I installed the software on the day it was released, but didn't use it until now. It is very easy to use. I've used other free programs before, but they are difficult to figure out and you need more than one software program to convert, split, insert links etc. Adolix does it all in one.

Repeat... Very easy to use!

Regards

Louise

Ah Hoy! Still interested in finding out how to remove the watermark footer - and how to run as a Vista Limited User.

Attention, Adolix please.

@SD94 -- You -do- realize, don't you, that OpenOffice already supports exporting to PDF?

This is a wonderful, beautifully designed and practical program. Rich features that are easily accessible in a thoughtfully presented format make it the program of choice for busy computer users desiring PDF formatted files. Thank you Adolix (and giveawayoftheday) for providing this program.

After installed, it interrupted printing of PDF, so had to delete it.

In case you read later-

THANK YOU so much to all who answered my question about PDFs!!! :) I am overwhelmed at the wonderful response from so many helpful people! :) You are all so kind! Regards, Skye-hook :)

When Adolix PDF Converter worked, it generated PDF files which were better than some of my other PDF virtual printers. The problem is, it frequently failed to do anything, or hung, or crashed. Then, there were the other indications of generally poor coding--the errors when using the Start menu entry, the command windows, the slow execution, etc. I uninstalled it, and tried to do a System Restore, which naturally failed for an unspecified reason (what else is new?). I manually repaired the DsKeyUpdate and DsKeyUpdateForeground values, but my concern is that Windows may have cleared them due to some other change which Adolix PDF Converter's installation made. Although I mentioned Nuance PDF Converter Professional 5 Enterprise Edition, most people would do just as well with PDF Converter Professional 5 ($100 direct, which is the price that was offered to existing Nuance customers for the Enterprise Edition, or around $85-$90 via resellers).

Between Paperless Printer
http://www.download.com/PaperlessPrinter/3000-2064_4-10210847.html

The very good PDF995 (with splash screen) but tons of options and possibilities (including adding/ordering pages, adding passwords, hyperlinks,etc)
http://www.pdf995.com/suite.html

The PDF creator
http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator

WHO in their right mind would want to pay 50 USD for this?

Keep in mind that on Apple computers their has been a build in pdf virtual printer included since the very first OS X. Keep in mind that when using OpenOffice you too can have a FREE pdf virtual printer for free, or install any of the dozens of programs out there. MOST of them do a better job then this. All of them won't bother you with adding text to the pages.

Anyone truly in awe of this product has either no experience, led a sheltered life, or is working for the company.

Sorry, but I have absolutly no strange message in the PDFs created with Adolix, and this software works well on my XP Pro SP2 fully updated PC ...
My only complaint is about the size of the docs generated, larger than the same docs generated by CutePDF (about 2 times larger) ...
And the quality of the generated PDFs is good, the same as CutePDF.

For people looking for PDF to Word converters, I use PDF2Word, but it's not free ... worked very well on some very complicated corporate documents, getting 90/95% of the formated PDF converted to a usable DOC file ...

http://www.verypdf.com/pdf2word/index.html

AH

Had to uninstall. It kept generating errors saying file not found and a handfull of others. I was trying to turn a 200+ page document into a PDF when I had all the problems. But if I only tried to convert 10 pages it seemed to work ok.

Setting the service as the default printer is not the only insult upon installation. It also forces installation in C:\Program Files\ without asking. I'll choose where I want my programs thank you very much Adolix.

And the footer as a watermark and the Vista limited user?

Well - how goes the fix for removing the footer watermark??? I use Vista exclusively and software should have grow up by now to accommodate this OS.

And what about installation as an administrator and then failure of this program to "..find path.." as an ordinary user??

1. Watermark footer in Vista
2. Usage as a limited Vista user.

Time's getting short.

Why would I buy this when I can gen an open source one for free? eg - pdfforge

Not that anyone cares....

Warning
75: Error in TrcT.
Error Message:
Path/File Access Error

Then
Warning
52: Error in TrcT.
Error Message: Bad File name or number

Uninstalled then reinstalled

No change

Vista Home Premium

Print to the pdf print driver obviously doesn't work.

Help appreciated but not expected.

Trying to download this program on XP Home. However, says "Unable to register the DLL/OCX:RegSvr32 failed with exit code 0x5". Googled it but could not find a solution. Did not have anay problem with previous software. Any suggestions. Thank you much.

#65 but.. can anyone tell me please, what are the advantages of using ANY document as a PDF.

