The C# PDF Library

HTML to PDF

using IronPdf;

// Disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Load external html assets: Images, CSS and JavaScript.
// An optional BasePath 'C:\site\assets\' is set as the file location to load assets from
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Load external html assets: Images, CSS and JavaScript.
// An optional BasePath 'C:\site\assets\' is set as the file location to load assets from
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

PM >Install-Package IronPdf

Install-Package IronPdf

MIGRATION GUIDES

How to Migrate from Easy PDF SDK to IronPDF in C#

Curtis Chau

Updated: August 1, 2026

BCL Technologies, the original publisher of easyPDF SDK, was acquired by Apryse (formerly PDFTron) in March 2020, and the product is now positioned as a legacy SDK alongside the Apryse PDF SDK. The SDK itself relies on several legacy technologies that create deployment and maintenance challenges in modern development environments.

Common Easy PDF SDK Deployment Issues

Developers frequently encounter these issues when working with Easy PDF SDK:

bcl.easypdf.interop.easypdfprinter.dll error loading
COM object that has been separated from its underlying RCW cannot be used
Timeout expired waiting for print job to complete
The printer operation failed because the service is not running
Error: Access denied (interactive session required)
Cannot find printer: BCL easyPDF Printer

These errors typically stem from Easy PDF SDK's architecture, which relies on virtual printer drivers, COM interop, and interactive Windows sessions that are awkward to reproduce in modern server environments.

Easy PDF SDK vs. IronPDF: Key Differences

Feature	Easy PDF SDK	IronPDF
Platform	Windows-only	Windows, Linux, macOS, Docker
Office Dependency	Required	None
Distribution	MSI installer + manual DLL references (no NuGet package)	NuGet package (`IronPdf`)
Installation	MSI + virtual printer driver + COM registration	NuGet package
Server Support	Typically requires an interactive Windows session	Runs headless
HTML Rendering	Basic (Office-based)	Full Chromium (CSS3, JS)
.NET Support	Limited .NET Core	.NET Framework 4.6.2+ and .NET 5/6/7/8/9
Async Pattern	Callback-based	Native async/await
Container Support	Not supported by the vendor	Full Docker/Kubernetes

Platform Limitations

Easy PDF SDK targets Windows and relies on Microsoft Office installations for Office document conversions, which limits its use on Linux, macOS, and containerized environments like Docker. This dependency tends to make server setups more complex and ties deployment to Windows - a constraint for teams practicing multi-platform DevOps or relying on Linux containers.

Pre-Migration Preparation

Prerequisites

Ensure your environment meets these requirements:

.NET Framework 4.6.2+ or .NET Core 3.1 / .NET 5-9
Visual Studio 2019+ or VS Code with C# extension
NuGet Package Manager access
IronPDF license key (free trial available at ironpdf.com)

Audit Easy PDF SDK Usage

Run these commands in your solution directory to identify all Easy PDF SDK references:

# Find all BCL using statements
grep -r "using BCL" --include="*.cs" .

# Find Printer/PDFDocument usage
grep -r "Printer\|PDFDocument\|PDFConverter\|HTMLConverter" --include="*.cs" .

# Find COM interop references
grep -r "easyPDF\|BCL.easyPDF" --include="*.csproj" .

# Find configuration settings
grep -r "PageOrientation\|TimeOut\|PrintOffice" --include="*.cs" .

# Find all BCL using statements
grep -r "using BCL" --include="*.cs" .

# Find Printer/PDFDocument usage
grep -r "Printer\|PDFDocument\|PDFConverter\|HTMLConverter" --include="*.cs" .

# Find COM interop references
grep -r "easyPDF\|BCL.easyPDF" --include="*.csproj" .

# Find configuration settings
grep -r "PageOrientation\|TimeOut\|PrintOffice" --include="*.cs" .

SHELL

Breaking Changes to Anticipate

Easy PDF SDK Pattern	Change Required
`new Printer()`	Use `ChromePdfRenderer`
`PrintOfficeDocToPDF()`	Office conversion handled differently
`RenderHTMLToPDF()`	`RenderHtmlAsPdf()`
COM interop references	Remove entirely
Printer driver config	Not needed
`BeginPrintToFile()` callbacks	Native async/await
Interactive session requirements	Runs headless
1-based page indexing	0-based indexing
Timeout in seconds	Timeout in milliseconds

