Adobe Acrobat: Win TaskScheduler silent print job "Run whether user is logged on or not" fails

[Dynamic_calmness1819]

Hi !

Aim is to have a print job executed as background job in Win Task-Scheduler "Run whether user is logged on or not".

vbs scipt contains AcroExch.PDDoc and AcroExch.AVDoc for print job and is called inside a bat file that is triggered by Action in Win TaskScheduler.

For the case "Run only when user is logged on" it works like a charm: because the window of the pdf which is printed pops up, is printed and closes.

Chaning it to ""Run whether user is logged on or not" fails. Of course no window can pop up and print fails.

BUT i wonna have it true silently so without any window that is created!

Any suggestions?

THX

Cheers Peter

[creative explorer]

@Dynamic_calmness1819 that was a bit hard to understand—you type faster than what your brain is telling you—I should know, I do the same. As a workaround, you can try to bypass the VBScript's COM objects for printing and instead directly invoke Adobe Reader/Acrobat's command-line print functionality, which is designed for silent operation. You can modify your batch file to use a command like start /min "" "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\AcroRd32.exe" /p "C:\Path\to\your\document.pdf" "Your_Printer_Name". This command tells Adobe Reader (or Acrobat Pro) to open the specified PDF, print it to the designated printer, and then exit, all in a minimized (or effectively headless) state suitable for background execution. Ensure the full path to AcroRd32.exe (or Acrobat.exe for Pro) is correct for your installation, and replace "Your_Printer_Name" with the exact name of your network printer. This approach leverages the application's native silent print capabilities, allowing it to complete the task without needing an interactive desktop session, thus resolving your issue in the Task Scheduler.

[Dynamic_calmness1819]

HI!
thx for your prompt response.

... /p makes troubles

command does not work for either cases "Run whether user is logged on or not" or "Run only when user is logged on":

start /min "" "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\AcroRd32.exe" /p "C:\Path\to\your\document.pdf" "Your_Printer_Name"   FAILS 

what works for "Run only when user is logged on" is:

start /min "" "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\AcroRd32.exe" /t  "C:\Path\to\your\document.pdf" "Your_Printer_Name" 

... but the pdf window appears and requires taskkill /F /IM Acrobat.exe >nul 2>&1 to close the pdf window

[AnandSri · Accepted solution]

Hello @Dynamic_calmness1819

I hope you're doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

Adobe Acrobat is a GUI-based application and does not support full background execution for printing tasks via shell scripts or Task Scheduler when no user session is active. This limitation is documented in Adobe’s automation guidelines. Adobe does not permit automation of Acrobat through scripts or RPA unless initiated by a user and executed on the same machine with the GUI available. 

Use “Run only when user is logged on”
This is the only supported method for GUI-based Acrobat tasks like printing. You can minimize the window and use taskkill to close it afterward: 

start /min "" "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\AcroRd32.exe" /t "C:\Path\to\your\document.pdf" "Your_Printer_Name"
taskkill /F /IM AcroRd32.exe >nul 2>&1

If you need to automate printing across multiple files, consider using the Action Wizard in Acrobat Pro:

Go to All Tools > Action Wizard.
Create a new action that includes the Print command.
Run the action manually or schedule it with GUI access. See this article for more details: https://adobe.ly/4mv1WPh

Use Adobe PDF Services API (Cloud-Based)
For true background automation without a GUI, Adobe recommends using Document Services APIs:

These APIs allow PDF creation, manipulation, and printing in server-side workflows. 

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Anand Sri | Acrobat Community Team
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