Create PDFs with free software

Having spent hours getting the appearance of a Word document just right it can be really annoying when the recipient can’t print or view it properly. The answer to this problem is the Portable Document Format, or PDF.

If you convert a document to a PDF file you can be certain that it will appear as you want it to, and print as you intended it, on just about any PC. This is really useful, but annoyingly most computers aren’t set up to create them. We’ll explain how to create PDF files using free software, and how to get more from any PDFs you receive.

What is PDF?
Most of us save our documents as word processor files, but this has some problems. First there is no guarantee that the person receiving the file will have the program needed to open the file and, even if they do, there may be problems with other settings such as fonts and page margins.

If you use a font that they don’t have, for example, their computer will simply use something else, leaving the file looking shoddy.

To solve this problem, PDF was invented as a standard format for sharing files so they will display and print correctly. It includes all the necessary fonts and other information, so you can be sure that any PDF documents you create will always display correctly.

It’s particularly good for desktop publishing, as you can create a PDF file to send to a printing company, safe in the knowledge that the results will look correct. Each page of an issue of Computeractive, for example, was sent to the printers as a PDF file.

PDF files can also be useful if you want to create a file that’s difficult for others to edit. If you’re sending an invoice, for example, sending it as a PDF makes it hard, if not impossible, for others to change the costs.

What do I need to read PDFs?
You’ll need a program to open PDF files and another to create them. Some are expensive: Adobe’s PDF creation tool, Acrobat, costs more than £300. Thankfully there’s no need to sell the family silver as there are plenty of free alternatives.

We’ll deal with making PDF files in a minute, but opening them is easier. The official Adobe Reader software can be downloaded from Computeractive's website. This is a capable PDF reader as you might expect but there are attractive alternatives. The Foxit reader is a smaller download and uses fewer computer resources. It also comes with a toolbar for the free Firefox web browser. Both readers install plug-ins for the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers so they can display PDF documents found on the internet.

Making a PDF
There’s no need to learn a completely new program in order to create PDF files. Most PDF software looks like a printer to Windows, so when you’ve finished creating a document you simply ‘print’ it as a PDF file rather than a paper document.

PrimoPDF is one of the best PDF makers and can be downloaded from Computeractive. Once PrimoPDF is installed, open your document in the appropriate application and select the option to print it. Click in the dropdown menu to select PrimoPDF instead of the normal printer. Click on OK and the PrimoPDF window will appear.

There are four presets for different quality needs, so you can choose to make a small file for reading on screen or a larger, high-quality one to send to a printer. Click on the Change button by Document Properties to add your details to the document, double check the location and click on Create PDF.