# How to set up Send to Print functionality in Composer

Source: https://docs.arcxp.com/en/products/composer/getting-started-with-composer/how-to-set-up-send-to-print-functionality-in-composer.html

Send-to-print is a button on the Arc XP Composer Document Actions toolbar that facilitates a manual external third-party print integration with Arc XP.

Arc XP is a digital-only solution and does not provide any capabilities for print. To print, you must integrate the content that you author in Composer to a customer print system.

Clicking the Send to Print button in Composer does not automatically save content to the Draft API. It is recommended users save the content first to generate a new revision\_id and then click the Send to Print button.

Saving revisions to a story after that story has been sent to print will not re-run the send to print process. You must initiate that process again by clicking Send to Print.

## Integration paths

Composer supports two ways to connect to a print system:

**Legacy (direct URL)** — Composer calls a print endpoint URL that you configure in organization settings. Use this path if you maintain a standalone print service.

**IFX** — Composer fires a `composer:send_to_print` event through the Arc XP Integration Framework. Use this path if you manage print delivery through an IFX integration.

## Using send-to-print

After Arc XP provisions the send-to-print URL, you can then enter the URL into the [Arc XP print integration](https://docs.arcxp.com/en/products/general/arc-xp-print-integration.html) section of the Composer Settings page.

When the user is writing a story and reaches a completed state, they save the story and then click the send-to-print button.

When clicked, the Composer UI generates a request to the Composer app server, which forwards the request to the configured send-to-print URL.

When the send-to-print system responds with a success, the user sees a success message; otherwise, the system presents an error message.

![comp_print_system_integration_setting.webp](https://docs.arcxp.com/images/learning-center/image/img-476e66be7e186e126a06ae1fd370a758.webp) 

## Implementing send-to-print (Legacy)

Composer org settings has values:

```javascript
var org_settings = {
    "displaySendToPrint": true,
    "sendToPrintURL": "https://domain.com/path"
}
```

When `displaySendToPrint` \= `true`, then the button appears to the user in the Document Actions Toolbar of the Compose page.

When you click the send-to-print button, Composer generates a request to the Composer app server (`/composer` base path).

```
GET https://org.arcpublishing.com/composer/api/stp?story_id=ABC&revision_id=123&canonical_url=&print_url=https://domain.com/path
```

- `story_id` is the ID of the currently viewed story in Composer.
- `revision_id` is the revision ID of the currently viewed story in Composer.
- `canonical_url` is the canonical URL of the currently viewed story in Composer.
- `print_url` is the canonical URL of the currently viewed story in Composer.

Composer forwards the request to the configured print system as follows.

```
GET https://domain.com/path?story_id=ABC&revision_id=123&canonical_url=URL
```

You should maintain a RESTful service that the Send to Print action can call. When called, it should handle the request parameters, perform the required data transformation, and send the content to the print system.

The Composer application handles errors (non-HTTP 200 responses) as a 500 and passes the value of the 200 response through to the end user as a success.

## Implementing send-to-print (IFX)

To use the IFX path, set `useiFXSendtoPrint` to `true` in org settings:

```javascript
var org_settings = {
    "displaySendToPrint": true,
    "useiFXSendtoPrint": true
}
```

When `useiFXSendtoPrint` is `true`, clicking Send to Print fires a `composer:send_to_print` event to IFX instead of calling a direct print URL. Your IFX integration receives the event and is responsible for forwarding it to the print system.

Composer sends the following payload to IFX:

```json
{
  "story_id": "<document id>",
  "revision_id": "<revision id>",
  "canonical_url": "<story canonical URL>",
  "canonical_website": "<site token>",
  "date": "<ISO 8601 timestamp>"
}
```

A 202 response from IFX means the event was accepted and forwarded to your integration.

### Setting up the IFX integration

To receive the `composer:send_to_print` event, your IFX integration must be subscribed to it:

1. Create a new integration through the API.
2. Add `composer:send_to_print` to the integration’s list of subscribed events.
3. Implement a handler in your integration that receives the event payload and forwards it to the print system.

If no IFX integration is subscribed to `composer:send_to_print`, Composer shows the error: _No IFX integration is registered for the `composer:sendtoprint` event._

## Setting permissions

The send-to-print button appears only in Composer when your administrator selects the Print System Integration setting within Composer settings. The print button remains hidden when the Print System Integration setting is disabled in Composer. Moreover, the button remains disabled under the following circumstances:

- You are in read-only mode or you do not own the lock for the story
- Send-to-print is already initiated and the request is still loading