Multiple Files to PDF - Automated

[sabloomer]

Can anyone help me with a problem I am facing? I have an automated Access 2000 process that currently produces 12 different PDFs, one for each report. I create the PDF by setting up a different "printer" for each location I want to print to and using the PDF driver that came with Acrobat 5.0. I feel have too many reports being published, confused users, and want to make a packet of reports for each area of the business. This is proving rather difficult. Here is what I have found so far...

1) I can use RunfileX or RundirX if I can somehow produce the files as PostScript.

2) I can make PostScript files by establishing another printer as a File printer and us a PostScript printer driver. This requires a path and name each time I print. This makes it hard to automate the process.

3) I know how to produce PDF files using the printer driver, and I know I can make *.PS files with Acrobat, but I can not configure the printer to produce *.PS files instead of *.PDF files

4) If I was able to somehow produce the files as PostScript, I still would need a way to automate the PDF creation process. Does Adobe Distiller have command line options?

My company ownes Adobe 6.0, but I have not upgraded because I never needed to. Would this be easier in 6.0?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You

sabloomer

 

[caseymac]

Interesting question. I to am having a similar issue were i have multiple pdf's and would like to automate concatenating them all into one document. Hope some out there has an answer for us both.

cmac

 

[sabloomer]

caseymac,

I think I have found a way to do this, but it takes a few steps. Did you read thread 223-819998? There was some good information in there and a link to another tread that was useful. Anyway here it goes...

Step One: Use the threads above to make a Post Script "printer". This will produce the needed file in *.PS format.

Step Two: You will need to use VB/VBA, or whatever you are comfortable with to rename the file and move it to a folder that holds all the files you want to roll into PDF.

Step Three: This step assumes that you have tried using the RunDirX file in Distiller and have saved a file with the specifications if the folder mentioned above. I am not sure what you are programming in, but I plan on using a "SHELL" command in VBA to launch the distiller. On the Adobe Support Knowledgebase web site article 11666 explains the command line options for distiller that you will need.

Step Four: (Optional) I want to move the created in step three to another location. The problem is that it takes a while for the file to be produced, use I am going to use the "DIR" function is VBA to make sure the file is produced before I attempt move the file. I wrote a little function to wait a few seconds between attempts to use the "DIR".

I have added a few extra bells and whistles so I can copy one file into multiple folders at Step Two, and I have added code in a few places to delete existing files in a folder so that I don't end up with duplicate files in a PDF or include yesterdays info in today's.

It is a little complicated, but so far there hasn't been issues that are show stoppers.

 

[ctarr]

sabloomer, you're on the right track the thread you mentioned will help with the PS files. For #4 it gets kind of tricky, you need to use VB or C to do this automation.

You both should see thread thread223-548368. Beside my same response about creating a PS printer there are some good examples on how to use VB or VBA (possibly) to create PDF's from the PS files.

Hope this helps.

Craig

 

[Mighty]

I have been able to get my word document to convert to a postscript file and then on to PDF using VBScript. However, if I have muliple file in a directory, how to I convert all these PS/PDF documents to one PDf document??

Mighty

 

[AccessVB]

I Use Amyuni Pdf Converter for concatenation and it works beautifully.