Need Recommendation on conversion

Aspose.Total Cloud Product Family
1

Hi,

I want to convert the documents (docx or pdf) into a printable format which i can directly send to printer. Wanted to know the aspose recommendation whether to convert PDF to PCL/PS/XPS etc or Word to PCL/PS/XPS. What to know which would be faster and reliable and also if Java/.Net which one would be faster in conversion. Also want to know if i use PDF do i first need to convert it to Docx and then convert to PCL or is direct conversion possible? Also wanted to know if the low code converter is for aspose words only or for pdf also. When i see this Pcl Generation from pdf not perfect - #2 by alexey.noskov - Free Support Forum - aspose.com here they say ```
Aspose.Words.LowCode.Converter.Convert(@“C:\Temp\in.pdf”, @“C:\Temp\out.xps”); Just wanted to know the best recommendation from Aspose.

2

@kavita09

Recommendation Overview

Source format Desired printable format Recommended Aspose product Direct conversion possible?
DOCX / DOC PCL / PostScript / XPS Aspose.Words Yes – Word → PCL / PS / XPS
PDF PCL / PostScript / XPS Aspose.PDF Yes – PDF → PCL / PS / XPS (no need to go through DOCX)

Key points

  • Choose the product that matches the source file. Converting a PDF to DOCX first adds an unnecessary step and can introduce fidelity loss.
  • Both Aspose.Words and Aspose.PDF provide the same “low‑code” API but the Low‑Code Converter class exists only in Aspose.Words (it is a thin wrapper around the full API). For PDF you should use the regular Aspose.PDF API.
  • Performance (speed) between .NET and Java is comparable – the libraries are the same code base compiled for each platform. Real‑world differences are usually caused by the execution environment (CPU, I/O, JVM/CLR settings) rather than the library itself.

1. Converting Word documents (DOCX/DOC) to a printable format

.NET (C#) example – Word → PCL

using Aspose.Words;
using Aspose.Words.Saving;

// Load DOCX
Document doc = new Document(@"C:\Temp\sample.docx");

// Set PCL save options
PclSaveOptions saveOptions = new PclSaveOptions
{
    // Optional: set rasterization resolution, color mode, etc.
    Resolution = 300,
    ColorMode = ColorMode.Color
};

// Save as PCL
doc.Save(@"C:\Temp\sample.pcl", saveOptions);

Java example – Word → XPS

import com.aspose.words.*;

public class WordToXps {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        // Load DOCX
        Document doc = new Document("C:/Temp/sample.docx");

        // XPS save options (defaults are usually sufficient)
        XpsSaveOptions saveOptions = new XpsSaveOptions();

        // Save as XPS
        doc.save("C:/Temp/sample.xps", saveOptions);
    }
}

Resources

2. Converting PDF directly to a printable format

.NET (C#) example – PDF → PostScript

using Aspose.Pdf;
using Aspose.Pdf.Devices;

// Load PDF
Document pdf = new Document(@"C:\Temp\sample.pdf");

// Set up PS device
PsDevice psDevice = new PsDevice(@"C:\Temp\sample.ps");

// Convert
pdf.Save(psDevice);

Java example – PDF → XPS

import com.aspose.pdf.*;

public class PdfToXps {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        // Load PDF
        Document pdf = new Document("C:/Temp/sample.pdf");

        // XPS device
        XpsDevice xpsDevice = new XpsDevice("C:/Temp/sample.xps");

        // Convert
        pdf.save(xpsDevice);
    }
}

Resources

  • Aspose.PDF “Save PDF to XPS, PCL, PS” – .NET / Java
  • Direct PDF → PCL – PCL Device

3. Speed & Reliability Considerations

Scenario Reason for Faster/More Reliable conversion
PDF → PCL/PS/XPS (direct) Single conversion step – avoids the round‑trip through Word, which can cause layout changes.
Word → PCL/PS/XPS Uses native Word rendering engine in Aspose.Words, which preserves complex layout (tables, images, fields) very accurately.
PDF → DOCX → PCL Two‑step conversion introduces a risk of fidelity loss and is slower. Not recommended unless you need to edit the content as Word first.

Performance tip – When processing many files, reuse the same PdfDevice/PclSaveOptions objects where possible and avoid unnecessary I/O (e.g., stream directly to a MemoryStream when you only need to send the output to a printer).

4. Which platform (.NET vs Java) will be faster?

  • Both APIs are built from the same source code; any measurable speed difference is usually due to runtime configuration (JIT vs JVM warm‑up, GC settings, 64‑bit vs 32‑bit, etc.).
  • For a typical server or desktop environment the difference is negligible. Choose the platform that best fits your existing application stack.

5. Low‑Code Converter – What does it support?

  • The Low‑Code Converter (Aspose.Words.LowCode.Converter) is a Word‑only helper introduced to simplify common conversion scenarios (DOCX → PDF, XPS, HTML, etc.).
  • It does not support PDF. For PDF conversions you must use the regular Aspose.PDF API as shown above.

6. Putting It All Together – Suggested Workflow

  1. If the source is DOCX/DOC – Use Aspose.Words to convert directly to the printable format you need (PCL, PS, XPS).
  2. If the source is PDF – Use Aspose.PDF to convert directly to the same printable format. No intermediate DOCX step is required.
  3. Send the generated file to the printer – Most printers accept PCL, PostScript, or XPS natively; you can stream the file directly to the printer port or use the OS printing API.

7. Further Reading

Do you need any additional help?

  • Specific code for a batch conversion scenario?
  • Guidance on streaming the output directly to a printer without persisting to disk?

Feel free to let me know, and I’ll provide the exact snippet you need.

3

The links give 404. * Aspose.PDF “Save PDF to XPS, PCL, PS” – .NET / Java