Step-by-Step Migration Process

Step 1: Remove Easy PDF SDK

Easy PDF SDK is distributed as an MSI installer rather than a NuGet package, and projects typically reference its assemblies (such as BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll for .NET Framework or BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.NetCore.dll for .NET Core) directly. Remove all references:

Uninstall BCL EasyPDF SDK from Programs and Features
Remove DLL <Reference> entries from your .csproj
Remove COM interop references
Clean up GAC entries if present

Step 2: Install IronPDF

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

SHELL

Or via Package Manager Console:

PM > Install-Package IronPdf

Install-Package IronPdf

Step 3: Update Namespace References

Replace Easy PDF SDK namespaces with IronPDF:

// Remove these
using BCL.easyPDF;
using BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter;
using BCL.easyPDF.PDFProcessor;
using BCL.easyPDF.Printer;

// Add these
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

// Remove these
using BCL.easyPDF;
using BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter;
using BCL.easyPDF.PDFProcessor;
using BCL.easyPDF.Printer;

// Add these
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Rendering

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Rendering

Complete API Migration Reference

Core Class Mapping

Easy PDF SDK Class	IronPDF Equivalent
`Printer`	`ChromePdfRenderer`
`PDFDocument`	`PdfDocument`
`HTMLConverter`	`ChromePdfRenderer`
`PrinterConfiguration`	`ChromePdfRenderOptions`
`PageOrientation`	`PdfPaperOrientation`
`PageSize`	`PdfPaperSize`
`SecurityHandler`	`PdfDocument.SecuritySettings`

PDF Creation Methods

Easy PDF SDK Method	IronPDF Method
`printer.RenderHTMLToPDF(html, path)`	`renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html).SaveAs(path)`
`printer.RenderUrlToPDF(url, path)`	`renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url).SaveAs(path)`
`htmlConverter.ConvertHTML(html, doc)`	`renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)`
`htmlConverter.ConvertURL(url, doc)`	`renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)`

PDF Manipulation Methods

Easy PDF SDK Method	IronPDF Method
`doc.Append(doc2)`	`PdfDocument.Merge(pdf1, pdf2)`
`doc.ExtractPages(start, end)`	`pdf.CopyPages(start, end)`
`doc.DeletePage(index)`	`pdf.RemovePages(index)`
`doc.GetPageCount()`	`pdf.PageCount`
`doc.Save(path)`	`pdf.SaveAs(path)`
`doc.Close()`	`pdf.Dispose()` or `using`
`doc.ExtractText()`	`pdf.ExtractAllText()`

Configuration Options

Easy PDF SDK Option	IronPDF Option
`config.TimeOut`	`RenderingOptions.Timeout`
`config.PageOrientation = Landscape`	`RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = Landscape`
`config.PageSize = A4`	`RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4`
`config.MarginTop/Bottom/Left/Right`	`RenderingOptions.MarginTop`, etc.

Code Migration Examples

HTML String to PDF

Easy PDF SDK Implementation:

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf = new PDFDocument();
        var htmlConverter = new HTMLConverter();
        htmlConverter.ConvertHTML("<h1>Hello World</h1>", pdf);
        pdf.Save("output.pdf");
        pdf.Close();
    }
}

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf = new PDFDocument();
        var htmlConverter = new HTMLConverter();
        htmlConverter.ConvertHTML("<h1>Hello World</h1>", pdf);
        pdf.Save("output.pdf");
        pdf.Close();
    }
}

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim pdf As New PDFDocument()
        Dim htmlConverter As New HTMLConverter()
        htmlConverter.ConvertHTML("<h1>Hello World</h1>", pdf)
        pdf.Save("output.pdf")
        pdf.Close()
    End Sub
End Class

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim pdf As New PDFDocument()
        Dim htmlConverter As New HTMLConverter()
        htmlConverter.ConvertHTML("<h1>Hello World</h1>", pdf)
        pdf.Save("output.pdf")
        pdf.Close()
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF Implementation:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF folds HTML rendering into a single renderer call and lets using/Dispose handle cleanup, removing the separate HTMLConverter step and the manual Close() pattern.

