DIY Planner - PDFs- how do you create? - Comments

CutePDF Writer Freeware

fieryfairy — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:57:50 -0400

Someone already mentioned CutePDF earlier -- and I just have to sing its praises. The Freeware version has met all of my needs. It's a really fast install, and allows you to publish PDFs from any MS Office program via the Print function (you simply select 'CutePDF' from the list of printers in the dropdown menu on the Print screen).

I've made PDFs in Visio, Word, and Excel -- and I've used it extensively at work. It's been great for distributing documentation to clients at work, because: a) I do all my IA stuff in Visio, and the majority of my clients and co-workers don't have Visio, so saving my work as PDFs allows for quick universal distribution; and b) it safeguards my work by allowing me to distribute documents in a 'read-only' format -- so that a client can't make any edits (either on purpose or by accident!).

It's one of the few elegant applications I've run across. Good luck.

Addendum: Forgot to mention that the Freeware version only allows you to create PDFs from a single file -- it doesn't give you the ability to do any fancy editing (such as form-filling), nor can you combine different file formats (e.g. a Word doc here, a Powerpoint doc there...) into one PDF.

I am also a fan of doPDF.

irian — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:38:00 -0400

I am also a fan of doPDF. It is specially easy to use because it does not require to install Ghostscript beforehand.

OpenOffice can directly export to PDF. Inkscape can save to PDF too. I also quite extensively output to PDF when using LaTeX (but that does require installing Ghostscript)

Another good reason for Flash Paper

reepicheep — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:40:53 -0400

There is one use of Adobe's Flash Paper that Adobe Reader can't match. Flash Paper can be included within a web page whereas Reader forces the entire browser window/tab to be devoted to PDF. (Or in the case of Firefox on Linux and Mac OS X has to be displayed by a separate Reader instance.)

Also I find that Flash Paper is much faster to start up, display, scroll, and generally to deal with.

The specification of Flash is in the public domain. THe guy that wrote it originally (and from whom Macromedia bought it) placed the documents in the public domain so that others would write viewer and creator applications. That few have done says more about the market penetration of PDF than it does about the virtue of Flash Paper.

Given a choice between PDF and Flash Paper I'd take the latter anytime; much more versatile.

Flashpaper

mivok — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:16:14 -0400

One app that isn't free but works well as a pdf printer if you have it is Macromedia (now adobe) flashpaper, which comes with contribute. It's works for me in situations where CutePDF and the others that use ghostscript didn't work (I was filling out a pdf form and realised I couldn't save it, so I tried printing it to another PDF).

I guess this would only really be useful if you had the version of creative suite with only the old macromedia apps (as I did in my last job).

Pleased with Primo

karianne — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:44:20 -0400

I use Primo pdf at work amongst other things to produce our newsletter (www.uwc.no). It works very well, even our printer is pleased with the quality.
I also use it for converting scans in to .pdf files. It definitely serves our need.

:) kat-in-norway

PDF "Printers"

coolhands21 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:23:51 -0400

Google for "PDF Printers". As stated elsewhere, these programs will install a new printer in Windows that will create a PDF when used. You'll find some of the ones listed in this discussion. I've personally used CutePDF (http://www.cutepdf.com/). Make sure you get the free version. It is bare-bones, but worked for me.

These are also free:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/
http://www.primopdf.com
http://www.bullzip.com/

Anyone have experience with these?

doPDF

innowen — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:36:54 -0400

sara,

When I am on a PC that doesn't have Adobe Acrobat, I use doPDF. This is a free PDF converter for your PC that doesn't have any popups or adverts or anything.

I came across this app in Lifehacker a few months ago and it really was easy.

Hope this helps,
/innowen

You adapt or you spend money

ygor — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:32:09 -0400

Amazing what is available for free, ain't it ?

>:D
-----------------------------------
"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

nice!

Sara — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:47:19 -0400

I just downloaded PDF Split and Merge... and tried it out.

I feel a bit gimpish relying on so many different programs to do what I used to so smoothly and easily but I will adjust.

Thanks much! off to organize a pdf porfolio...

my artwork | my blog

PDF Lab

jonglass — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:33:25 -0400

or PDFLab is another app for merging/splitting pdfs. Its' quite flexible, but sadly, to my surprise, it's Mac-only. I thought it was like Multivalent-java-based, but it turns out it's Cocoa/MacOS X only. But maybe somebody else can use it? LINK

-Jon

PDF Online

reepicheep — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:21:40 -0400

You could also try Adobe's Create PDF Online service. It will cost you a bit (~US$10/month). Seems to accept the more frequently used formats including Word and HTML!!!

Multivalent should do the job

ygor — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:07:24 -0400

It's pure Java and works from the command line, however, since you are on a PC, you may have to install Java.
I found out the hard way that a full Java installation is not a standard part of the Microsoft setup.
-----------------------------------
"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

not just for prepress

jonglass — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:16:08 -0400

in fact, it was _never_ intended for pre-press in its original iterations. It was designed for on-screen viewing across platforms and systems that may not have the same fonts, etc. installed. It was also designed as a secure way to share text documents online. It is designed for final-form sharing of documents you don't want edited. In fact, the usage for pre-press came long after pdf existed, and has been shoe-horned into the pdf spec, and it hasn't been a pretty ride. Trust me, I've dealt with it. In fact, I have frequently simply given the press/newspaper my doc in Illustrator format, with the fonts converted to "curves" (the word we use in Polish. I suddenly forget the English word). The PDFs are/were great leading up to the final pre-press work, but for press, they want Illustrator, if possible, not pdf, because pdf is still problematic. You need to know what you are doing with pdf to get it right off the press. I can do it, but most places don't trust the customer enough. ;-) And I don't blame them!

No, pdf is best used for what we use it for here on this site--electronic publishing for at-home printing. It's not for editable documents, nor for collaboration of "live" documents, but it's fine for the final form, when you don't want it fiddled with--the fact that some people want to fiddle with that document merely proves the worth of using pdf in the first place! (BTW, which is also why I tend to upload my templates, both in pdf and the original format--because I don't mind people mucking with them) ;-)

But please, don't pretend that pdf is for pre-press only! It's the exact opposite!
-Jon

Precisely

reepicheep — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:21:11 -0400

You have screwed the screw in with a screw-driver. PDF when limited solely to pre-press application is a good tool. Sadly almost everyone at the encouragement of Adobe is using it for purposes for which it becomes a chisel. Stick with pre-press or it just doesn't work.

Wrong tool for the job

jonglass — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:18:38 -0400

If you are using pdfs for this sort of purpose, you are using the wrong tool. You don't blame the screwdriver for being a bad wrench. It's a great screwdriver--but a lousy wrench. You use the proper tool for the job, not blame the wrong tool for its shortcomings in areas it was never intended to fill...