Printing Multiple Sheet .idw Drawings to Single Multiple Sheet .pdf File

[larry]

Last week I was able to print a multiple sheet .idw drawing file to a single .pdf file with multiple sheets via either the export command or the print command.  I have done no changes to the Inventor software and have only done changes to the drawing content.  This week, I am not able to do anything other than a single sheet print to .pdf.  In the print command, if I select multiple sheets, nothing happens.

Any ideas of what can be done to get back my old .pdf operation? 

Thanks!

Larry

[mcgyvr]

Have you restarted your computer?

Can you print a multipage word document?

Is it only happening with a single idw file specifically or any? (if single check to see if any/all sheets have "exclude from printing" selected) or "exclude from count" (a bug is present there)

[larry]

I restarted the computer and switched to another computer with Inventor 2017 on it.  Both did not work properly.

I tried printing a multiple page Microsoft Word file to single .pdf file and it worked properly.

Larry

[karthur1]

When you "Export" if you go into the Options, are you checking "All Sheets" selected under the Print Range?

If you right-click on the sheet in the browser, go to "Edit Sheet".  Is the "Excluded from printing" box checked?

[mcgyvr]

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@mcgyvr wrote:

Is it only happening with a single idw file (not page but one drawing and not others) specifically or any? 

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[mercerc]

Hi,

When using the Save Copy As, PDF command once you have the file name, select the options button at the bottom of the dialog box and switch the options from, Current Sheet to, All Sheets then select the Ok button. You can see this done in the Screencast below.

Let me know if this was helpful or if you have any questions.

[larry]

Done.  Does not work.

[mdavis22569]

Can you make a screencast of what you're doing so we can see where it fails 

M

[larry]

The screencast would be pretty boring.  I select print to pdf either through export command or print command, select all pages, click preview and nothing happens, click save and only one page is saved.

I am trying to save drawings that are 8 to 22 pages in length.

Larry

[larry]

I tried multiple files and all of them do not print all pages now.  I even tried ones that printed properly a few days ago and nothing works.

I've been using this same command since Inventor 2013, so it's not a new workflow to me.

[karthur1]

What do you mean, "Nothing Happens".... does it just stay on the print dialog.  When I do a "Print" command, the preview screen comes up and I can click next and see the other pages its going to print.  If I try it in the "Export" command, I don't get a preview screen.

What if you do the print command and change to a different printer other than PDF.  Do you get a preview then?

Just for kicks, check the "Include excluded sheets" in the print dialog. Does you still get only one sheet?  Try a Repair install on Inventor.

Kirk

[larry]

I figured out how to do a screencast for this.  Please see:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/f4981efe-4251-48da-93e4-82d8a042043a

Cheers!

[karthur1]

Not sure. I would try repair install on Inventor and/or reinstall the MS Print to PDF you are using.  Does it print all sheets if you send to another device?

It seems that the MS print to PDF and Inventor are not communicating for some reason.

[mercerc]

Hi,

Thanks for the screencast. The one thing I noticed is you were using a Microsoft Print to PDF as a printer in Windows 10. When I used it I ran into the same issue. One way to correct this is to possibly look to see if Microsoft has any update to that printer that would address the issue. 

Otherwise, I would recommend you try the Save As Copy option in Inventor and save it as a PDF this was the method I showed in my earlier screencast.

[larry]

I tried a repair on Inventor and printer operation for pdf's did not change -- i.e. still prints 1 page.  In thinking about it, both of my computers with Inventor 2017 got the problem at the same time, so a reinstall does not seem like it would fix the problem.

I can print to pdf multiple page files from Excel and Word without a problem.

[larry]

I have been doing print to pdf on Inventor 2017 since the roll-out of this software last April - May and everything has been working up to the past week.

The computers have not gone through any updates, and I have not updated the Inventor software during that time.

Based on my search of the Microsoft site, I can not find any updated print to pdf updates.

I have also tried "save as pdf" and that does not work either.

[larry · Accepted solution]

PROBLEM FIXED!  Downloaded CutePDF and Inventor now works. 

[karthur1]

Great that you got it worked out. Sort of suspected it was the MS driver.  I use the Adobe for my pdf print driver.

Kirk