Q: Acrobat Reader only lets me open PDF files, but it won’t let me save files as PDFs. How do I get it to work for creating them?

A: Acrobat Reader is a stripped down version of Adobe’s Acrobat product, which only allows you to open Portable Document Format (PDF) files. If you want to create PDF files, you’ll need to cough up a big gob of cash for the full blown version of the product. Or if you’re a cheapskate like me, you may want to try a free product called PrimoPDF instead (www.primopdf.com).

PrimoPDF installs on your Windows system as a virtual printer. To create a PDF, all you have to do is create a document using whatever program it is that you like to use (e.g. Word, MS Publisher, Print Shop Pro, etc.) and then print the file. When you click the print button, choose PrimoPDF as your printer. A dialogue appears asking you how you would like to optimize the file, and then you are prompted to choose a filename. Enter a filename, choose the location you are saving it, and click OK. PrimoPDF rolls the entire document — including embedding any images and custom fonts — into a PDF file for you.

Congratulations! You now have a Portable Document File that can be opened on practically every computer and operating system under the sun while preserving the appearance of, and using the same fonts as the file you originally created in your desktop publishing application.

Sean McCormick
A+, Network+, Linux+, CTT+, I-Net+
MCSA, MCSE, LPIC1