NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, December 2009
Create PDF Files for Free With These Utilities
By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director;
Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host

iwilsker@apcug.net
(click to email author)

WEBSITES:
http://www.cutepdf.com
http://www.dopdf.com
http://www.primopdf.com

We all have been exposed to the wildly popular document format called “PDF”, or Portable Document Format. PDF files can be read by virtually any operating system using any of many free PDF readers and will always display precisely as the author intended, including any embedded graphics and fonts. The primary PDF writers and readers have been published by Adobe under the moniker “Acrobat”, and almost all new computers have included Adobe’s free “Acrobat Reader”. While PDF readers are abundant and typically available for free, the primary PDF writer has been the Adobe product, which is fairly expensive and available in several versions.

In recent years, PDF has become more available as a format with which documents can be saved, with PDF now integrated as a “save as” selection in both recent builds of Open Office, and “SaveAsPDF.exe” which can be downloaded for free from Microsoft as an add-on for Office 2007. What may be more convenient for most users is one of the several free PDF writers, such as CutePDF, doPDF, and PrimoPDF.

I have used CutePDF on all of my computers for several years, and personally find it indispensable. Available for free download from CutePDF.com, CutePDF also requires the installation of a PS2PDF converter such as the free GPL GhostScript, which can also be downloaded from the CutePDF website. Once installed, CutePDF requires no tinkering or tweaking, as it appears as a printer selection when the “print” icon is selected. By simply selecting CutePDF as the printer, the document is quickly “printed” as a PDF document conserving all formatting, fonts, and images. The “Save As” window appears, and the document can be named and saved as desired, with the PDF file extension. That file can now be read by any computer with a PDF reader, and will always appear exactly as the original document. Saving a document as a PDF instead of another format makes the document difficult for others to edit or otherwise alter, which may be a valuable benefit. I use CutePDF primarily for saving news stories and web pages, preserving their original appearance for later viewing or distribution. CutePDF works well as a “printer” with almost any software that can print, including browsers, spreadsheets, word processors, and desktop publishing software. One acquaintance of mine who uses sophisticated software to write and edit music uses CutePDF to save his work in PDF format such that he can digitally distribute it to others who do not have compatible music writing software; the recipient can then print a hard copy of the PDF file on his own printer. I use CutePDF so frequently that I actually have it selected as my default printer, as I save documents as a PDF much more frequently than I print to paper. CutePDF works on Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista (32 and 64), and Windows 7 (32 and 64). For those needing enhanced PDF writing capabilities, a commercial version, CutePDFPro, is available.

Another very good free PDF writer is doPDF, available for download from http://www.dopdf.com. According to the doPDF website, “doPDF is a free PDF converter for both personal and commercial use. Using doPDF you can create PDF files by selecting the "Print" command from virtually any application. With one click you can convert your Microsoft Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents or your emails and favorite web sites to PDF files.” The latest version of the doPDF, version 6.3, runs on Windows XP; Vista (32 and 64); Windows 7 (32 and 64); and Microsoft Server 2000 to 2008. “doPDF 6.3 installs itself as a virtual PDF printer driver so after a successful installation it will appear in your Printers and Faxes list. To convert to PDF, you just have to print the document to doPDF, the free PDF converter. Open a document (with Microsoft Word, WordPad, NotePad or any other software), choose Print and select doPDF. It will ask you where to save the PDF file and when finished, the PDF file will be automatically opened in your default PDF viewer.” Unlike some other PDF writers, doPDF does not require GhostScript, which makes the total setup and install much smaller than its competitors. Since a third party converter is unnecessary and doPDF is written in tight code, it requires fewer system resources when converting documents to PDF. Another feature of doPDF is the selectable resolution of the saved PDF file from 72 to 2400 dpi, which influences the size of the saved file, the lower the resolution, the smaller the file. While any PDF writer can save documents or web pages written in any language, the doPDF software user interface supports 20 different languages. Kim Komando has acknowledged doPDF, and other websites have awarded doPDF their “Editor’s Choice” awards. The download site Softpedia has given doPDF its highest 5/5 rating. doPDF would be a good choice for anyone who needs a PDF writer for personal or commercial use.

What may be the world’s most widely used free PDF creator is PrimoPDF, available from http://www.primopdf.com. The newly released version 5 of PrimoPDF is compatible with all versions of Windows from 98 to Windows 7, and works just like other PDF writers, in that it installs as a printer driver. PrimoPDF has some unusual features for a free PDF writer in that it can combine different documents into a single PDF document, and also password protect PDF files. Document information, including title and author, can be imbedded in the document during the creation process. The new version 5 has added a “drag and drop” feature where documents can be easily converted to PDF format by dragging the file over the PrimoPDF icon, and dropping it, which initiates the PDF conversion process. Users who need enhanced features, such as editing PDF files, may find the commercial version, Nitro PDF Professional, a full featured but economical competitor to Adobe’s products.

With free utilities as good as any of these three, there is no reason why anyone can not create excellent quality PDF files from any document or website that can be printed.

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