PrimoPDF

ActivePDF PrimoPDF

PDF (Portable Document Format) makes sharing documents simple, stress free, and affordable. You know the drill: You spend time carefully formatting a document only to have the recipient's word processor or printer distort its appearance. Or perhaps you've invested in a creating a quality brochure or other publication, but when you post it to your Web site, only people with the same version of the same software can view it. So much for expanding your audience.

Publishing documents in PDF eliminates these problems and lets other computer users view files as you intended. No need to worry if they use the same word processing or database software you do. Instead, PDF captures the formatting elements of a document, fonts, and other elements as an electronic image. Other users can then view, share, and print the PDF even if they lack the original software and system you used to create it. Any user with a PDF reader (several readers are available online for free) will see the file just as you designed it.

To accomplish this task, you must have PDF creation software. There are several on the market, with varying tools and add-ons at a range of prices. However, if you really only need a basic converter, you don't have to spend a dime with activePDF's PrimoPDF converter.

The Bright Side

PrimoPDF truly is free. Unlike some other free PDF programs, you don't have to suffer through annoying pop-up ads to use PrimoPDF. And it's blessedly free of watermarks and spyware. PrimoPDF can convert any Windows-based application to PDF, so long as it's a printable file type. So, you'll be able to convert Word and Excel documents, as well as many others.

The program is astonishingly easy to use. It installs as a PDF printer, which means you follow the same simple steps you would use to print to your local or network printer. Instead of selecting a real-world printer in the Print screen, you just choose to print the document to PrimoPDF. Before it creates the PDF, the program prompts you to specify whether you'll be using the document on-screen or printed and then optimizes it accordingly.

If you do encounter any problems with installation or conversion, PrimoPDF offers free support through its forums
(forums.primopdf.com).

The Low Down

PrimoPDF does produce larger files than the original software, so if your email program or Web site has size limitations, you'll need to pay attention to that. The only other real downside, and it isn't much of one, is that this program really just covers the basics of PDF publishing. If you want PDF encryption, linearization, or editing capabilities, you'll still have to shell out some dough. But for a free product, PrimoPDF is a good deal.

Remember, to look at your PDF files, your viewers must have a PDF reader installed. If you're publishing to the Web, provide a link to a free reader such as Adobe's Acrobat Reader www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html). If you're sending PDF files via email, include the link in the message.

by Anne Steyer Phelps