Excel: VBA to print to PDF - Run time error 1004

Question

I have tried using the following solution to print from Excel to PDF:

Excel 2013 Print to PDF in VBA

While the solution seems to have worked for other people

Answer 1

If the worksheet that you are exporting contains no data then the export fails. I found this solution on the MrExcel forum, where someone appears to have stumbled over the answer!

Answer 2

OK, I just played with mine some more, and if I take the ".pdf" off the filename specification, I don't get the error 1004.

Answer 3

I had to remove line breaks in my filename's variable using the clean function:

xlName = Range("CustomerName").Value xlName = Application.WorksheetFunction.Clean(xlName)

Answer 4

Another cause of this error is if the filename contains illegal characters such as:

• < (less than)
• > (greater than)
• : (colon)
• " (double quote)
• / (forward slash)
• \ (backslash)
• | (vertical bar or pipe)
• ? (question mark)
• * (asterisk)

See 'Naming conventions' here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/fileio/naming-a-file

Solution: replace illegal characters with legal ones, such as '_'.

Answer 5

So this is the working code now for Windows users (Mac OS might have to adjust file path):

Sub Invoice_to_PDF()
'Saves the invoice print area to a PDF file

Dim fp As String
Dim wb As Workbook
Dim ws As Worksheet

fp = "C:\Users\[username]\Desktop\NewInvoice.pdf"
Set wb = ActiveWorkbook
Set ws = Worksheets("Invoice")

ws.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:=fp, Quality:=xlQualityStandard, IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=True


End Sub