How to automate compression of PDF files in Adobe via Access (VBA)?

[JD_TheMaster]

Hello all. I've been looking for an effective solution to my query for a while but haven't got any luck thus far.

Essentially I've been trying to find a way to automate compression of PDF files in Adobe via Access. The Adobe method of the following procedure is as follows:

File > Save As Other > Reduced Size PDF > Ok > Save > Replace existing file if exists

I need to run this Reduced File Size for bulk files. Initially I created an action to do it. But now I wanted to move to using Access to do the heavy lifting for me instead because I have more Adobe related tasks that I want to achieve in Access; automating the compression is the beginning step.

A while ago I tried asking about writing a script using VB in the Adobe community but that didn't really elicit any strong responses.

I've had a look at some of the Adobe references in VB but wasn't able to understand how to proceed further.

Does anyone have experience or has ideas on this topic? I'm new to Access so this is all a little overwhelming. Thanks.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I have no direct experience here, but the usual way you do that is that first you need a level of Adobe software that allows this to be done manually. Then you have to find the Adobe library. I don't have one that creates files like you describe, so I have to guess. But basically, if you can find that Adobe utility's library (a .DLL file, probably) and make an Access reference to it (from VBA screen, Tools>>References and then find & check the Adobe libraries), you can then use VBA to create an Adobe Application Object that can be told to open a file and do a programmatic SaveAs with some options such as you describe.

Here is one article for you to get started:

Adobe Acrobat and VBA – An Introduction - Karl Heinz Kremer's Ramblings

Update: Please visit the same post on my business site. The comments are closed here, so if you want to comment, you have to head over to http://khkonsulting.com/2009/03/adobe-acrobat-and-vba-an-introduction/ Here is another topic that comes up every now and then: How can I "talk" to Adobe...

www.khk.net

You just have to search for Adobe VBA to find several references.

 

[Gasman]

Not sure if this is a crosspost http://www.vbaexpress.com/forum/showthread.php?68418-How-to-reduce-file-size-(compress)-a-PDF-using-vba-code-in-Access as we already have a Sampoline on this site?

Regardless, if not a crosspost, perhaps you two can converse, as you appear to be looking for exactly the same thing?