Print multiple page PDFs from a container field optimized for Interactive Content

[amigotto]

Im trying out FM12 and have a container field used to hold links (via calculation) to image documents.

 

Up to now, the images were saved in jpeg format (1 image per page) for mac/windows access. I am moving to a Mac only environment and prefer to use PDFs, since most of the documents are originally in PDF format - mostly text, so I won't have to convert them to jpegs as I have been doing.

 

Everything works fine except for printing multiple page PDFs. Is it possible to print multiple page pdfs from a container field optimized for interactive content? The layout adds header and footer data to each page, so printing must occur in Filemaker. Other than saving each page of a multiple page document as a separate PDF, is there any solution available?

 

Thanks,

 

Alvise

 

[amigotto]

Anyone?

[bcooney]

I'm not sure if I understand your setup. You have images or pdfs in container fields and you wish to display them on a layout and print them? However, some of the containers contain a multipage PDF? What do you expect to happen? You wish to have FM add a header and footer to the multipage PDF? Cannot be done. Perhaps, you should explore using ScriptMaster with iText to "stamp" the PDF with data from FM.

[amigotto]

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes, display pdfs in container fields on a layout and print them, as I have been doing for years with jpegs (which are all 1-page images).

 

Yes I wish to have FM add a header and footer to the multipage PDF.

 

I understand it can't be done, so I'll just split multiple page pdfs into 1 page documents and all will be fine. The reason I was using jpegs is that our environment included Windows, which can't display PDFs natively in FM. But now that the office is all Mac OS there is no need as most of the images are PDFs generated from text, which are much more manageable in terms of file space and overall system load. Also I no longer have to convert PDFs to JPGs, etc.

 

It would be a great feature though...

[argwallace]

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes, display pdfs in container fields on a layout and print them, as I have been doing for years with jpegs (which are all 1-page images).

 

Yes I wish to have FM add a header and footer to the multipage PDF.

 

I understand it can't be done, so I'll just split multiple page pdfs into 1 page documents and all will be fine. The reason I was using jpegs is that our environment included Windows, which can't display PDFs natively in FM. But now that the office is all Mac OS there is no need as most of the images are PDFs generated from text, which are much more manageable in terms of file space and overall system load. Also I no longer have to convert PDFs to JPGs, etc.

 

It would be a great feature though...

 

I am trying to do this exact same thing. Mac only environment. What has been the best way you have found to separate the PDF into single pages in FM? Obviously I don't want to have multiple container fields, one for each page. Any thoughts would be great!

[amigotto]

Unfortunately, it looks like I have to abandon the switch from using jpeg images to pdfs. The reason is not so much the question of printing multiple page pdfs, since I have abandoned that and have been saving each page as a separate pdf file.

 

The main reason I'm switching back to using jpegs is that pdfs DO NOT PRINT at 300dpi no matter what I do! They only print at low resolution. I have scoured both this site and everywhere else with not even a mention of this problem. Is it possible that I'm the only one who wants to print pdfs embedded in a layout in a container field? Is that just a crazy idea? Am I nuts? This works fine with 300dpi jpegs.

 

OK so where did I put that pdf to jpeg converter app...?