Send Bulk Email with PDF Attachment Using Python and AWS SES

Send Bulk Email with PDF Attachment Using Python and AWS SES

This tutorial shows how to send an email to a list of recipients using Python and AWS SES SMTP, with a PDF file attached to every email.

What This Script Does

1. Connects to AWS SES using SMTP.
2. Reads recipients from list_of_emails.txt.
3. Creates a plain-text email.
4. Attaches a PDF file.
5. Sends the email to each recipient.
6. Logs successful and failed sends.

1. Prepare the Files

Keep the Python script and recipient list in the same directory:

BulkEmail/
├── bulk_email_attachment.py
├── list_of_emails.txt
└── email_send_status.txt

The PDF can be stored at any path accessible by the script.

2. Create the Email List

Create list_of_emails.txt with one email address per line:

student1@example.com
student2@example.com
student3@example.com

3. Configure AWS SES

Update these values in the script:

aws_smtp_server = "email-smtp.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com"
aws_smtp_port = 587

aws_smtp_username = "YOUR_SES_SMTP_USERNAME"
aws_smtp_password = "YOUR_SES_SMTP_PASSWORD"

sender_email = "Customer Help Desk <helpdesk@yourdomain.com>"

Also update the PDF path:

pdf_file_path = r"E:\scripts\customer\E-Library_in_customer_Portal.pdf"

4. Complete Python Script

Save the following as bulk_email_attachment.py:

import os
import smtplib
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.base import MIMEBase
from email import encoders
from datetime import datetime

# AWS SES SMTP settings
aws_smtp_server = "email-smtp.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com"
aws_smtp_port = 587

aws_smtp_username = "YOUR_SES_SMTP_USERNAME"
aws_smtp_password = "YOUR_SES_SMTP_PASSWORD"

sender_email = "Customer Help Desk <helpdesk@yourdomain.com>"

subject = "Regarding Use of E-Library in Customer Portal"

body = """Dear Student,

Please find attached the step-by-step process to use the E-Library platform.

Regards,
Customer Support Team
"""

# PDF attachment
pdf_file_path = r"E:\scripts\customer\E-Library_in_customer_Portal.pdf"
pdf_file_name = os.path.basename(pdf_file_path)

# Sending status log
output_file = "email_send_status.txt"


def send_email(to_email):
    msg = MIMEMultipart()

    msg["From"] = sender_email
    msg["To"] = to_email
    msg["Subject"] = subject

    # Email body
    msg.attach(MIMEText(body, "plain"))

    # Attach PDF
    with open(pdf_file_path, "rb") as attachment:

        part = MIMEBase(
            "application",
            "octet-stream"
        )

        part.set_payload(attachment.read())

    encoders.encode_base64(part)

    part.add_header(
        "Content-Disposition",
        f"attachment; filename={pdf_file_name}"
    )

    msg.attach(part)

    # Connect to AWS SES SMTP
    with smtplib.SMTP(
        aws_smtp_server,
        aws_smtp_port
    ) as server:

        server.starttls()

        server.login(
            aws_smtp_username,
            aws_smtp_password
        )

        server.send_message(msg)


# Read email list
with open("list_of_emails.txt", "r") as file:
    with open(output_file, "a") as output:

        for line in file:

            email = line.strip()

            if not email:
                continue

            try:

                send_email(email)

                status = (
                    f"{datetime.now():%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S} - "
                    f"Email sent successfully to {email}"
                )

                print(status)
                output.write(status + "\n")

            except Exception as e:

                status = (
                    f"{datetime.now():%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S} - "
                    f"Failed to send email to {email}: {e}"
                )

                print(status)
                output.write(status + "\n")

5. How the Script Works

Read the Recipient List

with open("list_of_emails.txt", "r") as file:

The script reads one recipient at a time from the email list.

Create the Email

msg = MIMEMultipart()
msg["From"] = sender_email
msg["To"] = to_email
msg["Subject"] = subject

The message contains the sender, recipient, subject, and body.

Attach the PDF

with open(pdf_file_path, "rb") as attachment:
    part = MIMEBase("application", "octet-stream")
    part.set_payload(attachment.read())

encoders.encode_base64(part)

The PDF is read in binary mode, encoded for email transport, and added as an attachment.

Send Through AWS SES

server.starttls()
server.login(
    aws_smtp_username,
    aws_smtp_password
)

server.send_message(msg)

The script enables TLS, authenticates with the SES SMTP credentials, and sends the completed message.

6. Run the Script

python bulk_email_attachment.py

The script processes every address in list_of_emails.txt and attaches the configured PDF to each email.

7. Example Output

2026-09-18 14:30:10 - Email sent successfully to student1@example.com
2026-09-18 14:30:11 - Email sent successfully to student2@example.com
2026-09-18 14:30:12 - Failed to send email to student3@example.com: SMTP error

Quick Reference

# Run the script
python bulk_email_attachment.py

Important Notes

• Verify the sender identity in AWS SES.
• Make sure the PDF path is correct.
• Keep the attachment size within your email provider's limits.
• Follow AWS SES sending quotas and rate limits.
• Handle bounces and complaints appropriately.
• Do not send to purchased or scraped email lists.
• Keep SES SMTP credentials secret.

Conclusion

Python can be used with AWS SES SMTP to send bulk email messages with a PDF attachment. The script keeps the process simple by reading recipients from a text file, attaching the same PDF to each message, and logging the result of each send attempt.