In Microsoft SharePoint 2010, automating the process of saving documents as PDFs via a “PDF Printer” or automated print driver usually refers to server-side document conversion rather than a physical or desktop print driver. Because SharePoint 2010 runs as a server environment, traditional desktop “Print to PDF” applications do not work natively for automated, unattended workflows.
Instead, SharePoint 2010 addresses this using a native architecture called Word Automation Services, alongside several third-party and custom development alternatives. Native Solution: Word Automation Services
Introduced specifically with SharePoint Server 2010, Word Automation Services is a built-in shared service application designed for unattended, server-side document conversion. It behaves as an automated background “printer” or converter.
How it Works: It processes Open XML documents (like .docx) and converts them into fixed formats like PDF or XPS without needing the desktop Microsoft Word application installed on the server.
Automation: Developers can write server-side code (C# / .NET) or custom SharePoint workflows to automatically trigger a conversion job when a document is uploaded, modified, or approved.
Scalability: It is optimized for high-volume, asynchronous batch processing, spreading the processing load predictably across the server farm. Third-Party “Virtual PDF Printer” & Converter Solutions
Because Word Automation Services in SharePoint 2010 is primarily limited to Microsoft Word files, organizations requiring broad automated PDF printing for Excel, PowerPoint, InfoPath forms, or HTML pages rely on specialized third-party tools. Popular choices include:
Nutrient (formerly Muhimbi Document Converter): Highly popular for SharePoint 2010. It integrates seamlessly into SharePoint Designer workflows, allowing users to automatically “print” or convert more than 40 file types into PDFs and save them directly back to a target document library.
Adlib PDF for SharePoint: A server-based enterprise platform that watches SharePoint 2010 libraries and automatically renders incoming documents into high-fidelity, searchable PDFs.
DocShifter: A background conversion engine used to automate PDF rendering from within SharePoint structures. Custom Workflow & Development Approaches
For specific automation tasks, developers implement “PDF printing” via two primary routes:
SharePoint Designer Workflows: Workflows can monitor a document library. When a specific condition is met (e.g., a “Status” column changes to “Approved”), the workflow calls a server-side conversion step to generate the PDF.
Event Receivers: A C# event receiver can be bound to a SharePoint list or library. The moment a document is added, code fires in the background, pushes the document into a PDF conversion pipeline, and saves the resulting file silently into a hidden or archive directory. If you are looking to deploy this solution, let me know:
What specific file types (Word, Excel, InfoPath, or HTML web pages) you need to print to PDF?
Whether you prefer using out-of-the-box native tools or are open to third-party add-ons?
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