Converting to PdFs
Discussion
I have a couple of word files and several scanned documents that I wish to convert to PDFs. Is there any way of doing this other than purchasing a copy of Adobe Acrobat Writer? I am trying to put the company's Health & Safety manual onto CD instead of having to send out half a tree everytime.
davidd said:No - sorry there are loads - and I will also have to keep updating the files as well - so really need to get the company to get some software in. Have looked at a couple of free sites and they could be an option.
If it is only a few then email them over to me and I'll convert them for you
D.
Plotloss said:
You can do it online at the Adobe website I think...
You can, and it's free for the first five, but it's painfully flaky at the moment
Adobe will also spam you for the rest of your natural life 
pdf995 works well. Its only negative attribute being that it launches a browser window of advertising every time you run a conversion. Not a great problem on broadband, a total PITA on dial-up.
www.gohtm.com/ is another online service, like Adobe's, but is free indefinitely. It doesn't seem to produce any more spam than Adobe's service.
A final option (and the one we went for after going through those listed) was to pay for pdf995. $20 for, essentially, a year's unlimited licence rids you of the ads.
I have no idea what the product is like, but Dream Direct (www.dreamdirect.co.uk) offer a package called Quick PDF for £29.99.
I wasn't aware of that package 
If you don't wish to install Linux, download MandrakeMove. This is a bootable CD, providing a Linux Workstation, complete with OpenOffice along with lots of other stuff. Requires no configuring, and will read your Windows files with ease. Pain-free way to instantly add your PDF functionality.
PDFCreator - http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/ - uses much the same components as the openoffice but in a standalone package that can print from any apps. Obviously a much smaller download too, and completely free unlike pdf995.
These are great if you just need to convert the odd word doc, but if preparing PDFs is a regular part of your job (especially with more complex/graphical stuff), the full Adobe Acrobat is probably worth buying.
These are great if you just need to convert the odd word doc, but if preparing PDFs is a regular part of your job (especially with more complex/graphical stuff), the full Adobe Acrobat is probably worth buying.
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