Not everyone needs a PDF printer (which is what Adolix is giving away), but it has a lot of uses. Here's how I use one:

1) As a volunteer, I use Lotus WordPro to create the forms we use. Unfortunately almost everyone in our organization uses MS Word, which I refuse to use since in the past I had to use it at work and hated it. So, I convert (print) the forms to PDF and email them to other board members for approval. Then I make any changes in Lotus WordPro, print to PDF again, and email to our commercial printer, ready to print. Saves money if they don't have to convert it. Anything I need to send to all members (such as membership lists, flyers about our organization that they can post, etc.) I also print to PDF before emailing.

2) As a genealogy researcher (for fun), I print to PDF any information I want to send to others who might be researching the same lines I am and then email the document(s).

3) As a now retired tech writer (software manuals), I used very complex software to create the documentation. Developers couldn't view the documentation unless we tech writers converted it to PDF. Of course, the company I worked for purchased Adobe Acrobat for us to use for conversion, since the documents were very complex--including tables, images, inset text, etc.

I've been using the free PDF995, but I hate the ad popups. I'm going to give Adolix PDF Converter PRO a whirl. Thanks, GOTD.

I had this problem twice now. When I try to run the setup file it give an error "fatal error: Invalid key". It happens when it tries to connect the website. I have xp with sp2. Can anybody help?

For those of you criticizing this software for not converting back to MSWord: I have used many types of pdf software, including Adobe Acrobat, which I've used since version 3. For those of you who need an accurate conversion from pdf to MSWord, the current version of Acrobat (8) converts with about 98% accuracy (seems to stumble a little on graphics), but it's pricey. However, every document I have converted from pdf to MSWord with Nuance PDF Converter Professional has converted with 100% accuracy, and that includes graphics. (It also has extraction, renumbering, and combining capabilities, as well as many other features.) Current version of PDF Converter Professional is 5, and I believe it is about $149. (I paid the upgrade price.) However, version 4 of this did just as good a job, and you can probably find some version 4 copies for sale for a lot less. No, these aren't free, but I know of no freeware that converts back to MSWord with the necessary accuracy, which suggests to me that it is a very difficult task for the programmer.

To Skye-hook (comment #65),

Others have already covered the main reasons why one would want to use .pdf format (key word being "portable"). Here is another one.

If you're distributing information products (either for free or for sale) online, you'll want to protect your intellectual property. ;)

You can use a password (as you can with other document types); BUT, with .pdf it's easy to prevent people from "altering" your content.

Hope this helps you. Thanks to GAOTD for another good download...

Cheri S.
Washington, DC
http://DoxieDen.blogspot.com

p.s. The cherry blossoms are blooming in DC now; beautiful! Later.

After all of the usual complaints about how the current offering is evil malware which trashes your computer, hooks into everything, and sends your life history over the Internet, I decided to try this anyway, even though I have other PDF virtual printers. I installed it on Vista Home Premium 32-bit. The install itself appeared to be fairly clean, except it cleared the DsKeyUpdate and DsKeyUpdateForeground values of all of the other printers. AFAIK, this isn't relevant to home users, but it shouldn't be changing those values (I'm going to restore them). One of my other PDF virtual printers quit working, but some research indicates the problem is probably with over-zealous copy-protection of that PDF printer driver (printer ID's change when you install new printers). Obnoxious copy-protection frequently breaks things when your hardware/software environment changes, and is a major reason why properly installed giveaways later revert to trials.

I haven't had time to really test this. A few simple tests worked OK, but Adolix is very slow, and some of the execution (such as printing a web page) was very messy (several windows flashed by, one appeared to be a command window). The few simple pages I tested generated small files, and there are numerous options for compression levels. For now, I'll leave this installed. I wouldn't buy this, however. If you don't want to pay for Adobe, look into Nuance PDF Converter Professional 5 Enterprise Edition.

MikeG....#69

The Adobe Tech, will this convert a web page like Acrobat does?????

That is what I would like for my Laptop, without the price tag!!!!

I have Acrobat on my Desktop.

Suki

This is my second comment, now that I've had a chance to put it through its paces. I like it. No freezing. For those who say it froze their computer, there isn't a piece of software that doesn't mess up someone's computer. As a former computer support for the government, even in controlled environments I saw every possible configuration that could screw up new software imaginable. So if it freezes up your computer, don't necessarily point the finger at just the software.

