Can I use printComponent without having to draw component to screen first?

Question

I have been using the printComponent that was shown in another question. It works great for printing a JPanel if I first add that JPanel to a JFrame and draw that JFrame to screen. But if I don't do that before I print, I get a blank page printed. Why is this?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer 1

that is because the panel you wish to draw has an initial size of 0,0. Once added to a container with a layout manager and is displayed, then it gets its "normal" size.

Answer 2

I've used code like the following to create a BufferedImage on a panel that is not visible on the frame:

JPanel panel = new JPanel();
...  // add components
panel.setSize(300, 300);
panel.doLayout();

Answer 3

hey i used the setsize and the dolayout method, it works brilliantly. thanks very much for your help.