URL to PDF Conversion

Easy PDF SDK Implementation:

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf = new PDFDocument();
        var htmlConverter = new HTMLConverter();
        htmlConverter.ConvertURL("https://example.com", pdf);
        pdf.Save("webpage.pdf");
        pdf.Close();
    }
}

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf = new PDFDocument();
        var htmlConverter = new HTMLConverter();
        htmlConverter.ConvertURL("https://example.com", pdf);
        pdf.Save("webpage.pdf");
        pdf.Close();
    }
}

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim pdf As New PDFDocument()
        Dim htmlConverter As New HTMLConverter()
        htmlConverter.ConvertURL("https://example.com", pdf)
        pdf.Save("webpage.pdf")
        pdf.Close()
    End Sub
End Class

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim pdf As New PDFDocument()
        Dim htmlConverter As New HTMLConverter()
        htmlConverter.ConvertURL("https://example.com", pdf)
        pdf.Save("webpage.pdf")
        pdf.Close()
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF Implementation:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com")
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com")
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

Merging Multiple PDFs

Easy PDF SDK Implementation:

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf1 = new PDFDocument("document1.pdf");
        var pdf2 = new PDFDocument("document2.pdf");
        pdf1.Append(pdf2);
        pdf1.Save("merged.pdf");
        pdf1.Close();
        pdf2.Close();
    }
}

// Reference BCL.easyPDF.PDFConverter.dll (or the .NetCore variant)
// installed by the easyPDF SDK MSI — there is no NuGet package.
using BCL.easyPDF;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var pdf1 = new PDFDocument("document1.pdf");
        var pdf2 = new PDFDocument("document2.pdf");
        pdf1.Append(pdf2);
        pdf1.Save("merged.pdf");
        pdf1.Close();
        pdf2.Close();
    }
}

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim pdf1 As New PDFDocument("document1.pdf")
        Dim pdf2 As New PDFDocument("document2.pdf")
        pdf1.Append(pdf2)
        pdf1.Save("merged.pdf")
        pdf1.Close()
        pdf2.Close()
    End Sub
End Module

Imports BCL.easyPDF
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim pdf1 As New PDFDocument("document1.pdf")
        Dim pdf2 As New PDFDocument("document2.pdf")
        pdf1.Append(pdf2)
        pdf1.Save("merged.pdf")
        pdf1.Close()
        pdf2.Close()
    End Sub
End Module

IronPDF Implementation:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var pdfs = new List<PdfDocument>
        {
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document1.pdf"),
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document2.pdf")
        };
        var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs);
        merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";
        var pdfs = new List<PdfDocument>
        {
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document1.pdf"),
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document2.pdf")
        };
        var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs);
        merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim pdfs As New List(Of PdfDocument) From {
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document1.pdf"),
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document2.pdf")
        }
        Dim merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs)
        merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

Imports IronPdf
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"
        Dim pdfs As New List(Of PdfDocument) From {
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document1.pdf"),
            PdfDocument.FromFile("document2.pdf")
        }
        Dim merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs)
        merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

IronPDF's static Merge method accepts a collection of documents directly, replacing the pairwise Append pattern.

Password Protection

IronPDF Implementation:

using IronPdf;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>");

// Set security
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner456";
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserEdits = PdfEditSecurity.NoEdit;

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf");

using IronPdf;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>");

// Set security
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner456";
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserEdits = PdfEditSecurity.NoEdit;

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>")

' Set security
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123"
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner456"
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserEdits = PdfEditSecurity.NoEdit

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf")

Imports IronPdf

Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>")

' Set security
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123"
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner456"
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserEdits = PdfEditSecurity.NoEdit

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf")

Headers and Footers

Easy PDF SDK does not expose dedicated header/footer APIs in its HTML conversion path; headers and footers are typically embedded directly in the source HTML. IronPDF provides dedicated header/footer objects:

using IronPdf;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter
{
    HtmlFragment = @"
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial;'>
            Company Name - Confidential
        </div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true,
    MaxHeight = 30
};

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter
{
    HtmlFragment = @"
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:10px;'>
            Page {page} of {total-pages}
        </div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true,
    MaxHeight = 25
};

var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Content</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("with_headers.pdf");

using IronPdf;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter
{
    HtmlFragment = @"
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial;'>
            Company Name - Confidential
        </div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true,
    MaxHeight = 30
};

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter
{
    HtmlFragment = @"
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:10px;'>
            Page {page} of {total-pages}
        </div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true,
    MaxHeight = 25
};

var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Content</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("with_headers.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = New HtmlHeaderFooter With {
    .HtmlFragment = "
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial;'>
            Company Name - Confidential
        </div>",
    .DrawDividerLine = True,
    .MaxHeight = 30
}