The Start menu leads you to the "How to use..." option, and to the uninitiated that this is a printer driver-led software, this is confusing. A post-install readme might help. Or reading the How to Use.... Once in, it worked very well, merging various print jobs. The one thing I could not do was to interlace jobs (move a page from job a to become the third page of job b, for example). I could do it by printing job b twice, and job a once, and deleting pages, but it would be nice if it had the capability to insert.

It is more complete than my trusty set of pdf tools in that it is all in one. I love the rotate pages, as I've required this capability on a number of occassions and it seems to be one that the freeware options never include (the one I use now is a command-line product.) It would be nice if I could figure out how to get it to work on existing PDF files, as does pdftk, but need to investigate it more--I'd hate to have to print a pdf file just to get it to become a pdf file.

On the Other Hand, Adolix Does have a convert function for various Microsoft document formats, which saves you from having to open and print them, though it appears that this is just what the converter does.

I'll keep it for awhile and see how well I use it or if I drift back to the freeware individual tools that have served me so well, but which are scattered.

If you are a geek, maybe stick to multiple other tools that together can do more than Adolix PDF Converter Pro. If you are not so technically minded, however, this might be just the tool you are looking for--just remember to print to it to get to the interface.

Any alternatives that will allow you to copy text to the clipboard?

Foxit used to do it but has disabled that feature in my freeware version so that they can offer it in the licensed version. [Grrrrr.]

Same thing with the form filler. Now Foxit adds a message to the form.

YAY! this program is excellent! i've been looking for something like this for ages. Thank you giveawayoftheday.com! you guys rock!

Any freeware alternatives that also allow password protecting the converted PDF?

Thanks.
W

To Teresa, comment # 88390
Well read again Demon was referring to free as freedom; a free license is not like a commercial license that you don’t pay for. Free is a general term but in software side it have more meaning then only not paid for.
Read about Free licensing here >>>http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/
Before teaching someone you have to know what is the matter.
This software cannot be installed tomorrow; a free license is free 4 ever, as in freedom.

To Demon comment # 88378
The Giveaway license give you the opportunity to really test the software not only tasting-it.
That is appreciate, and nobody will oblige any one to do so, (or not). It is free as you don’t pay,
Is-it a matter of principal? Well good for you, I don’t mind you know.
It’s a matter of taste, like the comments…
As many point it out; Converter is converter, maybe not the way you like but it convert any thing printable to PDF,I think we can call that converter.
There are many converters from PDF to something else, but not that one!
Trying is free, keeping...is somthing else.

DloadAddict

Regarding #108 - Is the fix in?? Does the current download have the fix or per #122 is it just working for XP SP2?? Thanks GOTD & Adolix!

I use Sourceforge PDFCreator.

It's a great app, but the company has very few users, see http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/adolix.com
I like the fact that you can change what you want on the program, not just you see the file, and it converts. It is a great program!

Once downloaded and up And running why not go here.
http://bookletcreator.com/
Very useful.

to #77- the link provided to the pdf to word converter is awesome. it runs smoothly and installed quickly. Thanks

#65 but.. can anyone tell me please, what are the advantages of using ANY document as a PDF.

Hi Skye-hook. Adobe put a lot of effort into establishing the PDF format as an industry standard, and has distributed free client software. Anyone with a PC or Mac can download the client for free to for view and print PDF documents (getting a taste for PDF editing and paying to upgrade).

If you've ever attempted to convert files back and forth from Word to WordPerfect (or WordStar?) you've experienced how complicated internal formatting is, and may appreciate that there is a "standard" file format that views and prints the same from most any platform.

Please note that in contrast to #90's comments about the PDF being an image file, what "goesinta" a PDF "comesoutta" the PDF. If you use Adolix from a Word, Notepad or WordPerfect doc file with text, you create a PDF with embedded text. If you print from Paint, you'll create a PDF with an embedded image. Clipboard functions work appropriately (if you don't lock up (secure) the PDF).

Many developers and manufacturers today rely on the PDF format for distributing their manuals and most other forms of documentation. Also, most of my created PDFs are smaller than source files in Word and WordPerfect.

Most other file formats are proprietary. Even the free viewers available from some software developers can clash with other software or be inconsistent with presenting document files. I've been using PDF clients for well over 10 years, and while they have been slow, the platforms have been able to keep up with them.

Hope this helps.

And thanks GAOTD! A nice offering.

BlackBerry Guy

I almost downloaded this as I was curious to see if it was a basic printer, which literally printed what you see on screen, or an actual converter, which converted the entire document, complete with active links (both web & e-mail) and image links (ie. using an image button in place of a text URL)...

