Merge PDF files in Publisher

[BeauRX]

I occasionally need to scan documents to create a multi-page PDF. I can create single page PDFs from each scan. I was hoping to use Publisher to assemble the collection of one page files into a single PDF file with all the pages. If the [Add Pages From File...] menu would allow selecting multiple files that would do the trick as it stands know even with a [Add Pages From File...] shortcut it's pretty tedious. I am pretty familiar with Photo but mush less so with Publisher, wondering if there is some other way I haven't found/considered. Thx

[h_d]

I can't think of any straightforward way with Publisher - it's a page layout program, not a pdf manager. The Add Pages from File command works well with multi-page pdfs, but not to combine singles and I don't think it's intended to.

If you're on macOS you can combine multiple pdfs using Preview. On macOS Monterey you can use Shortcuts. There are also various "free" apps in the Apple App Store that purport to do it, but the only one I tried failed miserably. (On earlier versions of macOS you could do it with Automator, but the action no longer seems to work in Monterey.)

Add: if I use Preview with my scanner I can also combine multiple pages into one pdf as I scan.

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by h_d
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[PaulEC]

If you're on Windows, PDF24 is a handy (free) app for various PDF editing tasks, including merging PDF files.

[walt.farrell]

7 hours ago, BeauRX said:

I occasionally need to scan documents to create a multi-page PDF. I can create single page PDFs from each scan.

What OS do you use, and what scanning software do you use?

Some scanning software will allow you to create multi-page PDF files directly. 

[pbasdf]

As others have said, other tools might be better.  But if you want to "automate" this in Publisher, you could use Data Merge Manager.  Take a look at this video for an introduction to it:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/publisher/desktop/video/494072789/

You will need to create a text file containing the filenames for all the pages that you want to add.  Create a new Publisher document with just one page, and add a Picture Frame to cover the full page.  Fire up the Data Merge Manager, and specify the text file containing the filenames as the source for the data merge.  Select the image frame, open the Fields panel and double-click the field containing the filename.  Then generate to create a new Publisher file containing all the pages.  Finally export as PDF to create a single PDF containing all the pages.

[BeauRX]

Thanks for your responses.

macOS no longer supports the Canon Printer/Scanner we have. Maybe wife's Windows LT is a better platform than my MacBook since I need to used it to scan the pages. 

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, BeauRX said:

macOS no longer supports the Canon Printer/Scanner we have. Maybe wife's Windows LT is a better platform than my MacBook since I need to used it to scan the pages. 

I've been happy with VueScan, which I purchased many years ago. It has support for a wide range of scanners, offers a free trial, and works on macOS and Windows.

https://www.hamrick.com/