>>I'll keep that should I ever need it
>>
>>Since acrobat 8, what I do is
>>
>>(1) Create an object that mimimizes any window that becomes the forground window
>>(2) if adobe not open, start one
>
>Through ShellExecute?
>
No, I find the app in the registry that is associated to .pdf and 'open'


>Also, if it's already running - what do you do?

nothing


>>(3) Do my thing with printto
>>(4) Destroy the object created in (1)
>>
>>
>>The only disadvantage is that it leaves a minimized acrobat reader in the task bar
>>
>>Life used to be easier
>>
>
>So, the extra Adobe instance minimized is left running, correct?

Only if no acrobat was open before I started printing