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Printer Name Invalid

Okay, I need your help.

The “Save as PDF” function in Final Draft is not working. Everything was fine until about a month or so ago – then it mysteriously stopped working. Every time I try and save as PDF I get the message “Printer Name Invalid.”

I’ve tried reinstalling Final Draft, I’ve bought a new printer, I’ve tried screaming at it, even – shock, horror – asking it nicely.

Any thoughts?

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12 thoughts on “Printer Name Invalid”

  1. How weird, blog-wife. What would Saving As PDF have to do with a printer? How about looking in your Control Panel under the Printer section and checking to see that it’s not set to some obsolete printer that you used to own in 1990 (when you were two years old)?

    Break out the Beckley Signal. Beckley – we need you!

  2. don’t know about the final draft bugginess, but many pdf creators actually work as a printer driver (a virtual printer). If the built in one for final draft isn’t working there are many free versions (search for pdfcreator, for example). When you intall it it appears as a printer, and to create the pdf file, rather than ‘save as PDF’ or somesuch, you print and select pdfcreator as the printer. It then asks you for the filename. The advantage of something like that is that it works in any program (word, excel, powerpoint whatever) not just final draft. (This all assumes you wouldn’t want to pay for the official adobe pdf program.)

  3. Luce, you should just be able to go to the ‘Print’ menu (as if you were just going to print it off) and somewhere on that window will be ‘Print as PDF’ or ‘Print to PDF’ – can’t remember how Windows phrases it now! That will save the file to where you want it saved (it’ll give you the option). It’s like a virtual print which saves to your PC.

    If that’s no good, I’m around all day if you want it PDF’d. x

  4. Hi Lucy. Weird… If you go to Control Panel – Printers, do you have “Final Draft PDF Convertor” as one of your printers? And, within FINAL DRAFT, if you choose PRINT and look at the list of possible printers, is “Final Draft PDF convertor” there? It wont let you use it, but it should still be an option…

  5. Thanks my lovely geek bunnies, you are all very much apopreciated – especially the PDF offers. I don’t actually need anything PDF’d right this sec but it’s the principle!! ; )

    Will check through all said advice – you’re all gems!

  6. Hi CA, I updated to FD8 in the end and had no more problems – before I did this however I used some freeware called (I think) PDF99. It turned all my Final Draft files into PDFs without an issue. Hope that helps.

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