dotnet/wpf · error · ArgumentOutOfRangeException

ArgumentException.PositiveValue (Parameter 'value')

Error message

ArgumentException.PositiveValue (Parameter 'value')

What it means

PageResolutionSetting's ResolutionX setter requires a strictly positive resolution; assigning 0 or a negative DPI value throws ArgumentOutOfRangeException with the resource message ArgumentException.PositiveValue. ResolutionX is stored in the ticket under the PageResolutionkeys.ResolutionX property.

Solutions

Ensure the X resolution is > 0 before assigning.
Only use PageResolution values reported by queue.GetPrintCapabilities().PageResolutions.
Guard with a check or Math.Max(1, x) before assignment.
Catch ArgumentOutOfRangeException and fall back to the queue's default resolution.

Example fix

// before
resolution.X = dpiX; // may be 0
// after
if (dpiX > 0) resolution.X = dpiX;
else resolution = queue.DefaultPrintTicket.PageResolution;

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (dpiX > 0)
    resolution.X = dpiX;

Type guard

bool IsValidResolutionX(object v) => v is int i && i > 0;

Try / catch

try { resolution.X = dpiX; }
catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException) { resolution = queue.DefaultPrintTicket.PageResolution; }

Prevention

Take resolutions from queue.GetPrintCapabilities().PageResolutions
Check config-loaded DPI values for zero before applying
Treat 0/unloaded DPI as 'not set' instead of assigning it

When it happens

Trigger: Setting PageResolution.X (e.g. via a custom PageResolution on PrintTicket) to 0 or a negative number.

Common situations: Reading DPI from config that defaults to 0; computing resolution from device values that failed to load; copy/paste errors swapping width/height/zero placeholders.

Understand the failure class

Background: "value must be between 0 and 1" / "out of range" / "must not be negative" errors: fixing range-validation failures across open-source libraries — this error's family across 42 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/wpf@81131a70a4 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/90b6bf6bcd4a891f. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/Microsoft.DotNet.Wpf/src/ReachFramework/PrintConfig/PageResolution.cs:348

        /// Gets or sets the page resolution setting's X component.
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// If this component is not specified yet, getter will return <see cref="PrintSchema.UnspecifiedIntValue"/>.
        /// </remarks>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentOutOfRangeException">
        /// The value to set is not a positive integer.
        /// </exception>
        public int ResolutionX
        {
            get
            {
                return this[PrintSchemaTags.Keywords.PageResolutionKeys.ResolutionX];
            }
            set
            {
                if (value <= 0)
                {
                    throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(value),
                                  PTUtility.GetTextFromResource("ArgumentException.PositiveValue"));
                }

                this[PrintSchemaTags.Keywords.PageResolutionKeys.ResolutionX] = value;
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the page resolution setting's Y component.
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// If this component is not specified yet, getter will return <see cref="PrintSchema.UnspecifiedIntValue"/>.
        /// </remarks>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentOutOfRangeException">
        /// The value to set is not a positive integer.
        /// </exception>
        public int ResolutionY
        {

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