Need to create a PDF under Windows?

[wolfwings]

Use PDFill if you're willing to actually build the PDF. It's a little cumbersome, but far, far, far from the worst option out there for building an interactive PDF. And it's only $20 for the registered version! If you don't need forms, they have a freeware 'printer driver' version too.

Comments

[shabm.livejournal.com]

I've used CutePDF and not been happy with the results.

But hey, I'm still at school, volume licenses get me my copy of Acrobat for like $5. I still haven't seen anything that works half as well as Acrobat does.

Huh, odd.

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

Worked fine here with some quick tests I ran, the PDF's were viewable in Acrobat Reader 3.0-7.0 without trouble, and it 'just installed' itself without issue when I gave it a brief spin. I did like how PDFill really allows for super-minimal PDF's though, it looks like a full Invention Salvage tracking PDF will weigh in at a couple dozen kilobytes when I'm done, until I add all the icon-graphics.

And yeah... I don't have things like school-license discounts or other neat ways to get full-version software stupid-cheap. I'm more than willing to admit half of that is because I'm not willing to 'play the game' to find out how to get it stupid-cheap.

It seems more honest to try to find software sold at a price I can afford, for example, than try to find quirky-discount-Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot I can somehow qualify for. =^.^=

Re: Huh, odd.

[shabm.livejournal.com]

I know Acrobat isn't as good at making tiny files (I have one PDF that has 48 pages with complex layout for only 52kb, and I wish I had their PDF maker!), but I used to sell PDF RPGs, so my quality standards were a tad higher.

Hehe. When it comes to shopping, I love playing the game -- I'm a sucker for a good deal; I look for all sorts of ways to save money on all sorts of things. And when I 'play the game,' it's a game I can only win. ^_^

Re: Huh, odd.

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I've been tinkering more, I'm removing the CutePDF link since PDFill has a free 'printer driver' version as well, and their system is remarkably good at making tiny PDF's. They're basically not appreciably larger than an HTML equivilant, which is nice.