pdf

PDF software can be extremely sophisticated -- with a price to match. But sometimes you just want to create a simple PDF document that others can open and view. PDF ReDirect Freeware is a simple PDF creator from EXP Systems. It creates and merges universal PDF documents with no restrictions, watermarks, size limits, ad banners, pop-ups, nags, or similar limitations.

PDF ReDirect opens with its Help file displayed as well as a list comparing its features with its shareware version. Like many PDF creators, PDF ReDirect appears as an option on the Printer menu when you select the Print command … Read more

Looking at multiple image files at once can tax your system's resources and be downright confusing. Image to PDF converter will turn a batch of image files into a scrollable PDF so you can see them all in one window. It converts quickly, but its boring layout and limited features will make you wonder if it was really worth downloading.

This software organizes the pictures you add in a spreadsheet for easy sorting, but it's definitely an eyesore. The overly simplistic interface makes the program's lack of features painfully obvious too. When you're adding 10 or … Read more

Virtual PDF Printer is an app that lets you create PDF files on your iPad or iPhone. Available through iTunes for $19.99, Virtual PDF Printer installs easily.

Creating PDFs from files on your iPad or iPhone often means saving documents in a common file format, then opening another app to convert the file to PDF. With Virtual PDF Printer, you tell your iDevice to print to the virtual printer instead, which creates a PDF file directly from your office productivity or other app. For many people, this shortcuts the process and leads to a PDF file more quickly, and … Read more

People share PDFs more than any other type of file, but they can be a pain to edit. Free PDF to Word switches them over to work in text editors so you can make quick edits. Though the program mentions Microsoft Word's ubiquitous word processor, it also works with Open Office and other open-source programs.

The program won't take up much hard-drive space and it can be installed in seconds. Free PDF to Word isn't exciting to look at, but it works like a charm. The best part is that it maintains most of the PDF's … Read more

There are any number of utilities out there that can quickly and easily convert a variety of file formats into PDFs, so there's no reason to settle for one that doesn't quite meet your needs. DeskPDF Pro combines an efficient drag-and-drop interface with some useful features, but the limitations of the trial version are significant, and there are free programs with many of the same features.

Once installed, DeskPDF Pro appears as an icon in the Windows system tray; clicking it brings up a small interface onto which users can drag files for conversion. This launches a window … Read more

Converting PDF documents to easily editable formats requires passing the PDF file through a converter. There are quite a few PDF Converters on the market, some better than others, but there are few very good free applications for this purpose. Wondershare Software's PDF Converter Free is a stand-alone app that allows a PDF file to be converted to a Microsoft PowerPoint file that is fully editable.

PDF Converter Free only works with PowerPoint-formatted PPTX files (or fully compatible file formats from non-Microsoft presentation applications) that have been saved as PDFs. During the conversion from PDF to PPTX almost all … Read more

Adobe Systems has kicked off a new version of its industry-standard Reader with several notable improvements.

Debuting this past weekend, Adobe Reader XI strengthens the commenting feature, so you can now add stamps, file attachments, audio recordings, and other items to a PDF. New markup symbols include text boxes, lines, arrows, circles, and other shapes. Further, you can fill out, sign, save, and send a marked up PDF without having to print it first.

Many of these features were formerly found only in Adobe Acrobat, so their addition to the free Reader is a nice bonus.

Adobe Reader has been … Read more

Printer-based freeware PDF utilities like Softland's doPDF Free are unobtrusive yet flexible and a great choice for the home office, small business, and individual user. You just have to click the Print command in any application, and then select the program from your list of installed printers. Instead of printing out your converted document, the program saves it as a PDF. You can set basic output options like document size and resolution, but doPDF is designed to be as simple and lightweight as possible.

Although doPDF works like a print driver, it installs normally like any Windows program. During … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions on PDF files appearing black in Safari, whether one can copy the password tools from the OS X installer drives to a working OS X volume, iTunes not reading discs it just burned, and how to tackle a system always going into hibernation instead of sleep mode. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Black PDF files in Safari MacFixIt reader … Read more