Add Batch PDF Generation to Access and Excel Applications Without Writing Macros
Meta Description
Stop struggling with macros. Add batch PDF creation to Access and Excel apps with ease using VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK.
Every Monday morning, I'd find myself knee-deep in Access forms and Excel sheets.
Generating reports. Sending them to clients. Archiving everything into PDF.
Sounds simple, right?
Well, it should be. But doing it in batches? Automating it without building some monstrous macro? That's where it always fell apart.
I tried scripting. Messed around with VBA. Spent hours debugging file paths and printer settings. Nothing was clean. Nothing was fast. Nothing was stable.
Then I found VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK.
It didn't just help me it rewired how I approached PDF creation in Microsoft Access and Excel-based systems. And the best part? No macros. No VBA. No clunky automation scripts.
How I ditched macros and added PDF creation like a pro
I stumbled on the VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer SDK while digging through forums, searching for a way to automate "Print to PDF" in Access without relying on unreliable add-ins or complex macros.
Here's what stood out immediately:
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It installs like a normal printer driver.
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You can trigger it from any app that can print.
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It comes with a full SDK. Meaning: you can integrate PDF generation directly into your app without writing macro spaghetti.
For devs building internal tools in Access, Excel, VB6, FoxPro, or even .NET, this is a game changer.
Batch PDF Creation with Zero VBA Hassles
Let me walk you through a few features that saved me dozens of hours:
1. Auto-Save with Custom Paths
You can predefine where PDFs go and you can use tokens like date/time to keep things tidy. For example:
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Auto-save to a shared folder
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Output as "ClientName_Invoice_YYYYMMDD.pdf"
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Skip all manual Save As prompts
This is ideal when you're generating 50+ PDFs in one click.
No user clicks needed. No dialog boxes. Just clean output, right where it needs to be.
2. Works Like a Real Printer But Smarter
Once installed, the SDK shows up as a printer.
You send your Access report or Excel worksheet to it, and it spits out a PDF.
But the real power comes when you automate the flow:
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Schedule Access report exports at night
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Push Excel sheets to PDF as part of an ETL pipeline
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Generate documents on-the-fly from custom UIs
You don't need to code PDFs line by line. Just print. It's beautiful.
3. Secure, Merge, and Optimise All Built In
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Need password protection? Done.
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Want to combine multiple reports into one PDF? Also done.
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Want to compress the file or convert it to PDF/A? Yep. Built in.
I set up the output to auto-merge customer summaries weekly. Didn't need to write a single macro. Just a config tweak and I was rolling.
Why this crushes other PDF libraries
I've used PDF libraries before. They're powerful but too low-level for quick wins.
You end up building everything from scratch: page layouts, fonts, image placement, headers.
With VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer SDK, you skip all of that.
It hooks into what you already use Access, Excel, Word, any Windows app and makes it print directly to PDF programmatically.
Even better: it works perfectly in Citrix/Terminal Server environments. Many other tools crash or choke there.
And it's royalty-free. One licence, unlimited redistribution. You ship it with your software without additional costs. Love that.
The bottom line
If you're building Access or Excel-based tools and need to generate batches of PDFs without diving into macro hell, this SDK is a no-brainer.
It saved me days of work. Let me scale PDF creation across dozens of clients. And gave me peace of mind that it wouldn't crash under load.
I'd recommend it to any dev or power user who needs rock-solid PDF creation in a Windows environment especially if you're tired of hacking together half-baked solutions.
Try it for yourself here: https://www.verypdf.com/app/document-converter/try-and-buy.html
Custom Development Services by VeryPDF
Need something more tailored?
VeryPDF can build out custom PDF solutions for your specific workflow whether you're on Windows, macOS, Linux, or even embedded systems.
They develop in nearly any language you can think of: Python, C#, VB.NET, JavaScript, PHP, Delphi, and more.
Some of the things they specialise in:
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Custom PDF printers (silent install, branding, print job monitoring)
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OCR and barcode processing for scanned documents
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Hooking into Windows APIs to intercept file access or print jobs
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Building PDF generation tools that run in cloud, terminal server, or legacy desktop environments
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Adding digital signatures, encryption, and watermarking
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Building PDF-to-image pipelines or form generators
Whatever your needs, reach out to their support centre and describe your project:
FAQs
Can I integrate this into an Access app without VBA?
Yes just install the virtual printer and configure auto-save. No VBA or macros needed.
Does it work on Windows 11 or Server 2022?
Absolutely. It supports everything from XP up through the latest Windows OS versions, both 32-bit and 64-bit.
Can I bundle this with my own software?
Yes, it's royalty-free. You can redistribute it with your application.
What output formats are supported beyond PDF?
With extensions, you can create TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PostScript, EPS, PDF/A, text files, and more.
Does it support silent printing for automated jobs?
Yes, including silent install, auto-save, and background printing with no user interaction.
Tags / Keywords
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