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = New HtmlHeaderFooter With {
    .HtmlFragment = "
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:10px;'>
            Page {page} of {total-pages}
        </div>",
    .DrawDividerLine = True,
    .MaxHeight = 25
}

Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Content</h1>")
pdf.SaveAs("with_headers.pdf")

Imports IronPdf

Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = New HtmlHeaderFooter With {
    .HtmlFragment = "
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial;'>
            Company Name - Confidential
        </div>",
    .DrawDividerLine = True,
    .MaxHeight = 30
}

renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = New HtmlHeaderFooter With {
    .HtmlFragment = "
        <div style='text-align:center; font-size:10px;'>
            Page {page} of {total-pages}
        </div>",
    .DrawDividerLine = True,
    .MaxHeight = 25
}

Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Content</h1>")
pdf.SaveAs("with_headers.pdf")

For more options, see the headers and footers documentation.

Async PDF Generation

Easy PDF SDK uses callback-based async patterns. IronPDF supports native async/await:

Easy PDF SDK Implementation:

using BCL.easyPDF;

Printer printer = new Printer();

// BCL uses callback-based async
printer.BeginPrintToFile(
    "https://example.com",
    "output.pdf",
    OnPrintComplete,
    OnPrintError
);

Console.ReadLine();
printer.Dispose();

using BCL.easyPDF;

Printer printer = new Printer();

// BCL uses callback-based async
printer.BeginPrintToFile(
    "https://example.com",
    "output.pdf",
    OnPrintComplete,
    OnPrintError
);

Console.ReadLine();
printer.Dispose();

Imports BCL.easyPDF

Dim printer As New Printer()

' BCL uses callback-based async
printer.BeginPrintToFile( _
    "https://example.com", _
    "output.pdf", _
    AddressOf OnPrintComplete, _
    AddressOf OnPrintError _
)

Console.ReadLine()
printer.Dispose()

Imports BCL.easyPDF

Dim printer As New Printer()

' BCL uses callback-based async
printer.BeginPrintToFile( _
    "https://example.com", _
    "output.pdf", _
    AddressOf OnPrintComplete, _
    AddressOf OnPrintError _
)

Console.ReadLine()
printer.Dispose()

IronPDF Implementation:

using IronPdf;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Native async/await
        var pdf = await renderer.RenderUrlAsPdfAsync("https://example.com");
        await pdf.SaveAsAsync("output.pdf");

        Console.WriteLine("PDF created: output.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Native async/await
        var pdf = await renderer.RenderUrlAsPdfAsync("https://example.com");
        await pdf.SaveAsAsync("output.pdf");

        Console.WriteLine("PDF created: output.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System.Threading.Tasks

Class Program
    Shared Async Function Main() As Task
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

        ' Native async/await
        Dim pdf = Await renderer.RenderUrlAsPdfAsync("https://example.com")
        Await pdf.SaveAsAsync("output.pdf")

        Console.WriteLine("PDF created: output.pdf")
    End Function
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System.Threading.Tasks

Class Program
    Shared Async Function Main() As Task
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

        ' Native async/await
        Dim pdf = Await renderer.RenderUrlAsPdfAsync("https://example.com")
        Await pdf.SaveAsAsync("output.pdf")

        Console.WriteLine("PDF created: output.pdf")
    End Function
End Class

Critical Migration Notes

Page Index Change

Easy PDF SDK uses 1-based indexing. IronPDF uses 0-based indexing:

// Easy PDF SDK: 1-based
doc.ExtractPages(1, 5);

// IronPDF: 0-based
pdf.CopyPages(0, 4);

// Easy PDF SDK: 1-based
doc.ExtractPages(1, 5);

// IronPDF: 0-based
pdf.CopyPages(0, 4);

' Easy PDF SDK: 1-based
doc.ExtractPages(1, 5)

' IronPDF: 0-based
pdf.CopyPages(0, 4)

' Easy PDF SDK: 1-based
doc.ExtractPages(1, 5)

' IronPDF: 0-based
pdf.CopyPages(0, 4)

Timeout in Milliseconds

Easy PDF SDK uses seconds for timeout values. IronPDF uses milliseconds:

// Easy PDF SDK: seconds
config.TimeOut = 120;

// IronPDF: milliseconds
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 120000;

// Easy PDF SDK: seconds
config.TimeOut = 120;

// IronPDF: milliseconds
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 120000;

' Easy PDF SDK: seconds
config.TimeOut = 120

' IronPDF: milliseconds
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 120000

' Easy PDF SDK: seconds
config.TimeOut = 120

' IronPDF: milliseconds
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 120000

ASP.NET Core Integration

Easy PDF SDK struggles in web contexts due to interactive session requirements.

