Print Markdown for VS Code

Print your Markdown files directly to any printer with a beautiful preview — no browser needed.

Features

• 🖨️ Print Markdown files directly from VS Code to any office printer
• 👀 Live Preview before printing with accurate page breaks
• 📄 Letter-sized pages (US Letter) with professional formatting
• 📑 Page Range Selection — print specific pages (e.g., 1-3, 5, 7-9)
• 🎨 GitHub-style rendering matching VS Code's markdown preview
• 🖱️ Right-click anywhere — works in editor and preview pane
• 💾 Save as PDF option instead of printing
• 🔧 Printer Selection — remember last used printer or always use default
• 🌐 Cross-Platform — Windows, macOS, and Linux support

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (for VS Code extension)
• Python 3.x with pip

Quick Setup

1. Clone or download this extension
2. Run one command:

npm install

That's it! The postinstall script will:

• Compile TypeScript code
• Install Python dependencies automatically (platform-specific)
• Set up everything for your operating system

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

If you encounter "externally-managed-environment" errors, the installer will automatically try multiple strategies. If all fail, you can install manually:

# Option 1: Use --break-system-packages (quickest, recommended for Homebrew Python)
python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages markdown weasyprint pygments

# Option 2: Install with --user flag (if allowed)
python3 -m pip install --user markdown weasyprint pygments

# Option 3: Use a virtual environment (recommended for development)
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install markdown weasyprint pygments

# Option 4: Use Homebrew (some packages may not be available)
brew install python-markdown
pip3 install --break-system-packages weasyprint pygments

Windows

On Windows, the extension automatically installs pywin32 for better printer integration. Python packages install to the system or user Python environment.

Linux

Similar to macOS, uses the --user flag for externally-managed environments. No Windows-specific packages are installed.

Manual Python Package Installation

If automatic installation fails, install manually:

All Platforms:

python3 -m pip install markdown weasyprint pygments

Windows Only (additional):

python -m pip install pywin32

Usage

Quick Start

1. Open any Markdown file (.md)
2. Right-click in the editor or preview pane
3. Select "Print Markdown"
4. Review the preview with accurate page breaks
5. (Optional) Select page range — print all pages, current page, or custom range (e.g., 1-3, 5, 7-9)
6. (Optional) Choose printer — or save as PDF
7. Click Print 🎉

From Markdown Editor

1. Open any .md file
2. Right-click anywhere in the editor
3. Select "Print Markdown"
4. Review, configure, and print

From Markdown Preview

1. Open markdown preview (Ctrl+Shift+V / Cmd+Shift+V)
2. Right-click in the preview pane
3. Select "Print Markdown"
4. Review, configure, and print

Page Range Selection

In the print preview, you can select which pages to print:

• All Pages — Print the entire document
• Current Page — Print only the page you're viewing
• Custom Range — Specify pages like:
  • 3 — Just page 3
  • 1-5 — Pages 1 through 5
  • 1-3, 5, 7-9 — Pages 1-3, page 5, and pages 7-9

Printer Options

Configure printer behavior in VS Code settings:

Use property vscode-print-md.printer.select, and set value to one of:

• default — Always use system default
• last-used — Remember and reuse last selected printer
• save-pdf — Always save as PDF instead of printing

Example

{
  "vscode-print-md.printer.select": "default" | "last-used" | "save-pdf"
}

Development

Run Extension in Debug Mode

Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host

Compile TypeScript

npm run compile    # Single compile
npm run watch      # Watch mode

Project Structure

vscode-print-md/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts           # Main extension code
│   ├── printMD.py             # Python printing engine
│   ├── utils/
│   │   └── cleanTemp.ts       # Temp folder cleanup utility
│   └── views/
│       ├── addPrintButton.htm      # Print button UI template
│       ├── createPrintableHtml.htm # Printable HTML template
│       └── mdToHtml.htm            # Markdown to HTML template
├── scripts/
│   └── install-python-deps.js # Cross-platform Python installer
├── test/
│   ├── coding-standards.test.js # Code style validation
│   └── print/                   # Test markdown files
├── out/                       # Compiled JavaScript output
├── package.json               # Extension manifest
└── tsconfig.json              # TypeScript configuration

How It Works

1. Extension uses VS Code's native markdown.api.render to convert markdown to HTML
2. Applies print-friendly CSS styling
3. Shows preview in webview with page breaks
4. On confirmation, Python script converts HTML → PDF using WeasyPrint
5. PDF sent to system printer (platform-specific handling)

Requirements

All OS

• VS Code 1.80.0 or higher
• Python 3.x with packages:
  • markdown - Markdown processing
  • weasyprint - HTML to PDF conversion
  • pygments - Syntax highlighting

Windows Only

• Python 3.x with packages:
  • pywin32 - Windows printer integration (Windows only)

Cross-Platform Support

The extension works seamlessly across all major platforms:

Platform	Print Method	Fallback Behavior
Windows	Native printer integration via pywin32	Opens PDF with default viewer if printing fails
macOS	System lp command	Opens PDF in Preview app for manual printing
Linux	System lp or lpr command	Opens PDF in default viewer (xdg-open)

Print Behavior

The extension intelligently handles printing across platforms:

1. Direct Printing (preferred): Sends PDF directly to printer using system commands
2. Fallback Mode: If direct printing fails or no printer is available, opens PDF in system default viewer
   • Allows manual printing with full control over printer settings
   • Useful when printer isn't detected or requires special configuration

Troubleshooting

Python Not Found

If you see "Python is not installed" warning:

Windows:

# Install Python from Microsoft Store or python.org
# Ensure 'python' command works in terminal
python --version

macOS/Linux:

# Install Python 3 if not already installed
python3 --version

# Extension automatically detects python3 on Unix systems

Installation Errors

macOS "externally-managed-environment" error:

The extension installer handles this automatically. If manual installation is needed:

python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages markdown weasyprint pygments

Linux permission errors:

python3 -m pip install --user markdown weasyprint pygments

Printing Issues

Colors not printing:

Check your PDF viewer settings:

• Adobe Reader: Disable "Print in Grayscale"

No printers detected:

The extension will automatically open the PDF in your default viewer for manual printing.

Page breaks in wrong places:

Page breaks are calculated during preview. Adjust your markdown formatting or use manual page break hints if needed.

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the Output panel (View → Output → Select "Print Markdown")
2. Enable debug mode by searching for debug settings
3. Report issues with OS, Python version, and error messages

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/isocialPractice/vscode-print-md.git
cd vscode-print-md
npm install  # Installs Node and Python dependencies

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.

License

MIT License — Copyright (c) 2025 practicing.xyz

See LICENSE file for details.

---

Enjoy printing your Markdown files! 🎉