Batch Print

Print or export a whole series of documents from a single template sheet: the add-in writes each number of a range into one driver cell, lets every formula in the sheet recalculate, then reprints. This is the standard way to issue hundreds of inspection records, inspection requests or payment sheets without editing each one by hand.

The group is aimed at site engineers and document controllers — anyone who has to print the same form dozens or hundreds of times, once per structural element, work package or payment period.

Commands in this group

Command	What it does
Batch print	Loop over a number range, writing each value into the driver cell and printing or exporting the listed sheets
Join Text	Join the selected cells into a CODE1+CODE2+CODE3 string to feed the Sheet-print cell
AutoFit merged	Fix row heights for merged cells before printing so the last line of text is not cut off
Set page margins	Align paper size, orientation and margins (mm) across every form sheet before the batch run

Workflow: printing a batch of inspection records

1. Build a template sheet driven by one control cell — for example Record!$B$2 holds the element number and the rest of the form uses VLOOKUP/INDEX against it.
2. Prepare a cell holding the list of sheets to print each round, names separated by + (for example Record+Annex). Use Join Text with + as the delimiter to build that string quickly.
3. If you intend to export PDFs, prepare a file name cell, usually a formula such as ="Record_Column_"&B2.
4. Select all form sheets and run Set page margins to align paper size and margins.
5. Go to tab DVD Addin → group File and Print → click Batch print. The window is modeless, so you can keep working in the sheet.
6. Under Number range, choose Continuous (Start–End) and type the first and last number, or Discrete (1+3+5) and list the individual numbers.
7. Fill in Driver cell (number), Sheet-print cell and Filename cell (used only for Export PDF). Click the ⤴ button next to each box to pick the cell straight from the worksheet.
8. Set Copies (Print) and tick Collate to print 123, 123 rather than 111, 222, 333.
9. Enable the Options you need: refresh AutoFilter between loops, auto-fit row height for merged cells, auto-insert a page break at the signature block, combine all exported PDFs into one file, and skip areas or print areas where a dvdPic formula has no image yet.
10. Click Save to store the configuration in the workbook, then Export PDF or Print.
11. When it finishes, the add-in reports the number of iterations, PDFs or print jobs, errors, plus a breakdown of the time each phase took.

Example

A project has 120 columns, each needing a work inspection record. The Record sheet pulls element name, level and concrete grade from the number in B2.

Dialog field	Value
Number range	Continuous, 1 to 120
Driver cell (number)	Record!$B$2
Sheet-print cell	cell containing Record+Annex
Filename cell	cell with ="Record_Column_"&B2
Options	Auto-fit merged rows ✔ · Combine all PDFs into 1 file ✔

Click Export PDF: the add-in runs 120 iterations, exports two sheets to a temporary file each time, then merges everything into one continuous PDF ready for signature. The timing table in the final message shows which phase costs the most seconds — usually Calculate (formula-heavy forms) or Export PDF|Print.

Tips and caveats

• The command really changes the driver cell while it runs — save the workbook before starting a large batch.
• Always write the fully qualified address including the sheet name (DATA!$B$8) rather than a bare B8: an unqualified reference resolves against the active sheet, so opening the window from a different sheet reads the wrong (usually empty) cell.
• The Filename cell and the combine PDFs option only apply to Export PDF; clicking Print ignores both.
• Settings are stored in a hidden DVDAddinSetting sheet inside the workbook itself, so they travel with the file when you send it to someone else.
• The auto-fit merged rows and auto page break options read their configuration from the Mucluc sheet, range B5:D104: column B is the sheet name, column C the range to auto-fit, column D the last page-break row.
• If the sheet uses dvdPic formulas whose images are missing, enable the two skip-empty-picture options so you do not print blank pages.
• A long run can take several minutes; avoid typing into cells while the add-in is printing to prevent conflicts with Excel.
• The command needs an active DVDAddin account (Standard or PRO); it is fully available during the trial period.

See also

• Print Utilities — individual pages, mirror margins, sheets to PDF, Word/Visio converters.
• Send Email — same driver-cell mechanism, but for sending mail with a per-iteration PDF attached.
• Merge to Word — merge the same dataset into Word documents instead of printouts.
• Reference: Batch print — full description of every field in the dialog.