leaflet.browser.print

A leaflet plugin which allows users to print the map directly from the browser

Usage no npm install needed!

<script type="module">
  import leafletBrowserPrint from 'https://cdn.skypack.dev/leaflet.browser.print';
</script>

README

Map Print Plugin for Leaflet.js

npm version

General information

A leaflet plugin which allows users to print full page map directly from the browser

  • Pros:

    • Compatible with Leaflet v1+.
    • Any page size from range A0-A10, B0-B10, C0-C10, D0-D10 can se used.
    • North American paper sizes available as well: Letter, HalfLetter, Legal, JuniorLegal, Tabloid, Ledger
    • Available 4 print modes, you can chose any you want and even create your own.
    • Everything in browser, no external apps or dependencies, print your map in one click.
    • You can even override default browser print behavior and export map as image, more details you can find here.
    • Any additional page content can be printed together with a map.
    • Leaflet Print Control
    • And many more...just ask!
  • Cons:

Changelog

Other examples:

Check out the:

Be careful when printing map legend

Common problem with printing map with a legend is external CSS plugins that ruins everything, here is an actual good answer why it is like that with Bootstrap plugin. Please read it carefully.

Downloads

NPM

    npm install --save leaflet.browser.print

YARN

    yarn add leaflet.browser.print

SCRIPT

    <script src="dist/leaflet.browser.print.min.js"></script>

Usage

Add a Control

Add the following line of code to your map script

var browserControl = L.control.browserPrint(options).addTo(map);

You can pass a number of options to the control:

Option Type Default Description
position Leaflet control position 'topleft' Position the print button
title String 'Print map' Sets the text which appears as the tooltip of the print button
printModes Array ["Portrait", "Landscape", "Auto", "Custom"] Collection of page print actions

Also the options for the [backend](#Use it in the Backend) can passed through.

L.control.browserPrint({position: 'topleft', title: 'Print ...'}).addTo(map);

To use the same BrowserPrint class in the backend and in the control you can pass it while creating the control:

var browserPrint = L.browserPrint(map,backendOptions);
L.control.browserPrint(controlOptions,browserPrint).addTo(map);

Here's an example of passing through some options:

var customActionToPrint = function(context, mode) {
    return function() {
        window.alert("We are printing the MAP. Let's do Custom print here!");
        context._printMode(mode);
    }
};

L.control.browserPrint({
    title: 'Just print me!',
    documentTitle: 'Map printed using leaflet.browser.print plugin',
    printLayer: L.tileLayer('https://stamen-tiles-{s}.a.ssl.fastly.net/watercolor/{z}/{x}/{y}.{ext}', {
                    attribution: 'Map tiles by <a href="http://stamen.com">Stamen Design</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">CC BY 3.0</a> &mdash; Map data &copy; <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a>',
                    subdomains: 'abcd',
                    minZoom: 1,
                    maxZoom: 16,
                    ext: 'png'
                }),
    closePopupsOnPrint: false,
    printModes: [
            L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Landscape("Tabloid",{title: "Tabloid VIEW"}),
            L.browserPrint.mode("Alert",{title:"User specified print action",pageSize: "A6", action: customActionToPrint, invalidateBounds: false}),
            L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Landscape(),
            "Portrait",
            L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Auto("B4",{title: "Auto"}),
            L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Custom("B5",{title:"Select area"})
    ],
    manualMode: false
}).addTo(map);

To stop printing call cancel():

browserControl.cancel();

Use it in the Backend

Add the following line of code to your map script

var browserPrint = L.browserPrint(map, options);

And then you can start printing with:

browserPrint.print(L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Landscape());

To stop printing call cancel():

browserPrint.cancel();

You can pass a number of options for printing:

Option Type Default Description
printModes Array ["Portrait", "Landscape", "Auto", "Custom"] Collection of page print actions
documentTitle String '' Sets the text which appears as the print page title
printLayer Leaflet tile layer null A tiles layer to show instead of all current active tile layers
closePopupsOnPrint Boolean true Indicates if we need to force popup closing for printed map
contentSelector String "[leaflet-browser-print-content]" Content selector for printed map, will select and dynamically inject content on printed maps. For full functionality please check "Printing additional content section"
pagesSelector String "[leaflet-browser-print-pages]" Pages selector for printed map, will select and dynamically inject additional pages content on printed maps.
manualMode Boolean false Adds a button with id='leaflet-browser-print--manualMode-button' for debugging purpose, also can be used to print map with external button.
customPrintStyle Polyline options { color: "gray", dashArray: "5, 10", pane: "customPrintPane" } Style for rectangle on custom print. 'customPrintPane' - is a custom pane with z-index => 9999
cancelWithEsc Boolean true Cancel printing with the ESC key
printFunction Function window.print Function that will be executed for printing.
debug Boolean false Stops opening the print window. Only for developing use.

