Windows network PDF Printing (as as service) with PDF Creator

Here are some instructions for a Windows network PDF printer using PDF Creator. It installs and works out of the box, but I wanted PDF Creator to start as a service when the server was started/rebooted. This took a bit of research.

The following instructions relate to a Windows domain network, where each user has a home directory on a central file server. When a user prints to the shared PDF Printer, the PDF document is saved in their Home Directory.

Here are the steps -

Download PDF Creator (http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator) and perform the *Server* install on your print server. If you're upgrading, uninstall the old version and remove the service (next step)

Register PDF Creator as a service
At the command prompt, execute the following. The 1st line removes the service if you're upgrading -

sc delete "PDF Creator"

sc create "PDF Creator" start= auto binpath= "srvany.exe"

sc description "PDF Creator" "PDFs Printing"

Update  Registry

You need to update the registry on the server to associate PDFCreator.exe with srvany.exe

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PDF Creator\Parameters]

"Application"="C:\\Program Files\\PDFCreator\\PDFCreator.exe"

Start the service

Open windows services and start the PDF Creator service. Make sure the start-up type is automatic.

Configure PDF Creator

Start PDF Creator Print Monitor (Under start menu) and open the options (Printer menu -> Options). On the Auto-Save tab check 'Use Auto-save" and "User this directory for auto-save". I used the following. The directory saves the PDF in the user's home directory. The time stamp in the file name is to ensure each PDF has a unique name. NB: Emailing will not work. If you enable it on the shared printer, its the server that will open outlook and attach the PDF, not the user's PC.

Filename: <REDMON_DOCNAME>-<DateTime>

Directory: \\fileserver\users\<REDMON_USER>\

Connect from a remote PC

Install your PDF shared printer on another pc and print a test page. If you open the PDF Creator Print Monitor on the server you should see the document listed, and disappear if the print is successful.

Troubleshooting

In PDF Creator Print Monitor (on the server) the first icon (of the printer) should have a green dot to indicate it's running. If the dot is red try restarting the service, PDF Creator Server Monitor or it all else fails, reboot the server.