#49 asked, "... Adding the option to covert from HTML to PDF whilst retaining all features of a live website would be fantastic.
I have searched high and low and cannot find anything that comes close even for hundreds of $ £ e (for euro) Anyone know of such a thing? ..."

Yes, Adobe Acrobat Writer, see http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/buying-guide.html?promoid=JIJYS "... Capture web pages as interactive PDF files for review and archiving from Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox ... Insert audio, Adobe Flash Player compatible video, and interactive media for direct playback in Adobe Reader ... Convert a wide variety of video formats for seamless playback in PDF with Adobe Media Encoder CS5 ... Edit and enhance photos to add to your PDF communications with Adobe Photoshop CS5 ... transform static PowerPoint slides into interactive PDF presentations with Adobe Presenter 7 ... combine screen recordings, narration, video, slides, and more into a rich media experience with Adobe Captivate 5 ..." ... and it only costs as much as $800 to $1,200! =8^o

Sometimes Giveaway Of The Day has some steep competition to go against, but ... there's hope in open source as mentioned in many posts above, and this one:

#57 above wrote, "... The new(er) version of OpenOffice (Apache OpenOffice) supports importing/converting/editing PDF files as well as offers an extension that is suppose to offer 100% accuracy in going from PDF to any other supported OpenOffice extension (or vice-versa). The small amount that I have used it for has been completely accurate for me ..." GREAT! And THANKS!

http://www.openoffice.org/download/

A rather hopeless PDF "editor", you can ADD to an existing PDF but you can't edit, move or export any existing elements. Useful for possibly annotating a PDF and draw some crude shapes but pretty well useless for anything else.

Did play around with the bundled Ghostscript though which seems to be a very powerful tool.

I work with PDF files a lot, and used to have Adobe Acrobat Pro at my work, which made it easy to EDIT most all PDF files, including deleting pages, inserting or reordering pages, cropping pages, merging PDF documents, etc.

It seems this program as others have said is NOT a PDF editor in the way most people would want one. I don't need to draw pictures on my PDF files, although occasional highlighting is nice. But I do need to do most of the tasks I mentioned above. Sadly, it seems this program does mostly none of them.

This software is excellent for taking an existing pdf file and turning it into a flipbook. I was previously using another software to do that but this program does an excellent job of it. Good flipbook software ain't cheap but this is! Thanks emagmaker and GAOTD.

Oh, and by the way.... KS - I appreciate Giovanni's posts and I'm sure a lot of others on this board do too. However, I do see your post as a waste of space! LOL

The new(er) version of OpenOffice (Apache OpenOffice) supports importing/converting/editing PDF files as well as offers an extension that is suppose to offer 100% accuracy in going from PDF to any other supported OpenOffice extension (or vice-versa). The small amount that I have used it for has been completely accurate for me and since I use (and have used) OpenOffice for a number of years it is almost like second nature. I recently edited/updated my Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Will and it did a fantastic job that even my lawyer was impressed with. This is the kind of thing that has me second guessing not only a program like this (that seems limited on what it can do), but also that several have questioned it's accuracy and abilities to do even what it claims. Adding into this that it is listed at a inflated price (imho) questions if this program will/could even survive in the real world. I am sure that his may sound harsh, but it is meant as honesty for the publisher to think about. From an average type of user; not some professional or over educated computer user. Sorry, but this earns a thumbs down from me. I did download and opened a few files and thought it looked much like a version of Text Editor with a bit of added eye-candy. I didn't like the way it responded or felt awkward to me.

@Graham #15
"I can’t find out how to rotate a document. Is it possible?"

Not with eMagMaker, but you can rotate pages in PDF XChange Viewer.

make it simple... http://dottech.org/freebies/18437/
greetz

I agree with#23. Wondershare PDF converter has ruined my MS office 2007. I haven't tried Abbyy PDF but I have tried Soda PDF . I was not happy with it, deleted it. Now Adobe reader+do pdf +Wondershare PDF editor is good for me.

installed fine. However this application does not allow editing the text on the original pdf document.
I would say limited functionality.
regards.

@43 - imho the only redeeming feature of this editor is that you do not have to install ghostscript if you already have it. Just cancel the installation. It will not matter.

#36 I agree with Sgt. Major. Comments by Giovanni is an Asset
to this Site. Let's face it. It takes time to do the research
that he provides.

