---
alias: user-guide-printing-integration
tags:
- printing integration
description: "Critical Manufacturing MES facilitates printing label and report generation through configurable integrations"
---

# Printing Integration

:lock: PrintingIntegration.**Show**

## Overview

Critical Manufacturing MES offers an out-of-the-box printing mechanism that allows you to effortlessly create labels or reports using the **Printable Document** entity, which can be found in the **Business Data** menu. This feature includes the ability to configure both the layout and respective contexts, which are dynamically applied at runtime using an internal layout creator and editor.

Moreover, the **Printing Integration** entity, which can be found in the **Administration** menu, works with the **Printable Document** entity to offer out-of-the-box integration with two popular printing solutions, **NiceLabel** and **BarTender**, as well as provides easy extensibility for integration with other vendors.

Additionally, the integration methods supported by Critical Manufacturing MES with **NiceLabel** and **BarTender** are **File** and **Web Service** based.

You can learn more about how to use Printing Integrations in our tutorial: [[tutorials-thirdpartylabelprintingintegrationindex]].

## Tying Everything Together

```mermaid
graph LR
    C1[Printer Type Printers Context] -.- Main[Printing Integration]
    Main --- L1[Printable Document]

classDef mermaid_title color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, font-weight:200;
classDef mermaid_start color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, color:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, visibility: hidden;
classDef mermaid_businessdata color:#000, fill:#65CDE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_nonbusinessdata color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#B7DEE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entity color:#000, fill:#FB9F53, stroke:#FB9F53, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_context color:#000, fill:#B9CDE5, stroke:#B9CDE5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_optional color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
class Main mermaid_entity
class A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A6,A7,A8,A9,A10 mermaid_businessdata
class L1,L2,L3,L4,L5,L6 mermaid_entitylinked
class C1,C2,C3,C4,C5,C6 mermaid_context
class N1,N2,N3,N4,N5,N6 mermaid_nonbusinessdata

click L1 "../../business-data/printable-document"
click C1 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/printertypeprinterscontext"
click Main "../../administration/printing-integration"
```

The summary of a Printing Operation workflow can be seen in the following diagram:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
  A[Print Operation] -->|Resolve PrinterTypePrintersContext| C{Has Printer Integration?}
  C -->|No| D[Use default logic]
  C -->|Yes| E[Format Data Context Items<br>Use Printing Integration<br>InputFormatterRule<br>and<br>Printable Document External Layout<br>if exists]
  E -..->|Default DEE Rules| G{Print<br>System?}
  subgraph DEE
  G -->|BarTender| PS{Integration<br>Type?}
  G -->|NiceLabel| PS2{Integration<br>Type?}
  PS -->|File| H1[PrintingIntegration<br>BarTender<br>FileInput]
  PS -->|WebService| H2[PrintingIntegration<br>BarTender<br>WebServiceInput]
  PS2 -->|File| J1[PrintingIntegration<br>NiceLabel<br>FileInput]
  PS2 -->|WebService| J2[PrintingIntegration<br>NiceLabel<br>WebServiceInput]
  end

  E --> IM{Integration<br>Method?}
  IM -->|File|Call1[Call PrintingIntegrationFile<br>NameGenerator]
  IM -->|WebService|Call2[Call WebService<br><br>Use Authentication Method<br>defined in Printing Integration Service body<br>=Result from Printing Integration<br>InputFormatterRule]
  
  Call2 --> SCM{Web Service Call Mode<br>Synchronous?}
  SCM -->|Yes| FWSR{OutputFormatter<br>defined?}
  SCM -->|No| RIE[Run Integration Entry]
  FWSR -->|Yes| OFYES[Parse the response]
  FWSR -->|No| OFNO[Keep response as-is]
  RIE --> End[End]
  Call1 --> End[End]
  OFYES --> End
  OFNO --> End

  Call2 -.->|Default Authentication Methods| G2{Print<br>System?}
  subgraph DAM
  G2 -->|BarTender| PIAM[Basic Authentication<br>None<br><br>Printing Integration Authentication Method<br>Generic Table]
  G2 -->|NiceLabel| PIAM
  end

classDef mermaid_title color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, font-weight:200;
classDef mermaid_start color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, color:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, visibility: hidden;
classDef mermaid_businessdata color:#000, fill:#65CDE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_nonbusinessdata color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#B7DEE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entity color:#000, fill:#FB9F53, stroke:#FB9F53, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_context color:#000, fill:#B9CDE5, stroke:#B9CDE5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_optional color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
classDef mermaid_state color:#000, fill:#d7e4bd, stroke:#000, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, font-weight:300;
class Entity mermaid_entity
class Version1,Version2,Version3,Version4,Version5,Version6,Version7,Version8,Version9,Version10,Version11 mermaid_businessdata
class RevisionA,RevisionB,RevisionC mermaid_entitylinked
```

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