How to browse PDF

The idea of ​​making a print magazine has always thrilled you, but the high printing costs and difficulties in carrying out the project have slowed down your ambitions. Talking to some friends, you were advised to drop the paper and create a digital magazine, much easier to design and distribute. In fact, in a short time you have created the first issue of your magazine in PDF format and, now, you would like to make it browsable. If this is indeed the case, follow the advice I am about to give you and you will succeed in your intent.

If you take a few minutes of your free time, I can tell you how to browse PDFs and turn your file into a real magazine. There are several solutions that you can consider: from online services that allow you to make a PDF file browsable and share it on your site or on social networks to PC programs that allow you to read PDFs as if they were books or paper magazines, without forgetting mobile apps. How do you say? Is this exactly the kind of solution you were looking for? Well, then don’t waste any more time chatting and get deeper into the topic now!

Come on, make yourself comfortable, dedicate yourself to reading the next paragraphs and identify the service or program that you think best suits your needs. Try to put into practice the instructions I am about to give you and I am sure that, in no time at all, you will be able to browse your PDF and distribute your magazine. All I have to do is wish you good reading and, above all, have fun!

Index

• Issuu (Online)
• Soda Reader (Online / Windows / Mac)
• FlipSnack (Online)
• Browse me (Online)
• Flipping PDF Reader (Windows)
• Other solutions to browse PDFs
• App to browse PDF

Issuu (Online)

Among the best services to browse PDFs online is Issuu, a platform that allows you to transform a PDF into a digital magazine, share it on social networks or insert it on an external site. Issuu is also available as an application for Android and iOS devices, but on the latter it does not allow you to browse PDFs.

To make your PDF browsable, connected to  the Issuu site , click on the Become a publisher button and press the Sign up free button under the item Basic  (the free version of Issuu, which allows you to upload PDFs consisting of a maximum of 500 pages and no more than 100 MB in size). Now, enter the data in the Email and Password fields , put the check mark next to  I accept the Terms of Service and click on the Create free account button . On the next screen, if you wish, edit the visible data in the Profile name and  Profile URL fields and presses the Create my account button .

To upload a PDF file to be browsed, click on the upward arrow icon at the top right, press the Select a file to get started button to select the file to upload and wait for the upload. On the next screen, enter the document data in the Title ,  Description and Original publication date fields  , set its visibility ( Public or Unlisted ) via the drop-down menu under  Publication visibility and click the Publish now button . As a last step, indicate the type of PDF to upload by choosing between Book ,Editorial ,  Promotion / Marketing and Other , press the Continue button and that’s it.

Now, click on the  Share it socially item to share the PDF on social networks or on the Create an embed option  to get the code to insert on your website. In conclusion, you must know that in addition to the free Issuu plan, you can take consider one of the monthly subscriptions between  Starter (22 $ / month), Premium (39 $ / month) and Optimun (299 $ / month) that increase the functionality of the service. A 14-day free trial is also available.

Soda Reader (Online / Windows / Mac)

Among the best programs to browse PDFs to install on your computer is Soda Reader , a free software for Windows and macOS which, in addition to allowing the 3D reading function making PDF files browsable, allows you to convert DOC, PPT and XLS in PDF format. It is also available in an online version which, with the creation of a free account, allows you to synchronize PDFs with all your devices.

To download Soda Reader to your computer, connect to the software website and click the Free Download button . After downloading the installation file, if you have a Windows PC , start the executable  Soda_PDF_ [version] _Installer.exe , press the Next button to confirm the choice of the Italian language , wait a few moments and you’re done.

If you have a Mac , on the other hand, double-click on the Soda_PDF_ [version] .pkg file and, in the new open window, press the Continue button twice in a row. Then click on the Accept and Install buttons , enter the administrator password and press the Install software button . Once the installation is complete, click the Close button to close the window.

Once the program installation is complete, Soda Reader will start automatically. To open a PDF file, click on the item Open PDF document and select the PDF of your interest, then click on the Options button at the top right, select the Layout and 3D View options  and your PDF will become browsable. On Mac, instead, click with the right mouse button on the PDF file of your interest, select the items Open with and Soda Reader from the context menu, then click on the Document view option and select the 3D Flipper item to make the PDF browsable.

As mentioned earlier, Soda Reader is also available as an online service. If you want to use it in this form, connect to the Soda Reader Online site and, if you wish, create your free account by pressing the Create account button , otherwise click on the X icon to close the window and use the service without registering.

To import a PDF file from your computer, click on the Open PDF and Computer items , select the file to import by pressing the Browse item and wait for it to load. Then click on the 3D View button to set the 3D function that allows you to make the PDF browsable.

FlipSnack (Online)

FlipSnack is another online PDF browsing service. Upload a PDF file, convert it into a digital magazine in seconds, and get the embed code to make it visible on an external site.

To browse a PDF with FlipSnack, connect to the service website and create your account by pressing the Sign in button at the top right. Then press the Facebook or Google buttons to connect your social account to FlipSnack, otherwise enter your details in the Email  and  Password fields and click the Sign in button for the traditional registration via email.

