PDF Software Reviews - PDF Creator Software

by Brandon Cornett
Publisher, Software Learning Center

Converting Word documents into PDF format is practically a necessity in today's business world. PDF files are the perfect format for formal documents such as reports, contracts and training manuals, and PDF software can help you create them quickly and easily. The PDF software reviews below will help you learn more about these incredibly useful software products.

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What is a PDF File?

PDF stands for portable document format. This file format was created by Adobe in 1990, and it has become one of the most commonly used software products and file types used in business today. Think about your average business day, for example. You probably encounter PDF documents on a regular basis. Right?

Basically, a PDF file lets you share documents with others in a widely readable format, while preventing those people from changing the document. Thus, PDF software / PDF creators give you a way to protect your documents from unauthorized modifications and edits.

Key Benefits of PDF Documents / Software

There are two primary benefits of using PDF software to create a PDF document:

• Most business people have Acrobat Reader on the computers, so they can read any type of PDF document sent to them from anyone. This means you can use PDF software to convert your other application files into PDF format, making them accessible to the widest possible audience.
• You can protect your documents from unauthorized modifications / edits. There is a feature within PDF software products that allows you to password-protect your PDF document from future changes. This means that anyone can read or print the document, but nobody can modify the document without the password.

There are many other benefits to using PDF software to create PDF documents, but these are by far the two most important benefits. As you can probably imagine, they are both incredibly useful in today's information-driven business world.

What Does PDF Software Do?

Your business will differ from others as the result of many factors. So a business plan created for some other company in your industry may not be suited for your company. Bottom line -- if you use business plan software, just use it to outline the basic parts of your plan, and then customize it as needed after that. One size does not fit all.

Using Adobe Acrobat as PDF Software

One of the ways to create your own PDF documents, of course, is to purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat (also referred to as Acrobat Professional).

Do not confuse this full version of Acrobat with the Acrobat Reader program you probably have installed on your computer. Nearly all business people have Acrobat Reader installed on their computers because (A) it's needed to read PDF documents and (B) it's a free product. But you cannot actually create PDF files with Acrobat Reader — as the name implies, it's only for reading PDF documents.

If you want to use Adobe Acrobat software to create PDF files as well, you would have to purchase the full version of Acrobat Professional. But this can be expensive by many people's definition. At the time I was writing this software review the full version of Acrobat went for $450. If you want to upgrade one version to the next (after shelling out $450 for the first version), that will cost you upwards of $150 per upgrade as well.

More Affordable Ways to Create PDF Files

If you don't have the full version of Adobe Acrobat (not just the Reader, but the full version that allows you create PDF files), then you could end up spending between $400 and $500 for their software program. But if, like me, you prefer to buy more affordable but equally effective software tools, then I would recommend you purchase a third-party PDF creator software product.

Here's the big "secret" that not many people realize. You can create professional PDF documents using software programs other than Adobe Acrobat, and with all the PDF benefits such as document protection and compatibility. Today, a variety of software products have been developed to give business folks like yourself a much more affordable approach to creating PDF files from native applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

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My Personal PDF Software Review

Do a search online for the words PDF creator of PDF software and you'll realize that there are quite a few of these products out there. But not all are created equal. Some are superb products, while others lack important features. So here is my PDF software review for you.

As the publisher of this website, I don't often make software reviews and recommendations — I usually publish other people's reviews. But I am so fond of this PDF software product that I couldn't help but give it rave reviews.

The product of mention is called PDF Create 5, and like the name suggests it gives you a way to create your own PDF files ... but in a more affordable way than by purchasing the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

Using PDF Create 5, you can create professional-grade PDF Files from any document format, and in a matter of seconds. Then you can share your documents with anyone anywhere, knowing that your PDF documents are protected from modification, edits, and even viruses.

This PDF software tool also allows you to combine multiple PDF documents into a single organized file. This is an area where some of the other PDF creators fall short, but MyPDF Creator delivers in full.

I hope my PDF software review has helped you understand the usefulness of this type of software in general, and the convenience of this product in particular.

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Converting Word to PDF - A Common Business Function

by Brandon Cornett

I wanted to share my experiences with converting Word documents to PDF files, as way to reinforce the PDF software review I've posted above.

As an Internet publisher, creating PDF documents is one of the most common tasks I perform on a regular basis ... second only to publishing web content like this. I use PDF documents for many purposes, because they're just so darn useful. The most common way I create them is by converting Word documents into PDF files.

By converting Word to PDF files, I can publish e-books online, create handy downloads for my readers, make fact sheets and other supporting documentation ... you name it. Even before I was an Internet publisher, I used PDF documents in many capacities. And once again, the most common path to creating them was by converting Word documents to PDF files.

In truth, you can convert many different types of files into PDF format. In fact, just about any file type that can be printed can also be printed to a PDF file — if you have a PDF software product to make it happen (see software review above). You can make PDF files from Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Photoshop files, PowerPoint presentations ... the list goes on.

With that being said, I would say that the most common business method for creating PDF files is to convert Microsoft Word documents into PDF format. Think of the many different ways you use Word in your business, and you begin to see the value of converting Word into PDF format.

Uses for Converting Word Documents to PDF

Off the top of my head, here's a list of the different ways you might use PDF documents. Just by glancing through this list, you can see the benefits of having software for converting Word to PDF files.

• Create FAQ documents in Word format and convert them into PDF format so customers can download them from your website.
• Create e-books or training manuals in Word and then convert them to PDF files. Use them as lead generators / incentives on your website.
• Create special reports related to your industry and distribute them to industry journals / publications. Create it as a Word doc and convert it into a PDF file.
• Other business uses for PDF include internal documentation, invitations, product fact sheets, printable forms, invoices, proposals, etc.

These are just a few of the ways you might use PDF software to convert Word documents into portable and secure PDF documents for distribution or download. I'm sure you can think of more uses for such software, based on your own business needs.

I hope my little essay has helped you see the value and utility that PDF software can bring to your business. If you want a quality product to help you perform some of these document functions, then please see my PDF software review above for the MyPDF Creator product.