How to transform a file into PDF
Would you like to save the content of a Web page in a PDF document to be read even when you are not connected to the Internet but you don’t know how to do it? Would you like to distribute a document that you have prepared in Word as a PDF file but can’t find the right option to do it? No problem.
Give me five minutes of your time and I’ll explain how to transform a file into PDF using free software available for Windows and Mac OS X. Think, using them you can convert all files and printable contents to PDF: from Office documents to Web pages, without forget the photographs.
The operation is so simple that it does not require any advanced technical knowledge. All you have to do is follow the brief instructions that you find below, I assure you that you will easily succeed in your intent.
Convert a file to PDF on Windows
If you use a Windows PC and want to create PDF documents quickly and easily, rely on Bullzip PDF Printer . It is a virtual printer capable of generating PDF files starting from any printable content: Office documents, web pages, photos, etc. It is available in various versions. The free one that interests you can be used for personal or professional purposes by a maximum of 10 users.
To download it on your computer, connected to the Bullzip website, scroll down the page until you reach the Community Edition section and click on the item You can download it here . When the download is complete, open the software installation package ( Setup_BullzipPDFPrinter_xx_FREE.exe ) and click first on Yes and then on OK and Next .
Then accept the conditions of use of the program, placing the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement and complete the setup by pressing Next five consecutive times and then click Install and Finish .
Some free components necessary for the virtual printer to work will be downloaded from the Internet and installed on your computer. These are completely free and open source legitimate software – they are not promotional content, fear not.
To create a PDF document with Bullzip PDF Printer, all you have to do is open the original file (a spreadsheet in Excel, a web page in Chrome, an image in the Windows Photo Gallery, etc.) and invoke the command the release from the menu File .
In the window that opens, select the printer called Bullzip PDF Printer , set the preferences for the file you want to obtain and press the Save button to complete the operation.
Among the preferences you can adjust are those relating to the quality of the document ( Document tab > Quality menu ) and its level of compatibility with PDF readers (you can choose between the PDF 1.1 and 1.7 standards).
If you want, you can also set a password for opening or editing the document ( Security tab ) and add custom lettering on all pages of the PDF ( Watermark tab ).
Convert a file to PDF on Mac
Even on Mac it is possible to transform a file into PDF using a virtual printer: the one included “standard” in OS X. Yes, you read that right! Your Mac has a “native” PDF virtual printer , you don’t need to install third party software to get it.
To find out how to use it, open the document, photo or web page you want to convert to PDF and invoke the print command from the File menu . In the window that opens, expand the PDF drop-down menu located at the bottom left and select the item Save as PDF from the latter.
Finally, type the File Name , Title , Author and Object you want to attribute to the final document, choose which folder to save it in (via the Located in menu ) and press the Save button to complete the operation.
If you want, you can also protect the PDF file from unauthorized viewing, editing and printing by pressing the Security Options button and setting a lock password.
Convert a file to PDF online
Regardless of the operating system installed on your computer, you can easily create PDF documents using SmallPDF , a free online service that allows you to convert Word files, Excel sheets, PowerPoint presentations and JPG images to PDF without installing programs on your PC. It works with all major navigation programs, requires no registration and automatically deletes user files from its servers within 24 hours (to protect privacy).
Do you want to find out how to use it? It’s very simple, look. All you have to do is connect to its home page and choose one of the available functions: JPG to PDF to transform a series of JPG photos into a PDF document; Word to PDF to convert Microsoft Word documents to PDF; Excel to PDF to convert spreadsheets to PDF documents or PPT to PDF to create PDF files from PowerPoint presentations.
Then drag the files to be converted into the browser window, wait for them to be processed and download the final result on your computer by clicking on the appropriate button that appears below. In some cases, such as JPG photos, you can also sort the pages of the PDF before generating the final document.