Now, click on the Upload PDF button at the top left and, in the new open page, press the Upload files button . Then select the PDF file on your computer and wait for it to load. Once the upload is complete, click the Next button and that’s it.

If you wish, through the sidebar on the left, you can set a color to apply as a background, enable some functions such as the ability to browse the magazine in full screen and set the PDF download (paid feature). Also, you can click on the Editor item below to apply changes to the PDF, such as adding links, images, buttons etc.

After customizing the PDF, click on the Next button , enter the file data in the Title , Description and Category fields , then press the Publish now button to publish the browsable PDF. Then click on the Share on social items to share it on social networks or on the Embed option to copy the code to insert on an external site.

You should know that FlipSnack in its free version applies a watermark on the PDF and has some limitations, such as the ability to upload PDFs with a number of pages not exceeding 15. To access more features and remove the watermark, you can subscribe to a plan in subscription choosing between Starter ($ 32 / month), Master ($ 38 / month) and Team ($ 59 / month). For more information and to subscribe, click on the Upgrade button  at the top right of the FlipSnack website.

Browse me (Online)

Sfogliami is another interesting online service to make your PDFs browsable. In its free version it allows you to convert PDF files into digital magazines and share them on social networks, websites and via email, while in the Premium version it even allows you to sell your creations.

To make a PDF browsable with Browse Me, connect to the website of the service and scroll down the page until you find the item Try now, it’s free . Then enter your registration data in the Your Email address and  Choose a password fields  , then enter the name of the PDF in the Title field and click on the Select your PDF  and Upload PDF buttons  to select the file on your computer and upload it to Browse Me .

You should know that in the free version of Sfogliami, the conversion of PDF to browsable PDF is not immediate and takes a couple of hours: you will be notified by email when the conversion is completed. Alternatively, you can skip the wait with the Priority feature , which at a cost of € 2.99 allows you to get the conversion in minutes.

Once the conversion is complete, click on your email address  at the top right to access the library with your PDFs, locate the converted PDF and click on the Open item to browse it. After opening it, press the arrow icon at the bottom left to share it on social networks, send it via email and messaging applications and get the URL to insert it on your website.

Flipping PDF Reader (Windows)

Flipping PDF Reader is free software to install on your computer to browse PDFs. It is only available for Windows PC and presents itself as a simple PDF file reader with 3D effects in the passage from one page to another.

To download the program, connect to the Flipping PDF Reader website and click the Download button . Once the download is complete, double-click on the pdfReaderSetup.zip file and then on the pdfReaderSetup.exe file  to start the installation. Then presses the Run and Next buttons (twice), then click the Install button , wait for the installation to be completed and press the Finish button to close the window and start Flipping PDF Reader.

To browse a PDF, simply open it with the newly installed program. Then click on the File item at the top left and select the Open option in the menu that opened, then select the PDF you want to browse to import it to Flipping PDF Reader and that’s it.

Other solutions to browse PDFs

If your expectations have not been completely satisfied by the services and programs proposed above, you should know that there are other solutions to browse PDFs : here are some that could be for you.

• Calameo(Online) : Another online service that turns a PDF into a digital magazine. In the free version it applies banner ads and a watermaker on the PDF, while with the Premium (€ 12 / month) and Platinium (€ 49 / month) versions it allows you to customize the magazine, delete banners and logos and allow you to take advantage of additional features.
• Joogmag(Online) : Joogmag is among the online services to make PDF browsable. In the free version it allows you to convert a PDF file into a digital magazine, to embed it on external websites and to obtain a perfect visualization even from mobile devices. There are also subscription plans available that increase its functionality starting at $ 9 / month.
• 3D PageFlip(Windows / Mac) : is a software that, in the free version, allows you to import files in TXT format and convert them into browsable PDFs, with the possibility of applying numerous 3D effects. In the paid version, at a cost of $ 99, it also allows you to import PDF and DOC files.
• Zyyne(Online) : paid online service to make a PDF browsable. A professional solution for those who want to disseminate their browsable magazine, with the ability to monitor statistics relating to readings and identify the most loyal readers. You can try the service for free for 30 days.

App to browse PDF

Would you like to browse PDFs directly from your smartphone or tablet? No problem, I have a series of solutions that you can consider to succeed in your intent. Here is a list of apps to browse PDFs .

• eReader Prestigio ( Android) : a reader of PDF, DOC, ePub, RTF and many other formats. It allows you to archive both your own files and download them from a rich catalog that also includes thousands of free eBooks. It supports reading in “browse” mode.
• Universal Book Reader ( Android) : ideal for reading books in PDF and ePub format. It allows you to highlight the text, to set the night reading and to leaf through the pages like a paper book. It also allows you to convert numerous formats to PDF and ePub. To learn about other applications of this kind, I leave you to my guide dedicated to apps for reading PDFs .
• iBooks ( iOS) : is the free application pre-installed on iPhone and iPad (and Mac) that allows you to browse files in PDF and ePub format.
• PDF Pro 3 ( iOS) : application for iPhone and iPad which, in addition to allowing you to edit and annotate PDF documents, allows you to set the page transition in browsable mode. It is available for free with the ability to add additional features with in-app purchases.