Alternative PDF "compiler"???

Alternative PDF \"compiler\"???

Anyone have any experience with any "free" to inexpensive programs that will convert .doc and/or .htm files to PDF?

I don't want to spend three hundred bucks on Adobe Acrobat, but I'm planning on doing some E-publishing (Backroads guides including .jpgs, .gif's and text) in a few months, want to be able to port them to Palm and Pocket PC PDA's, and figure PDF is the most flexible solution.

I have downloaded "CutePDF" and may try it out, but if there is a better solution out there for around $50 or less, I'd rather go with that.

Any ideas??? Thanks.

Re: Alternative PDF

I just use the stuff that came with my GNU/Linux distro. It's all free.

Re: Alternative PDF

I just "re-did" my linux box with Windows and gave it to my mother (since she recently trashed the last computer I gave her.). I need something that runs with Windows XP.

Re: Alternative PDF

Off the wall idea, but it might be similar on your system, also (I dunno).

None of my text, publishing, or graphics programs have a 'Save as PDF' option, but every program I have that has any print capability (even my browser) has the ability to do that from the Print function.

If I tell any of my apps to print the first thing that pops up is a window that allows my to set up how I want my printers to handle it OR to save it as a PDF.

Seems odd that it is a part of "Print" rather than "Save" but that's where it is.

Might there be something odd like that in your magic box? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Alternative PDF

Unfortunately, No Tomas...

CutePDF is supposed to work as a "print to file" sort of "thingy", as well as a lot of freeware and shareware and some of the commercial programs I have looked at, but none of my "current" Windows programs will do it.

One or two of my image editing programs WILL save IMAGES as PDF files. I suppose I could do screen captures of html files and do it that way, but I really do need something more flexible than that.

Re: Alternative PDF

You can create pdfs for free, even in windows.

Step 1

Create a .ps file from your document. You just have to "print to file" using a postscript driver (=just install a driver for an expensive laser printer, most of them are postscript)

Step 2

Use ps2pdf to transform your .ps file into a .pdf. ps2pdf is freely available as part of Ghostscript or Cygwin (actually cygwin contains gs).

That's all ! Free, open source, no nags (except for the operating system itself).

Some usefull links in

http://www.cs.unc.edu/~vogel/createPDFs.htm

Re: Alternative PDF

Try OpenOffice.org. It's a great Office replacement, even reads and writes Office file formats, AND all the programs have an "Export to PDF". It's free.

Re: Alternative PDF

And regarding porting HTML to Palm and other pda's, Isilo at http://www.isilo.com/ might do what you need. Its Windows client, IsiloX, takes the HTML, links, tables and all, and converts it to a working web site for its client on the Palm or PPC.

The one downside is it costs a little money, but if you use your Palm much, it really is the easiest way I've found of taking websites with you.

Re: Alternative PDF

FreePDF.

http://www.webxd.com/zipguy/freepdf.htm

It's a series of programs that form a print driver, so you can print any document from any program to a PDF file. It's tedious to configure, but if you follow the directions carefully you'll get it working.

Re: Alternative PDF

FreePDF is "good enough" if you want something free, but if you need a more robust solution, you may want to look at the Amyuni PDF convertor (not the PDF creator). I use this one a LOT at work and it produces much better quality PDFs than FreePDF, and it has never created a faulty document. It's $80, IIRC.

Re: Alternative PDF

Thanks for the ideas.

I have isilo and will be offering that as an option, but didn't want people to have to pay extra if they don't have it.

I'll take a look at the Amyuni.

Re: Alternative PDF

Acrobat and Distiller have the advantage of optimising PDFs to reduce size.

Lot of the shareware PDF creators do annoying things like add an ad on to every page you create...

FreePDF from Zipguy is OK but a pita to set up.

Currently I use PDF995 which is free if you can tolerate a screen ad at startup, the PDFs themselves are commercial free.

http://www.pdf995.com/

Adam

Re: Alternative PDF

I say nix the PDF for something else.
I can't speak for the Palm but the Acrobat reader for the PPC is still very tweaky.
Especially with WM2003.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Re: Alternative PDF

I was thinking: well, Acrobat works just fine for me ... but this morning I get this (and not on my linux home pc, but on a win2k machine with the latest reader).

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Re: Alternative PDF

Silviron, I have tried every free PFD creator I could find and a bunch of the shareware ones for document distribution at my job. The one that stands out above all in my tests is Fineprint PDF Factory. Ease of use is great and it creates the smallest pdf files of any program I have tried. $50 for the standard version. There is a trial version you can try, it prints a small nag at the bottom of each page until registered. http://www.pdffactory.com

The freeware programs generally work well but don't offer many options and all of them except PDF995 create HUGE pdf files. Of the freeware my choice would be PDF995 in spite of the annoying browser AD that pops up whenever you use it. http://www.pdf995.com

Another open source choice worth trying is called PDF Creator. http://sector7g.wurzel6.de/pdfcreator/index_en.htm

I hope one of these programs will meet your needs.
scooter

Re: Alternative PDF

Thanks very much for the info! Will check it out. PDF Factory sounds about like what I need.

Re: Alternative PDF

Silviron,

If you have a decent internet connection, Adobe allows you up to 5 free document conversions online. You could always make full use of it unless you have more than 5 documents...

Its on this page here, where you can sign up for your 5 free conversions. Else if you're a heavy user you can also subscribe to them (bottom of page) for US$9.99 a month or US$99.99 a year. Not sure if its worth it in the long run for you, but its still an alternative, maybe?

Re: Alternative PDF

Hmm, Cool. The free trial might be enough to get me by until I can see if I'm on the right track, Then the subscription might do until I can start actually making some money.

Thanks!

Re: Alternative PDF

www.openoffice.org /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif it will export your things to pdf. I've used it numerous times and it is OPEN SOURCE! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Opens most major file formats too.

Re: Alternative PDF

[ QUOTE ]
GJW said:
I say nix the PDF for something else.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree.

I wonder if JPEG is universal enough yet - is there anything that can't open a .jpg file yet?