Scilife offers more than one way to start a controlled print. In some cases, a PDF cannot be processed when it is sent directly to Scilife using the “Print with Scilife” option.
When this happens, the MSI may fail before the application opens and show an error indicating that the file can’t be processed directly.
Two ways to print with Scilife
Option 1: Print directly ("Print with Scilife")
In Windows, you can right-click a PDF file and select Open with → Print with Scilife from the context menu.
This option sends the original PDF file directly to Scilife without opening it first.
Because Scilife must process the PDF directly in this flow, some PDFs cannot be handled and the print process may fail before the MSI application opens.
Option 2: Open the PDF and print normally
If you open the PDF in a viewer (for example, Adobe Acrobat Reader or a web browser) and then print it using File → Print and select “Scilife – Controlled Print” printer, Scilife follows the standard Windows print pipeline.
In this flow, Scilife does not process the original PDF file directly, so PDF restrictions or modern PDF features do not block the controlled printing process.
For most PDFs, this is the recommended and most compatible printing method.
Why direct printing can fail
Some PDFs include characteristics that prevent Scilife from processing the file directly, such as:
Security restrictions (for example, password protection for opening, editing, or printing)
Modern PDF features that are not supported by the current direct-processing configuration
When these PDFs are sent using Print with Scilife, Scilife cannot continue and the print is blocked.
What to do if you see this error
If Scilife reports that it can’t process the file directly:
Open the PDF file in a PDF viewer
Use File → Print
Select “Scilife – Controlled Print” as the printer
In most cases, this allows the document to be printed successfully without changing the file.
Optional advanced configuration
Scilife includes different internal PDF processing modes. One mode prioritizes compatibility with existing environments, while another supports newer PDF features.
If you regularly use Print with Scilife and need to support a wider range of PDFs, you can switch Scilife to a more compatible PDF processing mode by updating the application configuration.
Steps
Locate the UserPreferences.ini file in C:\Users\<your_name>\AppData\Roaming\PnR\AppSettings\UserPreferences.ini
Open the file in a text editor
Find the following setting near the top of the file: UseLegacyPDFLibrary
Change its value to: UseLegacyPDFLibrary = False
Save the file
Try printing the PDF again using “Print with Scilife”
Important notes
This issue only affects the “Print with Scilife” direct printing option
Printing from inside a PDF viewer using “Scilife – Controlled Print” is more compatible
Retrying the direct print option without changing the approach will not work
Scilife does not ask for PDF passwords and does not bypass PDF security
Need more help?
If the issue persists after following the steps above, contact your system administrator or Scilife support with details about how the PDF was created and how the print was initiated.