Eric was asking if there was a way to print directly to a PDF without going through the Print dialog box. I knew that there wasn’t (currently) a way to do this in AppleScript. After some digging on Google, I think I found a good solution with the CUPS-PDF Package for Mac OS X. Now, I have a Desktop Printer icon on my Desktop, on which I can drag any file to create an instant PDF.
2 responses to “Print to PDF using Desktop Printer”
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Thanks for the tip, Adam! I have the same. Although, when I drag a document to the printer and it opens, it stalls at the Print dialog, requiring me to hit Return. No big deal, but I wish there were a way to force the dialog to accept itself…
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Hi Adam,
Some Mac OS X applications also allow to print documents via AppleScript without invoking the print dialog, examples are RagTime and Microsoft Word:
tell app “RagTime 6”
print layout 1 of document 1 without print dialog
end telltell app “Microsoft Word”
do Visual Basic “ActiveDocument.PrintOut”
end tellCombined with cups-pdf set as the default printer, this makes for a great solution for advanced PDF workflows (e.g. automated serial mailings with personalized PDF attachments).
Just my 2 cents :)
Best regards to California from frosty Germany!
Adam, here
Welcome to tow.com, my home on the internet since 1995. I’m an indie software artist and creator of apps such as MixEffect, MsgFiler, AlbumFiler, Wipe My Screen, and more. I’m also the producer and co-director of Autumn Gem. Enjoy your visit here!
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