how is this possible? (printing to pdf file from windows-parallels)

[phuong]

picture this:
i have Acrobat 8 Pro installed under OSX, so i have a PDF 8.0 printer (i.e., i can print to PDF from any program running within OSX. whenever i choose PDF 8.0 as the destination printer, and click Print button, i'll get a window prompting me to choose the destination folder where the PDF file will be created)

now i turn on OSX's Printer Sharing

and under Windows XP running in Parallels, i installed Bonjour and then add this PDF 8.0 shared printer.
then of course i tried to print some document from within Windows using this printer. but this doesn't work, and i don't know why.

so i'm wondering if it's even possible to do that?


PS: interesting thing is, when i open Printer & Fax in OSX's System Preferences, i see the jobs (sent from Windows) being queued. i think one possible problem is that when i try to print from within Windows, the "printer" doesn't know where to print to. if i could find a way to set a default print location (i.e., a folder where the PDF files will be created) then this'll probably work?

any idea?

 

[swiftaw]

Not sure how to solve your particular problem, but thought I would comment anyways

Firstly, you know you can print a PDF from any OS X app without Acrobat right? It's a standard function of OSX.

Anyways, that aside, I use a freeware Windows app called PDF Creator to create PDF files in Windows. So you can try that instead

 

[Eraserhead]

Can't you open the document under OS X.

 

[72930]

I don't know if you have done this, but to use a device in Parallels you have to go to Devices in the menubar...

 

[seniorstinky]

Why not install CutePDF Writer as a printer in Windows?

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asphttp://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

That way you can print them in Windows and then you can transfer the pdf to your mac.

 

[phuong]

I don't know if you have done this, but to use a device in Parallels you have to go to Devices in the menubar...

no, Parallels only simulate certain devices: drives, adapter, memories ... those are the ones that make up the console.
devices like monitors, printers, scanners are not in that category. for each of these, you only have to install a driver into the OS in order to "drive" them.

i think the Acrobat PDF printer should have worked just like a physical, shared network printer.
(i have a HP 1018 printer plugged in my MP, and i can print to it wirelessly from Windows XP running under Parallels in my MBP, without any problem)

the documents i'm working on are of Office 2007 format, so nothing can open them except Office 2007 apps. at least not until the next Office for Mac comes out.

 

[Eraserhead]

Can't you save them as legacy word files in Parallels?

 

[phuong]

Can't you save them as legacy word files in Parallels?

Word and Excel 2007 uses a totally different file format (.docx and .xlsx) so only W and E 2007 can open them atm.
i can certainy convert them to one of the older format, but that doesn't work most of the time because there are a lot of new (and powerful) features used in the new documents that are not existed before.

 

[Eraserhead]

Word and Excel 2007 uses a totally different file format (.docx and .xlsx) so only W and E 2007 can open them atm.
i can certainy convert them to one of the older format, but that doesn't work most of the time because there are a lot of new (and powerful) features used in the new documents that are not existed before.

btw, if you haven't solved your problem, I was just checking out NeoOffice and it supports Open XML (and AFAIK OpenOffice itself doesn't yet...), however it's only available via early access program so costs $25 unfortunately .

 

[rogersmj]

no, Parallels only simulate certain devices: drives, adapter, memories ... those are the ones that make up the console.
devices like monitors, printers, scanners are not in that category. for each of these, you only have to install a driver into the OS in order to "drive" them.

i think the Acrobat PDF printer should have worked just like a physical, shared network printer.
(i have a HP 1018 printer plugged in my MP, and i can print to it wirelessly from Windows XP running under Parallels in my MBP, without any problem)

the documents i'm working on are of Office 2007 format, so nothing can open them except Office 2007 apps. at least not until the next Office for Mac comes out.

OK...so install one of the half-dozen free PDF printers for Windows like people have already suggested. CutePDF and PDFcreator are good ones I've used before.

 

[phuong]

thanks all for helping. i've found it.

i google around for it and it turns out Office 2007 already has a "Save as PDF/XPS" feature under the form of Add-on. it's just not included in the installation. you must download it from ms website. they said it was there in the beta but Adobe demanded MS to remove it so MS made it an Add-on.

not really what i originally wanted, but pretty much all what i needed. and im actually glad with this solution because i didn''t have to install unnecesary software and service. i must say MS rocks.

 

[rogersmj]

must say MS rocks.

MS rocks because they didn't include a simple feature that pretty much every other office suite and the entire OS X operating system has built-in by default? I disagree. That, and Office 2007 (I have to use it at work) locks up on me every time I try to send an email. Or save anything. Or open an older document. Or breath. Or blink.

I'm glad you got it working though.

 

[tilman]

MS rocks because they didn't include a simple feature that pretty much every other office suite and the entire OS X operating system has built-in by default? I disagree.

It was Adobe that made Microsoft take the PDF printing feature out of Office 2007. The early public betas had it built-in, but Adobe complained, and it got settled by making it a separate download.

 

[pieorry]

I have a similar problem

I am using OSX and have a programme which is running on the parallels side, i am trying to print to file from the pc side and it comes up with the output file name, im typing in test and clicking print, it looks like its doing something but then i dont know where the file has gone to can someone help

 

[balamw]

I routinely use PDF Creator http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/ to create PDFs from any app under Windows. It installs as a printer, but is a bit "friendlier" than typical "Print To File."

B