Here's an example of passing through some options:

var options = {
    documentTitle: 'Map printed using leaflet.browser.print plugin',
    printLayer: L.tileLayer('https://stamen-tiles-{s}.a.ssl.fastly.net/watercolor/{z}/{x}/{y}.{ext}', {
                    attribution: 'Map tiles by <a href="http://stamen.com">Stamen Design</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">CC BY 3.0</a> &mdash; Map data &copy; <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a>',
                    subdomains: 'abcd',
                    minZoom: 1,
                    maxZoom: 16,
                    ext: 'png'
                }),
    closePopupsOnPrint: false,
    manualMode: false
};
var browserPrint = L.browserPrint(map, options);

Print Modes

Mode Description
Portrait Print currently visual part of the map with Portrait page dimensions
Landscape Print currently visual part of the map with Landscape page dimensions
Auto Track all active map layers (markers, lines, polygons, etc. ) and tries to fit them in print page in Portrait or Landscape page dimensions
Custom Allows you to select rectangle for printing, and then fit it in Portrait or Landscape page dimensions if it is not explicit set

General modes:

    L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Landscape();
    L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Portrait();
    L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Auto();
    L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Custom();

For each general mode the page size and options can be passed. The default page size is A4

L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Landscape(pageSize,options);
Option Type Default Description
title String The mode name. f.e. "Portrait" Set the control menu text
pageSize String 'A4' Size of page that will be printed
orientation String Mode name or calculation (Auto & Custom) How the page will be displayed landscape or portrait
zoom Integer 0 Zoom the map to this level
enableZoom Boolean true Zoom the map optimal, else the current zoom is taken. zoom have to be 0
action Function default mode action [Custom print button action](#Custom print button action)
rotate Integer 0 Rotate the map x-times by 90°
margin Object automatic The default margin are (height + width) / 39.9. A number can passed for all margins or set it explicit in a object for left, right, top, bottom --> {left: 10, top: 40}
scale Double 1 Scale the map. Shows all bigger or smaller, with 1 the map looks normal
header Object Adds a header section to the top of the page. For the available options look in the "Header / Footer Options" table below
footer Object Adds a footer section to the bottom of the page. For the available options look in the "Header / Footer Options" table below

Header / Footer Options

Option Type Default Description
enabled Boolean false Shows the section
text String / HTML "" The displayed text
size String "10mm" The height of the section
overTheMap Boolean false The section is displayed over the map

You can overwrite the CSS or change the DOM over the ids #print-header and #print-footer

Creating a own mode: L.BrowserPrint.Mode(name,options);

L.browserPrint.mode("Alert Mode",{pageSize: 'A3',orientation: 'Portrait'});

The mode options can be updated with:

mode.setOptions(options);

Map Events

Map Event Event Shortcut Value Description Purpose
browser-print-init L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrintInit { mode } Fire right after printing was initialized. To support busy indicator of any type to show user loaing status.
browser-pre-print L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrePrint { pageSize, pageBounds, printObjects } Fire before print started, allows manipulation with map objects. For DOM manipulation with real map objects.
browser-print-start L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrintStart { printLayer, printMap, printObjects } Fire on print started, before all print calculations is done. For DOM manipulation with print map and print objects.
browser-print L.BrowserPrint.Event.Print { printLayer, printMap, printObjects } Fire right before native print. For DOM manipulation with print map and print objects.
browser-print-end L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrintEnd { printLayer, printMap, printObjects } Fire on print end, after we refresh map to show initial view. For DOM manipulation with real map objects after print
browser-print-cancel L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrintCancel { mode } Fire when printing cancelded For DOM manipulation with real map objects after cancel

Example can be found here: DEMO with print objects manipulations;

Printing additional content section

To add additional printing content (in addition to a map itself) we need to specify content that should be added: Demo; By default contentSelector: '[leaflet-browser-print-content]' so we need a content with an 'leaflet-browser-print-content' attribute.

Code example:

<style leaflet-browser-print-content>
    .grid-print-container { // grid holder that holds all content (map and any other content)
        grid-template: auto 1fr auto / 1fr;
        background-color: orange;
    }
    .grid-map-print { // map container itself
        grid-row: 2;
    }
    .title { // Dynamic title styling
        grid-row: 1;
        justify-self: center;
        color: white;
    }
    .sub-content { // Dynamic sub content styling
        grid-row: 5;
        padding-left: 10px;
    }
</style>
<h1 class="title" leaflet-browser-print-content>Leaflet Browser print TITLE</h1>
<h3 class="sub-content" leaflet-browser-print-content>Leaflet Browser print SUB TITLE text</h3>

On print, plugin will scan DOM by contentSelector, and will add content to print may.

We are using CSS-GRID to position all controls on a print page.
Therefor it's not supportable in all browsers, for more information please visit [caniuse.com](https://caniuse.com/#feat=css-grid).

