Clients Viewing Reports with No Access to FileMaker

[Thumperman]

Hi All---

I am currently working on tons of reports in FileMaker 5.0. Although they look good to print for the clients, some have requested them emailed to them. However, they do not have FileMaker.....

I have heard of a software that will be able to convert reports in FileMaker to .PDF files for people without FileMaker to view. Please help if you know the name of the software or if you have a suggestion about going around this dilema. Thanks in advance for your input.

Thumperman

[Thumperman]

Thanks. I figured it out using Acrobat Distiller which is included in Acrobat 4.0. It's a long process but it works.

1. Download the postscript printer driver from acrobat

2. Run the report in FileMaker

3. Save it to the printer driver above as a *.prn file

4. Open Acrobat Distiller and locate the *.prn file

5. Save the file in the specified location

6. File will be saved as a *.pdf file

I'm using Windows 98. Is there a faster way to do this directly from Acrobat? Just curious....

Thanks.

[BobWeaver]

Actually, I don't know. I don't have Acrobat, but I thought it was capable of directly creating a .pdf file when you print. Oh well, I'm frequently wrong.

For anyone interested, check out this link for a shareware pdf creator (sorry it's Mac only) which prints directly to a pdf file: http://www.jwwalker.com/pages/pdf.html

I'm sure there's plenty of similar stuff out there for windows.

[George]

I have Acrobat 4.0 and it installed two drivers in the printer setup. One is the Acrobat Distiller and the other is the one which is faster to use called Acrobat PDFWriter. When printing to the PDFWriter driver, you simply name the file that you want the report saved as and you can select to "open the document" when it has finished printing/creating. All you need to do then is email that file.

[Macman]

Bob's right; if you installed Acrobat without drastically changing the options, you should be able to select Acrobat Distiller as one of your printers right in the print dialog box. This will save you a minute or two, but the distilling process still does take some time. I use Acrobat on both Mac and Windows, and it takes a moment or two on either platform. Either way, it does make things a bit easier for the folks on the other end...

[timalex]

Hi

Acrobat is pretty pricey, but worth every cent. The Acrobat PDF Writer is just a print driver that you print any document to. Then anyone can read it using Acrobat Reader (which can be downloaded free). Distiller is used for converting Postscript files to PDF file, so you wouldn't use this. Anyway both are included in the Acrobat product.

Tim

[BobWeaver]

You can buy the full version of Adobe Acrobat which looks like a printer driver to all your applications. To produce a .pdf file, you simply print to the pdf driver. There are also some shareware pdf creators which are considerably less expensive and produce very good results. Are you using windows or Mac?

[kraftyman]

If you are using windows, then there is an elegant free solution to your problem.Check out http://over.to/freepdf

This site describes a free pdf converter. Once the componets are installed, then you simply "print" your report to a printer file, and then create the pdf.If you install all the bits and pieces then the whole process can be automated even further, so that pdf's are created automatically.

[LiveOak]

Just to fill out the answer on the Mac side... There is a very good shareware printer driver for the Mac, PrintToPDF (www.jwwalker.com/pages/pdf.html). -bd

[lbrocka]

Does anyone know if you can save as pdf via classic in OsX or if this will be available when FMP comes out for OsX?

[Thumperman]

Thank you all for your replys. I went with the Acrobat 4.0 Solution with the PDF Writer and it worked beautifully!

Thanks again!

Thumperman