I need to print 20,000 Word documents, is there a 3rd party tool that will help me do this or do I need to write custom code?

Question

I need to print 20,000 Word documents. Naturally this is a logistical nightmare. For example: if the power goes out, I need some software that will be able to resume where the printing failed. Also, this is something that needs to be done once a month by our client.

Do I have to write my own code to manage this? (Word Automation)

Or does anyone know of a tool that will help me do this? (Googling has not given me any good options. And I'm willing to pay!)

Answer 1

Since I'm on Windows, I always use AutoIT for automation and/or repetitive tasks. It comes with a bunch of user-libraries, including one Microsoft Word, and it's very nice to work with.

Answer 2

I would try AutoIT: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/

Answer 3

It should be possible to do this in any language which has an OLE capability. Most popular languages do, e.g. I know that Perl does.

Answer 4

1. Put your 20,000 documents in one folder
2. Press Ctrl-A to select all
3. Right click on 'print'

Note - there are many commercial printing houses which do this very thing. Often they provide an API to send Word or PDF documents. They'll even put the documents in a envelope and put them in the mail. This is how most banks and credit card companies send you your monthly statements.

Answer 5

I dont understand the problem. In a perfect world, all the 20k documents would be in the same folder, ready to be printed. Just... print?

Are you referring to the logistical problems? 20k documents can sure be heavy to carry around, but thats not a question for SO. Why would you need custom code for that?

Or do you lack a printer with sufficient capabilities? If your printer is to slow, old or inaccurate there are companies that handle printing for you.

Answer 6

Outsource the job to a specialist printing company.