Aid4Mail enables you to convert multiple EML files to the PDF file format quickly and accurately. It will preserve your email attachments, no matter their file size.

You can customize Aid4Mail’s PDF export:

• Adjust the header and footer text of PDF documents.
• Convert each EML file to its own PDF, or multiple EML files to a single PDF.
• Choose your own PDF file names.
• Add Bates stamps or Bates numbers to converted PDF files.
• Remove envelopes from journaled emails without losing envelope metadata.
• Determine how much email data to include and where it’s located in the PDF.
• Secure PDF files with passwords.
• Embed attachments in the PDF file or link to external file locations on disk.
• Save using the PDF, PDF/A or PDF/X standard.

Why convert to PDF?

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard. In addition, it works on any operating system. This makes it a good choice for archiving emails long-term or sharing them with others.

Instructions for converting the EML format to PDF

In Aid4Mail, select the Settings tab. There are three sections: Source, Target and Filter. Each can be displayed or hidden by selecting the +/- symbol next to the section heading. This tutorial requires them all to be displayed.

Follow the steps below. For any setting that’s not specifically mentioned, you can either leave the default (preset) option or consult the Aid4Mail 5 User Guide for more information.

Set your source

1. In the Format list, select EML files.
2. Set the location of your EML files, either writing it directly in the Location field or by using the Select button to browse your file system. Set a single EML file, or a folder containing EML files, or a folder whose hierarchy (anywhere below it) contains EML files.
3. Choose whether to Remove journaling envelope if your email files are journaled.

Set your target

1. In the Format list, select PDF.
2. Select a PDF file standard.
3. Choose whether to Embed attachments in the PDF, or save them to disk and insert links to them in the PDF. TIP: If you choose not to embed attachments, and later upload your file or send it to someone else, you’ll need to send the attachments too.
4. Decide if you want to Export to a single file or create a new PDF file for every EML.
5. Set the Location where you want your PDF file(s) to be saved. You can write it directly in the field or use the Select button to browse your file system. If you’re exporting to a single PDF file, set a file name (with extension), otherwise set a folder location.
6. Select an option for the Folder structure of the exported files. (Only if you decided not to export to a single file.)
7. Determine the criteria for each PDF File name. (Only if you decided not to export to a single file.)
8. Set an Email header configuration. This determines how much data from the email header is included in the PDF and where it is placed. You can choose the default option or one of the presets from the list. You can also Add your own or Edit an existing one, using the pop-up editor, for full customization.

If you’re using a template for the folder structure or file name, you’ll need to set a Folder structure template and/or File name template.

Templates consist of a combination of text and tokens. The text must not include illegal file name characters. The tokens represent data from the email being processed. You can use the Insert button to help you find and include tokens.

Set your filter

1. Under Folder filtering, select Folder selection. Your EML folder hierarchy should appear in the box below.
2. Select the folders you want Aid4Mail to process. The others will be skipped.

Run your EML to PDF conversion

Select the Run button (Aid4Mail’s version of a convert button) or Session > Run from the menu. Aid4Mail will convert your chosen EML files to PDF. It will automatically open the Progress tab so you can monitor what’s going on.

Results

The screenshots below show PDF file names created by Aid4Mail in our example, and one of the PDF documents. You can see the effect of the settings we chose:

• Each EML file was converted to its own PDF file.
• The file name for each PDF file matches the template we set:
  {LocalMessageDate}-{Subject}-{SenderAddress}
  You can see that all file names include the local date, email subject, and sender’s address.
• The email header in the PDF document matches the default configuration we set. It includes the email subject and the date.

More than EML to PDF converter software

20 years of email-processing expertise have gone into Aid4Mail! It’s capable to convert a large number of file types including Microsoft Outlook, Exchange, Google and IMAP accounts, popular email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird and Apple Mail, email archive exports, and more.

Aid4Mail can also convert multiple files to many of these formats, as well as to database and markup files and even to plain text!

For Aid4Mail licenses and prices, please visit our pricing page.