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How to print just about anything to PDF for free
Adobe Reader can take 30 seconds or longer to load, and tends to bog down Firefox or Internet Explorer when you want to open a PDF from a web page. Foxit loads in a snap and can handle almost anything Adobe Reader can. But the free version of Foxit won't let you create PDF files.
That's where doPDF steps in. It's one of a number of programs that installs a virtual printer on your machine. Now when you go to print a web page, word document, photo or pretty much anything else, you can save it as a PDF file. You can set the resolution to anything from 72 dpi to 2400 dpi, and the "printed" files are text searchable.
Sure, doPDF's not the only program that performs this function, but much like Foxit, it's free and it just works. Really well.
[via Digital Inspiration]
Comments
33
Subscribe to commentsJasonMar 6th 2007 3:17PM
cutepdf.
very stable. Does the same.
ffunkyMar 6th 2007 2:34PM
cutepdf
very stable. Does the same thing.
Daniel MilnerMar 6th 2007 2:38PM
I've always used PDFCreator myself. I like the fact that it's open source.
http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator/
harmxMar 6th 2007 2:51PM
PDFCreator is good, but also check out BullZip PDF Printer for a better interface and the ability to merge pdfs!
http://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php
harmxMar 6th 2007 6:50PM
PDFCreator works well, but also checkout Bullzip PDF Printer for a better interface and the ability to merge pdf's!
http://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php
TomMar 6th 2007 6:49PM
Your Foxit Reader post links to the comments section of the Download.com listing of the software. The direct link to Foxit is at http://www.foxitsoftware.com/. Direct links FTW!
johntmeche3Mar 6th 2007 6:49PM
I have an even better way...Get a Mac!
ffunkyMar 6th 2007 6:50PM
Sorry. Didn't mean to have multiple messages. Email comfirmations were lagging...
Fred ThompsonMar 6th 2007 6:52PM
BullZip will merge but no, the interface isn't "better" if by "better" the definition is "more functional." PDFCreator supports output to multiple file formats and numerically setting the output resolution. BullZip's interface is clunky. There's no need for 5 tabs given the few actual settings. They'd all fit on one window with a smaller font and less white space.
Merge and other simple editing tasks can be done by PDF-ShellTools http://homepage.oniduo.pt/pdfe/shelltools.html It does have a stupid nag screen. If there's a functional equivalent which with no nags, please share a link to it.
jccalhounMar 6th 2007 6:53PM
I don't understand why anyone would want to create a pdf. They are incredibly bloated. I'm an RTF fan myself.
Fred ThompsonMar 6th 2007 5:46PM
Correction - PDFCreator will do a merge, of sorts. The Wait-Collect button uses PDFCreator's print queue manager to allow creation of a single PDF from multiple files. That's not the same as joining to an existing PDF file in all cases but it is probably a lot more efficient when you want to make one PDF of output from a number of source apps.
chasbowMar 6th 2007 6:52PM
I use CutePDF and FoxiT. They are great. Why doesn't someone make an un-pdf. Here's what I mean. We often get request from people who want to edit a PDF or copy a bit out of a PDF. Why couldn't someone make a virtual printer that when one prints to it the output would be a text file? Then one could print a PDF and get text and then do whatever with the text. Is there anything out there like that?
periergosMar 6th 2007 6:52PM
PrimoPDF. Excellent piece of software: does the same thing, it's free and it adds security issues to the produced pdf (i.e. passwords, option to copy text to clipboard, etc.)
MMMar 6th 2007 6:52PM
jccalhoun:
How do you convert to RTF ?
PromitheasMar 6th 2007 4:49PM
PrimoPDF: Excellent piece of software: Does the same job, and it also adds security capabilities to the produced pdf (password to open, option to copy text or not, etc).
Fred ThompsonMar 6th 2007 5:47PM
@jccalhoun,
PDF keeps the formatting information intact, RTF does not. RTF is reformatted to fit the destination device and doesn't have the depth of image support which is in PDF. Most people don't have the ability to edit a PDF so it's a more secure format, so to speak. Take an RTF and a PDF of the same source to a print shop and try to make a poster. Which looks better/proper?
MMMar 6th 2007 5:15PM
chasbow:
you can just copy paste text from PDF to notepad and edit it.
MMMar 6th 2007 5:15PM
PDFTK (http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk/) can be used to merge split, crypt, compress etc. It is command line tool but has a gui frontend http://www.paehl.de/pdf/?GUI_for_PDFTK
Claudiu SpulberMar 7th 2007 7:38AM
Sure there are ones that have better features, but just so you know doPDF is the only one that doesn't use Ghostscript, so no additional downloads are needed. Pdf printers using ghostscript are more like an interface for ghostscript.
HelmutMar 7th 2007 7:39AM
Google Docs has also an option to save any doc or rtf as pdf.