[PDF] how to do batch printing of multiple documents with adobe with no manual intervention?

[je...@jerryltaylor.com]

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adobe acrobat 5.0 adobe reader 6.0 windows 2000

How can i have Acrobat Reader (AR) print a number of
PDF (or FDF) files without “hanging” or without leaving
an Adobe Reader running on the task bar?

I have an application that generates multiple FDFs for
the Adobe Reader to print. I need to automatically
print all the FDFs generated without manual
intervention.

I tried a DOS BATch file using the “/s /h /t” trick
(in many combinations) but it hangs “unless I already
have an Adobe in the task bar.”

I then wrote a C++ program to create an Adobe Reader
process using the “/s /h /t” and if I “wait” for the
process to complete, it will “hang forever!”

Now this is interesting. If I manually fire up an
Adobe Reader (or an Adobe Acrobat) before my C++
program runs, then the program does not “hang” on the
wait. I also discovered if I bypass the wait on the
first process and then wait on all subsequent Adobe
Reader processes I start, then everything works fine.

The problem is that there must already be an Adobe
running in the task bar. If not, it will leave one
Adobe in the task bar for you and if you wait on the
first Adobe command to complete, you will hang forever.

All I needed was to have Adobe print multiple documents
in batch from a list of names...

Any ideas on this subject?

jerry

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[Leonard Rosenthol]

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At 9:32 AM -0700 9/26/03, je...@jerryltaylor.com wrote:
>How can i have Acrobat Reader (AR) print a number of
>PDF (or FDF) files without “hanging” or without leaving
>an Adobe Reader running on the task bar?

You can't, at least not without a lot of "scaffolding" around Reader.

You are trying to get Reader to something that it isn't
designed to do, and as such, you either have to accept those
limitations and work with them OR attempt to "beat it into shape".

>I have an application that generates multiple FDFs for
>the Adobe Reader to print. I need to automatically
>print all the FDFs generated without manual
>intervention.

I would recommend using a tool such as FDFMerge Lite
(http://www.appligent.com) to merge the FDF/PDF data into a new PDF
document and then use Ghostscript (http://www.ghostscript.org) or
XpdfViewer (http://www.glyphandcog.com) to print the new PDF.

Leonard
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Leonard Rosenthol <mailto:leon...@pdfsages.com>
Chief Technical Officer <http://www.pdfsages.com>
PDF Sages, Inc. 215-629-3700 (voice)
215-629-0789 (fax)

[Jim McPhee]

If the Acrobat Reader can’t be called to print several
documents in a row, what FREE product, program or
utility would companies use to batch print several of
these PDF (FDF) documents without manual intervention? 
(It seems like there are a lot of folks on the Adobe
forums trying to do the same thing...they sometimes
call it “silent print.”)

There are ways to accomplish the silent batch printing of  FDF's.  FREE, however, is not one that I have heard of.  It is not an easy accomplishment and printer set ups can cause glitches that have to be worked around.

Feel free to contact me off list if you are interested in discussing the development of such an application.  Unfortunately,  I am not independently wealthy so it will not be FREE.

Sincerely

Jim McPhee

Thanks,

jerry

On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 13:34:31 -0400, Leonard Rosenthol
wrote: