PC Users:: What do you use to create FREE PDF files?

[Saladsamurai]

How can I create a PDF file w/out buying anything?

Why does adobe try to swindle you into buying something?

It's cake on my Mac, but on my PC not so much.

So what do you guys use?

Thanks,
Casey

[Kurdt]

You can use LaTeX typesetting programs to creat PDF's. They're free.

[ranger]

I use PrimoPDF.

[Saladsamurai]

You can use LaTeX typesetting programs to creat PDF's. They're free.

Er... I think that would be a little cumbersome. Let's say I wanted to make a PDF of this screen right now. How would I do that?

I use PrimoPDF.

Downloading Now. I'll give this a whirl. Thanks :smile:

[Evo]

How can I create a PDF file w/out buying anything?

Why does adobe try to swindle you into buying something?

It's cake on my Mac, but on my PC not so much.

So what do you guys use?

Thanks,
CaseyThe company that invents software certainly has the right to sell that software.

Anyone that attempts to post links to cracked or even remotely illegal software will be banned.

[mXSCNT]

LaTeX and OpenOffice will make PDFs, both being free.

[Saladsamurai]

Downloading Now. I'll give this a whirl. Thanks :smile:


Not anymore :grumpy: Just read this:

The software installer you are about to initiate utilizes the OpenCandy, Inc. recommendation network in order to provide you offers that may be of interest. By proceeding with the installation process, you agree that OpenCandy may collect and use certain information obtained in connection with this software installation in accordance with the policies and practices set forth in OpenCandy's Privacy Policy, which can be read at

Nothing is ever free is it.

[Saladsamurai]

The company that invents software certainly has the right to sell that software.

Anyone that attempts to post links to cracked or even remotely illegal software will be banned.

Settle down now. Nobody said they didn't have the right. Just think its a little silly when there is plenty of open source stuff out there.

LaTeX and OpenOffice will make PDFs, both being free.

Hmmm. I will have to look into the OpenOffice thing.

[berkeman]

Not anymore :grumpy: Just read this:



Nothing is ever free is it.

Weird. That was in the install from the download at the PrimoPDF website? I hadn't seen that before. I've been happy with PrimoPDF, but it sounds like I will have to look into that...

[slider142]

Er... I think that would be a little cumbersome. Let's say I wanted to make a PDF of this screen right now. How would I do that?



Downloading Now. I'll give this a whirl. Thanks :smile:

A PDF document is meant to be a digital version of a printed static page; to create a PDF of this screen, you would have to specify a dpi/ppi so that a physical size could be calculated. The PDF is ideally meant to be identically printed on every machine, irrespective of fonts available, etc. Modern PDFs have added multimedia content and embedded notes.
As such, what you want to do is install a virtual printer whose output is a PDF file. Bullzip (http://download.cnet.com/PDF-Printer/3000-2088_4-10536746.html) offers freeware for this purpose.

[Evo]

PrimoPDF advertises itself as a PDF convertor which installs itself as a printer. "PrimoPDF does produce larger files than the original software, 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".

It's not really a PDF file, it just imitates it, but probably that's all you want.

[mXSCNT]

Since last summer, PDF has been an open standard, which anyone is free to implement.

(before that time they could still implement it, there just wasn't a standard to work from)

[shoehorn]

If you wanted to print this page to a pdf file you could, for instance, install the PDFcreator (http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/) driver. The print menu from all of your Windows apps will then give you the option to print to a pdf file in addition to printing to hard copy.

[rootX]

PDF Creator
plus
PDF Escape.

Two different things - different purposes

http://diaryproducts.net/for/programmer/adobe_acrobat_pdf_scripting_visualbasic_javascript
Could also be of some interest

[shoehorn]

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/
PDF Creator

Um, yes (http://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2317177&postcount=13)...

[rootX]

Um, yes (http://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2317177&postcount=13)...

Yes I missed that. I also missed Evo saying not to put links here. Not knowing anything about the legality of PDF creator I decided to remove the link :blushing:

[Saladsamurai]

Weird. That was in the install from the download at the PrimoPDF website? I hadn't seen that before. I've been happy with PrimoPDF, but it sounds like I will have to look into that...

Yeah. I started to run the executable and for some reason, for once, actually read the EULA.

[Integral]

I have used PDF995 (http://www.pdf995.com/), it seems to work pretty well.

[f95toli]

The company that invents software certainly has the right to sell that software.

Anyone that attempts to post links to cracked or even remotely illegal software will be banned.

Adobe gave up the right to the PDF format a while ago, it was the only way to get the format accepted as an ISO standard; and even before that they allowed some other companies to implement the format.
They obviously retain copyright for the software they sell (Acrobat etc) but the point is that there is plenty of free (or semi-free) software out there that allow you to create PDF documents, and none of it violates any copyrights.

[harborsparrow]

Well, it's not free, but lots of us have Word 2007 anyway. It has an add-on for saving files as .pdf that works well. Word 2007 will cost about $100 (academic) I think.

[mgb_phys]

Adobe released pdf to iso a year ago, even as a proprietry format you are pefectly free to create 'clean room' implementations as long as you do not use illegally obtained proprietry information.
This is what pfcreator, ghostscript and an other packages did to generate pdf files before that

[angevin]

I'll just mention this because no one has mentioned it yet :

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_manual/cli/ebook-convert.html

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/

ebook-convert input_file output_file [options]


EPUB Input to PDF Output

FB2 Input to PDF Output

HTML Input to PDF Output

LIT Input to PDF Output

MOBI Input to PDF Output

ODT Input to PDF Output

PML Input to PDF Output

RB Input to PDF Output

RTF Input to PDF Output

TXT Input to PDF Output

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_manual/cli/ebook-convert.html

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/

[angevin]

Adobe released pdf to iso a year ago, even as a proprietry format you are pefectly free to create 'clean room' implementations as long as you do not use illegally obtained proprietry information.
This is what pfcreator, ghostscript and an other packages did to generate pdf files before that

DRM on adobe pdf has been cracked by someone called ILov eCabbages on the internet using a script to generate a key certificate with adobe digital editions etc.. He released two scripts that will do the job (both of them are needed) that can be found on bittorrent websites.

[angevin]

Someone already mentioned LaTeX tools on here one can convert ghostscript format to pdf form e.g. the 'ps2pdf' command etc... Being physicists and dealing with complicated mathematical equations one can't beat *nix (NetBSD, FreeBSD, Linux, OpenSolaris etc..) with LaTeX tools. I guess LaTeX tools can run on windows machines but it was really meant and designed to run on Unix and Unix-like machines.

[Borek]

Install postscript driver, print to file, then go to http://www.ps2pdf.com/convert.htm

In fact they use Ghostscript which you can install for free on your own computer.