How to Programmatically Print to PDF in Delphi Without Adobe Dependencies

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How to Programmatically Print to PDF in Delphi Without Adobe Dependencies

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Ditch Adobe for goodhere's how I used VeryPDF's Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK to print PDFs in Delphi programmatically, no bloat, no hassle.

Every time I had to generate a PDF in Delphi, I felt like I was duct-taping a solution together

Seriously.

How to Programmatically Print to PDF in Delphi Without Adobe Dependencies

Whether it was a client app that needed receipts generated on the fly, or automating a monthly report dump for a logistics company, I'd always hit the same wall:

"Why does printing to PDF still need Adobe Acrobat or some bloated library?"

Worse, half the solutions out there were a mess to integrate with Delphi.

Some had weird dependencies. Others broke silently in 64-bit environments.

I was done patching together sketchy third-party libraries.

That's when I found VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK.

And for once, the install didn't feel like surgery.

The first tool that let me print PDFs in Delphi without drama

Here's the deal:

VeryPDF's Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK installs itself as a system-level printer driver.

It lets any app that can printDelphi, C++, VB, even Accessprogrammatically output to a PDF.

And you don't need Adobe, Microsoft Print to PDF, or anything bloated like that.

I tested it inside a legacy Delphi app we had running on Windows Server 2012.

Clean install.

No registry acrobatics.

No GUI prompts during silent install.

Worked like a charm.

What it actually does (and why it's better than anything else I've tried)

Let's keep it simple:

Once installed, your app can talk to this SDK like it would to any printer.

But behind the scenes, it's outputting high-quality PDFs.

The key thing?

You stay in control.

You can define filenames, auto-save locations, merge jobs, encrypt files, and even send PDFs to FTP or cloud storageprogrammatically.

Here are 3 things that saved my skin:

1. Fully headless PDF generation

I had a client who needed hundreds of invoices generated overnight.

Manually? Forget it.

With this SDK, I just:

  • Spun up a loop inside Delphi.

  • Sent print jobs to the virtual printer.

  • Used the config file to auto-name and auto-save files.

No pop-ups. No dialog boxes. Just PDFs in the output folder by morning.

2. Works even on older systems

We had a Windows 7 box running mission-critical software. No chance of upgrading.

Still worked.

Supports Windows XP to Windows 11, 32 or 64-bit.

No extra DLL hell.

3. You can lock down the PDF output

One of our clients was in healthcare.

They needed 128-bit encryption baked into the PDFs before sending them via email.

This SDK does that out of the box. You can even go to 256-bit AES if needed (with an extension module).

Where other tools tripped up, VeryPDF crushed it

I've tried the free print-to-PDF tools.

Some break with multi-threaded apps. Others don't let you define output paths cleanly.

And don't get me started on the ones that sneak in watermarks.

With VeryPDF?

  • No watermark

  • Royalty-free redistribution

  • Terminal Server/Citrix support

  • Custom printer naming

  • Font embedding + image compression

You even get N-Up printing, watermarks, searchable PDFs, and multi-job merging.

The amount of control you have is insane.

If you're in one of these camps, this tool is gold

This SDK is built for:

  • Delphi developers who want clean PDF generation, no Acrobat nonsense.

  • ISVs embedding PDF printing into their apps.

  • IT teams deploying silent PDF solutions in large environments.

  • Enterprise software running on legacy systems.

  • Print automation workflows (especially with Citrix or RDP environments).

Here's what I'd tell any dev wasting time with PDF libraries

Skip the hacks.

Use VeryPDF Virtual PDF Printer Driver SDK and get native "print to PDF" in your Delphi appwithout relying on Adobe or janky wrappers.

It's smooth, it's battle-tested, and it scales like crazy.

Click here to try it out for yourself

Custom development? They've got your back too

Need something way beyond just print-to-PDF?

VeryPDF also does custom PDF toolsacross Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile.

They've built stuff for:

  • Windows API hooks for printer job capture

  • Virtual printer drivers for EMF/PCL/PostScript

  • OCR + barcode recognition

  • PDF/A conversion

  • Digital signature + DRM

  • Server-side document processing

  • Cloud PDF services with OAuth 2.0 support

Whether you need a receipt parser, a PDF security module, or a PDF-to-FTP delivery system, they can help.

Hit them up here: http://support.verypdf.com/

FAQs

1. Can I use the SDK in Delphi without third-party libraries?

Yes. The SDK integrates natively. No Adobe, no weird wrappersjust standard print calls.

2. Does it support silent installation?

Absolutely. You can deploy it across a fleet of machines without any pop-up dialogs.

3. Can I customise the printer name or auto-save path?

Yes. You can name your virtual printer anything, and use tokens (like timestamps) for output paths.

4. Is it compatible with Terminal Servers or Citrix?

Yes. It's built to work in those environments without a hitch.

5. Can I encrypt the output PDF files?

Yup. With optional modules, you can apply 40-bit, 128-bit, or 256-bit encryption automatically.

Tags

  • Delphi print to PDF

  • Virtual PDF printer SDK

  • Programmatically generate PDFs

  • Print to PDF without Adobe

  • Delphi PDF integration

The first line had the keyword.

The last one will too:

If you've been wondering how to programmatically print to PDF in Delphi without Adobe dependencies, this is the fastest, cleanest way I've foundperiod.

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