Not sure you can call this an "editor" as you can't actually edit anything, but you can add a lyer of text and or graphics. As a teacher I can definitely see ause for this in comments and annotations among other uses. A little dissapointed that I can't actually edit a PDF but a thumbs up nonetheles.

Adding the option to covert from HTML to PDF whilst retaining all features of a live website would be fantastic.
I have searched high and low and cannot find anything that comes close even for hundreds of $ £ e (for euro)
Anyone know of such a thing?

And what is worse, it does not work properly!
I tried to make some boxes with text on top of a pdf with just a picture and 2 out of 3 boxes just turned completely black.
Uninstalled inmediately!
Not woth making more comments...

#4o above wrote, "... A PDF file is not intended to be edited like a text file or a word processor document. It is essentially an output format, not a “source” format. ... The only time you would ever need to edit the “compiled” PDF is if you have lost your “source”, or if the PDF was created by someone else and you don’t have (and cannot obtain) the source. And the type of “editing” that can be done in that case is very limited. ..."

Concisely almost true, and that is one theory of "portable document formatting" -- the text isn't really there, it's all math and vectors ready and waiting to scale to any output device.

However, for speed, Adobe Acrobat always hoped you'd buy your own damn fonts, so they called for fonts in the output device (printer or screen), and so, the raw text that calls those external fonts has always been inside PDFs -- and we want to edit that text!

So, Adobe Acrobat PDF Writer has had the ability to permit access to PDF contents, including that raw text, plus images, pagination, metadata, and then to edit, manipulate, and change it all since ... well, since half a dozen versions ago.

See some history here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

So, for all of us, a PDF editor is a built-in expectation of the Adobe Acrobat PDF specification and feature set since ... forever.

And, you've identified WHEN we need a PDF editor -- when we don't have the source document (for whatever reason) that built the PDF.

So, we're looking for alternatives to keep Adobe competitive ... and sadly, this ain't it.

We'll keep searching:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pdf+editor+free

Far too much controversy about this one - I think I'll pass on it. I have plenty of other software that will permit me to edit PDFs, something that I don't have much occasion to do in the first place.

For those of you having difficulty registering the software: It's been my experience with giveaways that include activate.exe that you need to shut down the software you wish to "activate" before running activate.exe. Then, when you re-start the software, it usually shows that it's registered. (On VERY rare occasions you may have to restart your computer, but such instances are EXTREMELY rare!)

One aspect of being in business is knowing who your competition is and how your product stacks up against theirs, as well as knowing the (approximate) size of your target market. Comments containing references to other products actually ARE helpful to the provider of the Giveaway for this very reason, and to the credit of those posting alternatives, I don't believe I've seen any affiliate links that would profit the comment poster(s) in any way.

And then there are those who see a controversy - ANY controversy - and only wish to "stir the pot" to see just how foolish and petty people can become when challenged. It's become somewhat of a sport for some people, which is a sad commentary on their state of mind.

@30 Zaib & 39 Anu:

You will find this helpful information in the readme.txt file:
Unzip the package you`ve downloaded and install the software by running Setup.exe, then run the activation program Activate.exe which is included in the package to register your copy.

"access violation ..." memory errors every time I try to load a PDF, I have to kill it and reload the program to try another PDF -- nothing ever worked, so off it goes!

I can see that the demo page that initially loads does NOT let me edit existing text, so then ... it's NOT an EDITOR, is it?

Great alternative suggestions from the gang, however -- thanks.

I have old Adobe Acrobat 5 Writer with it's standard editing tools that WILL allow me to work on existing text, and I have Advanced PDF Password Recovery Pro (unlocks any level of PDF locking, see http://www.elcomsoft.com/apdfpr.html#chart, NOT free), but it's getting long in the tooth and I was hoping for something more modern, but ... this ain't it.

Here a few answers/comments to some posts.

1. Not all PDF files can be edited. On reason is it's packed with IMAGES. There are other reasons, but it's not the place to discuss them.

As a consequence, it's more efficient and quicker to just ADD text, image or whatever to a PDF.

Products such as Foxit Reader have implemented a long time ago such tools. If you haven't replaced Adobe Acrobat Reader already, it may be time to do so (especially #20, who is also confusing freehand and freeware, and does not know Adobe has bought Macromedia ---coming back from a mission to Mars, huh? LOL).