IronPDF Pattern:

[ApiController]
[Route("[controller]")]
public class PdfController : ControllerBase
{
    [HttpGet("generate")]
    public IActionResult GeneratePdf()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report</h1>");

        return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf");
    }

    [HttpGet("generate-async")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdfAsync()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Report</h1>");

        return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf");
    }
}

[ApiController]
[Route("[controller]")]
public class PdfController : ControllerBase
{
    [HttpGet("generate")]
    public IActionResult GeneratePdf()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report</h1>");

        return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf");
    }

    [HttpGet("generate-async")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdfAsync()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Report</h1>");

        return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf");
    }
}

Imports Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc

<ApiController>
<Route("[controller]")>
Public Class PdfController
    Inherits ControllerBase

    <HttpGet("generate")>
    Public Function GeneratePdf() As IActionResult
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report</h1>")

        Return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf")
    End Function

    <HttpGet("generate-async")>
    Public Async Function GeneratePdfAsync() As Task(Of IActionResult)
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = Await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Report</h1>")

        Return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf")
    End Function
End Class

Imports Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc

<ApiController>
<Route("[controller]")>
Public Class PdfController
    Inherits ControllerBase

    <HttpGet("generate")>
    Public Function GeneratePdf() As IActionResult
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report</h1>")

        Return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf")
    End Function

    <HttpGet("generate-async")>
    Public Async Function GeneratePdfAsync() As Task(Of IActionResult)
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = Await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Report</h1>")

        Return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "report.pdf")
    End Function
End Class

Docker Deployment

Easy PDF SDK is not designed for Linux containers - its supported configuration is Windows with Microsoft Office, a virtual printer driver, and (in most setups) an interactive desktop session, which makes typical Linux-based Docker workflows impractical.

IronPDF Docker Configuration:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0

# Install Chromium dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libc6 libgdiplus libx11-6 libxcomposite1 \
    libxdamage1 libxrandr2 libxss1 libxtst6 \
    libnss3 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libgtk-3-0 \
    libgbm1 libasound2 fonts-liberation \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyApp.dll"]

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0

# Install Chromium dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libc6 libgdiplus libx11-6 libxcomposite1 \
    libxdamage1 libxrandr2 libxss1 libxtst6 \
    libnss3 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libgtk-3-0 \
    libgbm1 libasound2 fonts-liberation \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyApp.dll"]

Text

Troubleshooting Common Migration Issues

Issue: Printer Not Found

Symptom: Cannot find printer: BCL easyPDF Printer

Solution: IronPDF doesn't need printer drivers:

// Just use the renderer directly
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);

// Just use the renderer directly
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);

Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)

Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)

Issue: COM Interop Errors

Symptom: DLL error loading or RCW errors

Solution: Remove all COM references and use IronPDF's managed API.

Issue: Timeout on Server

Symptom: PDF generation hangs on web server

Solution: IronPDF runs headless without interactive sessions:

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 60000; // Reliable timeout
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 60000; // Reliable timeout
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);

Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 60000 ' Reliable timeout
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)

Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
renderer.RenderingOptions.Timeout = 60000 ' Reliable timeout
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)

Issue: Background Not Printing

Symptom: CSS backgrounds missing

Solution: Enable background printing:

renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;

renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;

renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = True

renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = True

Post-Migration Checklist

After completing the code migration, verify the following:

Verify PDF output quality with IronPDF's Chromium engine
Test all edge cases with complex HTML/CSS
Validate server deployment works without interactive sessions
Test Docker/container deployment
Remove BCL EasyPDF installer from deployment
Remove Office installation from servers (no longer needed)
Update CI/CD pipelines with new NuGet package

Additional Resources

Migrating from Easy PDF SDK to IronPDF removes the virtual printer driver, COM interop, and Windows-only constraints from the PDF generation path. Chromium-based rendering brings modern CSS3 and JavaScript support, and the same codebase runs on Docker, Kubernetes, and Linux-based cloud environments that are awkward to target with the easyPDF SDK's supported deployment model.

Please note: BCL easyPDF SDK, Easy PDF SDK, and Apryse are registered trademarks of their respective owners. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by BCL Technologies or Apryse. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. Comparisons are for informational purposes only and reflect publicly available information at the time of writing.

Curtis Chau

Chat with engineering team now

Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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