Judging by the comments it's the first 1 (a basic printer). Since there are thousands of freeware alternatives, charging almost $50 for it is propostrous! The only advantage it has is that its combination of layout & security features, but I've had freeware tools on my old PC for YEARS that do the same thing (may take a couple of minutes longer for some documents, but the tools are so easy to use you barely notice it), but maybe I'm just too experienced in this area of digital media production... :-D

Oh, and I also have a bunch of freeware tools for the conversion process as well, so I can embed active links and so on.

#108 (Adolix) wrote:
This engine [NovaPDF] (which represents just about 30% of the application’s power) has not been installed successfully on the computers of the users who reported the problem ["Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)"] ... The problem will be solved asap, we are very sorry that some of you were not able to use the software because of that message.

I am #103 and #106 above. Installing now on an XP SP2 machine (vs. Vista Ultimate where the failure occurred), the adware message is absent. Adolix, thank you for tracking this giveaway. I am willing to give you back the thumbs up I wanted to take away in #106. Please fix the tab order on your dialogs, too.

When can I get an update? Will I still be able to get it as a GOATD license?

How dare this software change the default printer!!! I had to go into the control panel to change the default back to my original setting.
I have yet to test its functioning, but this is a definite negative.
What else did it change without permission?

Thanks Adolix

#74: It's a new machine. You are assuming the same OS and that I would want to install an old one over a new one. Actually, it *is* the same OS, and I have an image, but it's an image of XP that's gone through every update pre-SP1, has none of the drivers for the new machine, and heavens knows what spoor left from years of adding and removing software. I'd install the image if I had a hard disk crash, but on a new machine with different components, no.

Doesn't work with Vista Business. Crashes when I try to print.

I use CutePDFwriter. Works great on Vista, Xp windows 98.

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Create PDF documents on the fly — for Free!

Portable Document Format (PDF) is the de facto standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. CutePDF Writer (formerly CutePDF Printer) is the free version of commercial PDF creation software. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". This enables virtually any Windows applications (must be able to print) to create professional quality PDF documents - with just a push of a button!

(5 if I counted right).

No, no, we are more with that advertising sentence on every page.

Please solve that, and put it again for downloading. Thank you.

Alberte

this isn't a converter, it's a maker/editor...

Name your programs appropriately

Hi all,
I've some dumb questions to ask as I don't know much about these things and am interested to find out:
1. Whats the benefit of TEXT to PDF & PDF to TEXT conversion, non-tech lingo with examples, please.
2. If I don't have Adobe PDF in my pc and I download Adolix PDF Converter PRO, and receive an email with Adobe PDF file, will Adolix open it anyway?
TIA.

I just tried using this to print from MS Publisher and unfortunateyl, it totally messed up converting the Word Art.

@#57, Thanks. The PDF to .doc convertor I currently doesn't work that well. Obviously, I don't use this function that much or I would have found a replacement sooner.

Thanks GAOTD for all your efforts, though.

I have never used one of these before, but I installed it and followed the directions. For me it works as advertised. It seems like a useful product. In regards to comment 106, the documents I converted, saved then printed from the resulting PDF files, I had no watermarking or advertising.
I intend to keep this for now, so I would give it a thumbs up.

Happily UNINSTALLED, it did not let me choose the location for installation. I felt I was not in control since the installation!

Try PDF995.
You get a little nag screen every time you print, but after a while you don't even notice it. I finally licensed it, (for 9.95) just because it's a good stable product and you can run it from a flash drive.
Really, though, anything that PDFs through a print driver should be free. All you're doing is creating a .ps file and formatting it as a print file. Come on.

We have investigated, and the problem reported by some of you ("Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer") is caused by the installation of novaPDF component, which is indeed licenced OEM engine. This engine (which represents just about 30% of the application's power) has not been installed successfully on the computers of the users who reported the problem (5 if I counted right).
Thanks for your feedback, the problem will be solved asap, we are very sorry that some of you were not able to use the software because of that message.

We are looking forward to more feedback from you, here or using our contact form.

a program that converts pdf to word: hellopdf @ http://www.hellopdf.com/ - honestly, i haven't tried it, but i guess it's worth the try if you're looking for a program that converts out of pdf...

Ummm, there is a message at the bottom of each page in the PDF file (see below). This is supposed to be a free version of purchased software, not trialware! Foul! GOATD, you need to have the vendor change that or not post their product. I can't use this. Out it goes.

Can I take my thumbs up back?

Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)