject to the project’s license. No official commercial support unless you engage a third party or maintain it in-house. This is attractive for bootstrapped projects, but means you’re responsible for maintenance and handling native runtime issues.

• IronPrint: Commercial licensing (trial keys available), paid support, and SLAs depending on plan. The value is official support, maintenance, and enterprise features. Expect licensing costs for production deployment. Iron Software also publishes comparisons between IronPrint and other Iron products, explaining positioning and platform differences. If procurement requires vendor support, IronPrint fits that model.

Performance

PdfiumViewer:

• Very fast at rendering. Uses optimized C++ code. Works well for page-by-page viewing.

IronPrint:

• Optimized for printing large batches. Handles async jobs and retries. Best for server and enterprise scenarios.

Security

• PdfiumViewer: As with any native library, be mindful of CVEs and updates to PDFium — PDF parsing is a common attack surface. If processing untrusted PDFs, run in a hardened environment and keep native PDFium binaries updated. Open-source projects may not ship security backports as quickly as commercial vendors, so track upstream PDFium advisories.

• IronPrint: Commercial vendors typically maintain security updates and can provide guidance and timelines. However, always review the vendor’s security documentation and test with your policies. For server-side printing, ensure proper isolation and that print jobs cannot be used to exfiltrate sensitive data.

Community and maintenance

PdfiumViewer:

• Community-driven. Multiple forks. Quality varies. You may need to take ownership for long-term projects.

IronPrint:

• Backed by Iron Software. Regular updates and official support.

Code examples

PdfiumViewer (WinForms, simplified)

// Install-Package PdfiumViewer.Updated  
using PdfiumViewer;  
var pdf = PdfDocument.Load("invoice.pdf");  
var viewer = new PdfViewer(); // WinForms control from PdfiumViewer, initialize PDF library  
viewer.Document = pdf;  // Example: handling a mouse click event on the viewer  
viewer.MouseClick += (object sender, MouseEventArgs e) =>  
{      
 Console.WriteLine($"Viewer clicked at X={e.X}, Y={e.Y}");  
};  
// Add viewer to your form and it will render pages, provide zoom, etc.  // Iterate pages explicitly  
for (int i = 0; i < pdf.PageCount; i++)  
{      
 var page = pdf.Render(i, 300, 300, true); 
 // 'page' is now a System.Drawing.Image (bitmap of that PDF page)      
 // You could preview,  save, or print this image as needed.  
}  
// To print:  
pdf.Print(); // uses system printer dialog by default   `

(You’ll still need to ensure the correct PDFium native binaries are available for your target runtime.)

IronPrint (conceptual example)

// Install-Package IronPrint  
using IronSoftware.Print;  
var printer = new Printer();  
printer.PrintFile("report.pdf", showDialog: false); // silent printing if permitted  
// Or use async job APIs and printer selection APIs provided by IronPrint. 

Real-world scenarios

• Use PdfiumViewer if:

  • You are building a Windows desktop app (WinForms/WPF) and need a high-fidelity PDF viewer.
  • You want open-source code you can inspect or extend.
  • You’re comfortable managing native PDFium binaries for target platforms.
  • You primarily need rendering and user-driven printing (print dialog workflows).

• Use IronPrint if:

  • You need cross-platform programmatic printing (silent printing, mobile, MAUI/Avalonia, web-hosted backends).
  • You want vendor support, maintenance, and enterprise-focused printing APIs.
  • Your application must reliably handle batch printing, network printers, or printing in server environments.
  • You prefer a single commercial SDK that abstracts platform differences.

Testing tips

• If evaluating PdfiumViewer, create a test matrix of your typical PDFs (fonts, images, transparencies, forms) and compare rendered output vs your expected output (both on-screen and printed). Test on all target CPU/OS architectures so the native binary packaging strategy is validated.

• If evaluating IronPrint, sign up for the trial, validate silent printing workflows with your print infrastructure, test job throughput, and verify licensing model for your deployment (headless servers, cloud-hosted VMs, etc.). Read IronPrint docs for platform nuances and recommended deployment strategies.

Cost of ownership

Remember to consider non-obvious costs:

• For PdfiumViewer: developer time to manage native binaries, possible need to backport security fixes, and in-house support for edge-case bugs.

• For IronPrint: licensing fees, potential per-server or per-developer license terms, but reduced in-house maintenance and vendor SLAs. Evaluate total cost over 1–3 years based on expected printing volume and required support level.

Conclusion

• If you want native rendering fidelity in a Windows desktop viewer and prefer open-source, start with PdfiumViewer (or a maintained fork for .NET Core). It’s fast, accurate, and low-cost to acquire.

• If your product must print reliably at scale, from servers, mobile, or multi-OS clients, with silent printing and formal vendor support, evaluate IronPrint—run a trial and test your printers and print jobs end-to-end. For enterprise printing workflows, IronPrint will likely save engineering time and reduce operational risk. Get started with IronPrint now!