Angular 2+

See chapter 4 of https://github.com/Asymmetrik/ngx-leaflet-tutorial-plugins/tree/master/Leaflet.BrowserPrint

New print layers/renderers registration

To add missing print layers you need to explicitly indicate layer, it's identifier and construction function that will return actual layer object.

Example of L.MarkerClusterGroup registration:

L.BrowserPrint.Utils.registerLayer(
    // Actual typeof object to compare with
    L.MarkerClusterGroup,
    // Any string you would like for current function for print events
    'L.MarkerClusterGroup',
    function (layer, utils) {
        // We need to recreate cluster object with available options
        // Here we use function, but we can use object aswell,
        // example: new L.MarkerClusterGroup(layer._group.options);
        var cluster = L.markerClusterGroup(layer._group.options);

        // And we clone all inner layers to our new cluster
        // to properly recalculate/recreate position for print map
        cluster.addLayers(utils.cloneInnerLayers(layer._group));

        return cluster;
    });

List of pre-registered layers available for printing:

  • L.TileLayer.WMS
  • L.TileLayer
  • L.ImageOverlay
  • L.Marker
  • L.Popup
  • L.Circle
  • L.CircleMarker
  • L.Rectangle
  • L.Polygon
  • L.MultiPolyline
  • L.MultiPolygon
  • L.Polyline
  • L.GeoJSON
  • L.FeatureGroup
  • L.LayerGroup
  • L.Tooltip

Example of renderer registration:

L.BrowserPrint.Utils.registerRenderer(L.SVG, 'L.SVG');

List of registered renderers

  • L.SVG
  • L.Canvas

If you want to override any of those, please register your own builder for them.

MarkerClusterGroup OutOfMemory problem:

If you are facing OutOfMemory problem printing huge amount of objects you may consider next workaround:

// markerClusterGroup to print
var printableObjects = L.markerClusterGroup();

// We are not cloning markercluster to preserve original clasterization behavior and prevent OutOfMemory problems
// This way we will need to invalidate MarkerClusterGroup after printing
L.BrowserPrint.Utils.registerLayer(L.MarkerClusterGroup,
                                          'L.MarkerClusterGroup',
                                            function (layer, utils) {
                                                return layer;
                                            });

// On print end we invalidate markercluster to update markers;
map.on(L.BrowserPrint.Event.PrintEnd, function(e) {
    map.removeLayer(printableObjects);
    map.addLayer(printableObjects);
});

// Initial rendering ouf objects
map.addLayer(printableObjects);

Download Map as Image

To download map as PNG you have to use external plugin to do the job. Current plugin will do only 1 job - prepare map for printing. To print actual map we use in-browser print mechanism:

window.print()

You can use the options printFunction to implement any other behavior that you want. Example with domtoimage plugin to export map as image.png:

var saveAsImage = function () {
    return domtoimage.toPng(document.body)
        .then(function (dataUrl) {
            var link = document.createElement('a');
            link.download = map.printControl.options.documentTitle || "exportedMap" + '.png';
            link.href = dataUrl;
            link.click();
        });
};

L.control.browserPrint({
    documentTitle: "printImage",
    printModes: [
        L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Auto("Download PNG"),
    ],
    printFunction: saveAsImage
}).addTo(map);

Full example you can find here.

Custom print button action

Example of how you can use default button or style/specify your own button to call actual print logic. First of all you need to create print plugin with at least one print option to be able to attach it to the map, later you can use any other, even dynamically created print mode with your custom print button.

Example:

    L.control.browserPrint({
        printLayer: L.tileLayer('https://stamen-tiles-{s}.a.ssl.fastly.net/watercolor/{z}/{x}/{y}.{ext}', {
                        attribution: 'Map tiles by <a href="http://stamen.com">Stamen Design</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">CC BY 3.0</a> &mdash; Map data &copy; <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a>',
                        subdomains: 'abcd',
                        minZoom: 1,
                        maxZoom: 16,
                        ext: 'png'
                    }),
        printModes: [ "Landscape" ],
        manualMode: true // use true if it's debug and/or default button is okay for you, otherwise false.
    }).addTo(map);

    document.querySelector("#custom_print_button").addEventListener("click", function(){
        var modeToUse = L.BrowserPrint.Mode.Auto();
        map.printControl.print(modeToUse);
    });

And add next css to hide onmap menu:

    .leaflet-control-browser-print {display: none;}

Important notes

Unfortunately 'Custom' mode is not working correctly for Leaflet v.0.7.7 in all IE browsers.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Rowan Winsemius for general idea with a map print functionality.

Thanks to Jan Pieter Waagmeester for an idea that helped with map print functionality.

Also thanks to IcoMoon for the print icon.

Thanks to Falke-Design for restructuring the project and adding more functions