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Microsoft delivers 'Save as PDF' add-on

The free download enables Office 2007 users to save documents as Adobe PDF or Microsoft XPS formats.

Martin LaMonica Former Staff writer, CNET News
Martin LaMonica is a senior writer covering green tech and cutting-edge technologies. He joined CNET in 2002 to cover enterprise IT and Web development and was previously executive editor of IT publication InfoWorld.
Martin LaMonica
Microsoft has released a free download that will enable Office 2007 users to save documents in both Adobe Systems' PDF format and Microsoft's own rival format, XPS.

The add-on works with the different planned versions of Office 2007, which is now in beta testing and expected to be made generally available by the end of the year.

According to the release notes of the download, people can save a document or send an e-mail attachment in PDF or XPS format.

Both formats are designed to keep layout consistent for viewing and printing.

The Save as PDF feature, announced last October, prompted Adobe to threaten to file an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in June.

In response, Microsoft changed its plans and decided to offer the feature as a separate download rather than have it included within Office 2007.

Microsoft executives have said that Save as PDF was one of the features most requested by its Office customers.