Printing in a PDF with Filename - Folder and Filename are ignored

[AndyWizz]

With a script for Illustrator I try to make the printing-process for our staff easier. They need to specify different Folders for A4 and A3 PDFs.

First thoughts: I have Illustrator-Files with different Artboard-sizes and Page Orientations. Our RIP does not recognize the document-pages being A4 or A3. So I have to split the File in at least two PDFs, one is A4, one is A3. All of them must be in Portrait-Mode so that A4 and A3 is used completely. Printing in a PDF (Windows workflow) works with PrintOrientation set to AUTOROTATE.

Rotating the artboards with all Objects and save as PDF would be great but I figured out it's pretty complicated. So I would like to go on with printing in a PDF and using the Autorotate feature.

Where I am stuck: The filename and the printJobOptions seem to be ignored. I need to specify the path of the filename and the Media-Size but the PDF-Settings of the virtual PDF-Printer I am using as standard seem to be used first and all the properties in the Script are overwritten. This is the Standard-Setting of the PDF:

This is the script so far:

#target Illustrator
#targetengine main
/*
var originalInteractionLevel = userInteractionLevel;
userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevel.DONTDISPLAYALERTS;
*/
var docRef = app.activeDocument;
var options = new PrintOptions();
/* printJobOptions.printPreset = 'Netzfeld-test'; */
// Printer
options.printerName = 'Adobe PDF';
options.PPDName = 'Adobe PDF';
// Fonts
var fontOpts = new PrintFontOptions();
fontOpts.downloadFonts = PrintFontDownloadMode.DOWNLOADCOMPLETE;
fontOpts.fontSubstitution = FontSubstitutionPolicy.SUBSTITUTETINT;
options.fontOptions = fontOpts;
// Color
var colorOptions = new PrintColorManagementOptions();
colorOptions.intent = PrintColorIntent.RELATIVECOLORIMETRIC;
colorOptions.colorProfileMode = PrintColorProfile.CUSTOMPROFILE;
colorOptions.name = "Coated FOGRA39 (ISO 12647-2:2004)";
options.colorManagementOptions = colorOptions;
// Seperation
var sepOptions = new PrintColorSeparationOptions();
sepOptions.convertSpotColors = true;
sepOptions.overPrintBlack = true;
sepOptions.colorSeparationMode = PrintColorSeparationMode.COMPOSITE;
sepOptions.colorProfileMode = PrintColorProfile.SOURCEPROFILE;
options.colorSeparationOptions = sepOptions;
// Print Coordinates
var coordinateOptions = new PrintCoordinateOptions();
coordinateOptions.emulsion = false; // reverse from right to left
coordinateOptions.fitToPage = false; // fit artwork to page size
coordinateOptions.position = PrintPosition.TRANSLATECENTER;
coordinateOptions.orientation = PrintOrientation.AUTOROTATE;
options.coordinateOptions = coordinateOptions;
// Filename and Artboards are ignored
var printJobOptions = new PrintJobOptions();
options.printJobOptions = printJobOptions;
// Filename
var docPath = new File('C://_temp//bla.pdf');
printJobOptions.file = docPath;
// Artboards
printJobOptions.designation = PrintArtworkDesignation.VISIBLEPRINTABLELAYERS;
printJobOptions.printArea = PrintingBounds.ARTBOARDBOUNDS;
printJobOptions.collate = true;
printJobOptions.printAllArtboards = false;
printJobOptions.artboardRange = '1';
// Print
docRef.print(options);
/*
userInteractionLevel = originalInteractionLevel;
*/

What's wrong with it? What's missing?
The example in the Scripting Manual of Illustrator on page 176 doesn't seem to work either when I print to PDF: http://wwwimages.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/illustrator/sdk/CC2017/Illustrator_JavaScript...

[Silly-V]

var docPath = new File('C://_temp//bla.pdf'); <-- can you try with just one single slash last? 'C://_temp/bla.pdf'

[AndyWizz]

Thanks for your prompt answer,
I really appreciate this.
I tried this before but it didn't change anything. The complete Filename and Artboards seem to be ignored and the setting from the PDF-Joboption overwrites everything although I haven't set it in the Script.

[moluapple]

How about set the file path in the "Adobe PDF Setting" to "Documents/*.pdf", print it and then copy and rename the file to desired folder?

[AndyWizz]

The Script is only a part of a bigger one and about 50 Designers will use it in a corporate environment to distribute their print-outs on different printers. Renaming and putting the PDF to the Printing Hotfolder would take too long in order to the manual printing in PDF-workflow and it's neccecary to generate at least two PDF-Files (A4 and A3). The Files of the Designers consist of different Artboards with A4 and A3-Pages and different Page-Orientations. The PDFs are about to be saved in different Folders. The Folder-Path and name consists of the printer and the Pagesize.

The RIP does only work with Pages of A4 or A3 and in Portrait-Mode, the small side first.
Therefor I have to rotate the pages.

I made up my mind and consider the second possiblity now:
Export to PDF
The Problem is the rotation of the artboards. I have an idea for a workaround but that's beyond my scripting abilities.

Here is what I've done so far and a better explanation:
download.netzfeld.de/Illustrator-Rotate-Artboards-to-Portrait-ExportPDF.zip

Starting with a small script it's now a little project I cannot complete myself, I think.

[moluapple]

Hi, you can test this:

Make mask > rotate mask group > rotate artboard > save pdf.

#target illustrator  
var docRef = app.activeDocument;  
var artboardRef = docRef.artboards;
app.executeMenuCommand ('unlockAll');
var a4 = [], a3 = [];
for(var i=0;i<artboardRef.length;i++){  
    var top=artboardRef.artboardRect[1] ;  
    var left=artboardRef.artboardRect[0];  
    var width=artboardRef.artboardRect[2]-artboardRef.artboardRect[0];  
    var height=artboardRef.artboardRect[1]-artboardRef.artboardRect[3];  
    app.selection = null;
    if (width > height) {
        var rect = docRef.pathItems.rectangle (top, left, width, height);  
        artboardRef.setActiveArtboardIndex(i);
        app.executeMenuCommand ('selectallinartboard');
        app.executeMenuCommand ('makeMask');
        app.selection[0].rotate(90);
        docRef.fitArtboardToSelectedArt(i);
    }
    if (width > 1000 || height > 1000) {
        a3.push(i+1);
    } else {
        a4.push(i+1);
    }
}
savePDF('_A3', a3.join(','));
savePDF('_A4', a4.join(','));
// Save the artboards to PDF.
function savePDF(size, range) {
    var ordner = '~/desktop/'; 
    var dateiNameExt = activeDocument.name.split( "." ); 
    var dateiName = dateiNameExt[dateiNameExt.length-2];
    var destFile = new File (ordner + dateiName + size + ".pdf");
    var pdfSaveOptions = new PDFSaveOptions();
    pdfSaveOptions.generateThumbnails = false; //keine Thumbnails
    pdfSaveOptions.preserveEditability = false; //keine Edierbarkeit, also keine AI-Daten
    // pdfSaveOptions.printerResolution = 300.0; //Optional. Flattening printer resolution. Default: 800.0
    pdfSaveOptions.viewAfterSaving = false; //Ansicht nach der PDF-Erstellung
    pdfSaveOptions.artboardRange = range;
    docRef.saveAs (destFile,  pdfSaveOptions);
}