Skip to main content

PDFCreator the Lifesaver!

The work I do involves sending documents of various formats and extensions (.doc, .xls, .ppt, .pps, .txt, just to name a few).  Within upgrades of the same software, there may also be multiple formats not compatible with each other.  Sometimes I waste a whole morning just saving documents in different formats to be sent a second or a third time.  Naturally, I searched for a solution.  And it was a no-brainer.  PDF was the answer to my problem.  With documents in PDF, everyone would be able to view them.

For those less in the know, PDF stands for Portable Document Format.  However, the ubiquitous (and free!) Adobe Acrobat Reader only reads docs.  I needed to be able to create them.

At first I used a pirate version of Adobe Acrobat but through multiple upgrades and through the hassle of dealing with cancelling requests for connections to the Adobe website, I gave up on it.  Besides, I was busy teaching others about the evils of piracy.  How could I use pirate software myself?  Sigh.

So I searched through the net forums for discussions on a reliable PDF creator tool.  After trolling through lines and paragraphs of text, I found my way to PDFCreator.  Why did I pick this one?  Easy.

One, it's open source software. It's free and the product of many people's input and sweat. One of my favourite websites is Sourceforge :) 

Two, it's always being updated.  As of today (31 March 2011, 9.28 a.m.), the latest update was four hours ago.  How's that for being with the times??

Three, as of now, 9667 users have recommended it.  That's good enough for me.

So now I'm using it.  Pretty good piece of software, by the way.

Comments

hobbit1964 said…
Really ah?
I try osso meh.
9:58 am
RuYanda said…
PDF is useful. I always save my group assignments in PDF format for distribution to all members so that it will (hopefully) stays unaltered (unless they copy-and-paste). Sometimes the size is smaller too when I convert ppt files to pdf. By the way, I use Microsoft's "Save as PDF" plugin for Microsoft Office 2007 (and above, I think).
9:16 pm
RoslynCT said…
Oh, I didn't know about that plugin. Thanks for the tip :) Sometimes there is so much information around on the net that I filter too much.
5:13 pm
cindyjbj said…
Thank you! This has been most helpful. You've no idea how grateful I am. Thanks for sharing this, Roslyn.
4:52 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition 2009

Another great opportunity for our young people to show what they can do! The Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition has four different age bands, 'Classes'. Each Class offers five topics, plus the Commonwealth Question and the Charlton Athletic Community Trust Question. As we hope to reach a diverse student body across the Commonwealth, there are options for both academic and creative minds.  The Competition deadline is 1st March 2009   CLASS A - Born 1990-1992  1400-1750 words  All questions can be answered by writing an essay or a story which explores the topic in an interesting and relevant way.   Can I help you?  Bullying is an issue which concerns young people throughout the Commonwealth. Why does it matter and what can be done about it?   It is 200 years since Charles Darwin was born and 150 years since the publication of "On the origin of Species". In your view, what evolutionary developments are needed to ensure the continuing
24 comments
Read more

What Can I Say?

I can't say much. So I'll just share lyrics from a song. 'Life Will Pass' Moments full of happiness Of sweet youth days, Nothing to do, you cannot bring them back, Fate is not to be controlled, it is not. Those days will be a thing of the past, Where dreams and fantasies are intertwined, Everything will remain an echo, When the time comes to think. The life passes, passes, Fleeting like a river, May your star never go out, Until the cherished dream is achieved. The life passes, passes, Everything in this life is in vain, May your star never go out, Until the cherished dream is achieved. When the fog will cover the soul, When happiness will leave you, When you're alone in the world, Will there be someone who will understand you? And your blooming youth, It will turn into a mirage someday. No matter how you deceive yourself, but in the end Your fate is in the hands of the Almighty. The life passes, passes, Fleeting like a river, May your star never go out, Until the c
Post a Comment
Read more

A Teacher's Heartbreak

What breaks my heart every time it happens is watching a student fail to continue his or her studies because of financial barriers. I have lost count of the times I have personally witnessed a student do well in exams but cannot continue because of money problems.  C was one of the top three students in a previous STPM exam.  She could've easily got a place in university but for reasons known only to her, she chose to help her family in their shop.  Q was in the top TWO in his school in an SPM exam.... but family pressures and financial obligations steered him away from a confirmed place in matriculation.  Now I do not know where he is. J was the TOP student in a school.... but because his father didn't live up to his responsibility as a parent, J dropped out of school. I cry inside when I see these things happening for I know education is their best route to a brighter future.  I feel so so SO frustrated because if it is not their own family that 'drags' them down,
1 comment
Read more