But feel free to try pdfedit to see whether it works.

2. Some PDF are difficult if not impossible to open. Then gsview can help. With this tool, you can also remove, convert pages, extract text, etc. gsview is a must-have on any PC.

To manage pages, see also PDFsam and PDF-XChange.

3. It seems very few people know ghostcript is the tool for handling PDF and postcript documents. Although a standalone application, it is also used as a library. Many other PDF tools use ghostscript. No need to re-invent the wheel, especially with software of this quality.

For exemple, PDF Creator uses ghostscript as its main 3rd-party library and will not work without it. This egMaker PDF Editor is not different. This is a problem. Each software using ghostscript wants its own version installed. Notably egMaker wants to install a 2 year old version (does it mean egMaker is 2 year old also? C'mon, tell the truth).

I'm fed up with that. It's truly bad design. It's sooooooooooooo Microsoft (multiple versions of VC 2005, multiple versions of VC 2008, multiple versions of VC 2010 ---just look at the winsxs hell).

Why not just ask whether I have ghostscript already installed?


I don't want a very old ghostscript on my machine; I already have all the tools I need. No download today. Thanks GOTD anyway.

*********

#16 (giovanni):

Nitro Pro can edit but it is not freeware.

PDF-XChange Viewer does most of that.
http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer
It is free.
I am pretty sure it did not install Ghostscript

Sorry to say that IT IS NOT A TRUE PDF EDITOR SOFTWARE. You can not delete text in PDF file. So why should i buy this type of Garbage at $79 ?

Re the comments which point out that this program doesn't "edit" PDF's but only "adds to" them: That's the nature of the beast.

A PDF file is not intended to be edited like a text file or a word processor document. It is essentially an output format, not a "source" format.

If you want to build a PDF from scratch, you start with a word processor, create your document, save it, and then "export" it to PDF if your word processor has that functionality built in, or "print" it to PDF with any of several competent freeware PDF generators such as Doro PDF Writer, for example.

That is the publishing equivalent of "compiling" a computer program.

You keep the word processor document file as your "source" file. If you need to make any changes, you edit the source, and then you "recompile".

The only time you would ever need to edit the "compiled" PDF is if you have lost your "source", or if the PDF was created by someone else and you don't have (and cannot obtain) the source. And the type of "editing" that can be done in that case is very limited.

#30...ditto! How do we register?

KS (#31),

I, for one, appreciate Giovanni's contributions! I don't feel they are a disservice at all. If the company's giveaway program seems to be any good I'll try it if it is no better than the freeware competition why would I want to waste my time?? I think the informatoin stands on it's own. If some company is cvharging $80 for a program that is equalled or outclasssed by a freebee. They should want to be informed, so trhey can adjust their product function/pricing accordingly. How can providing that information be a disservice to an honest company???

Chuck

#31 @KnoxStile:

Competition is the backbone of free enterprise.

Posting a list of free or cheaper alternative products is hardly a "disservice" to GAOTD's supplier. On the contrary, it helps him improve his product, and increase his sales, by letting him know what he has to compete with.

If I'm selling a product for X dollars that performs functions A, B, C and D, and Joe Blow has one that does the same for X/2 dollars, I want to know about it. I can either reduce my price in order to compete, or add functions E, F and G in order to justify the higher price.

Maybe potential customers don't need all those features. Maybe all they really want is functions A and D. And there just happens to be a freeware program that performs function A very nicely, but there is nothing that takes that and adds only function D. So there's an opportunity for me to develop a "lite" version of my product that does exactly what a majority of my customers are looking for.

@ no. 31 Don't you be rude to me mate Giovoni! I like the fact that he posts the links to other FREE software. Saves me time having to look all that up meself! I don't have time to be tracking down bloody software all over the Internet.

Giovoni's a good lad and makes me smile reading his uplifting comments...

Carry on lads!
Sgt. Major

Hey Frank - you spoiled my fun. I really get a kick out of people trying so hard to do something so simple. One of these days I hope to have a moment of serendipity. Alas, I grow old.....

Free Alternative: FoxIT Reader - http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/

1st start: Windows 7 32bit, Admin. Bluescreen 8e ialmdd5.dll - problems with Intel graphics driver.

2nd start: Working. But after 15 minutes of importing still only half the pages of a small pdf imported. How has the time to what i. e. 30 minutes to open a pdf of 120pages?

# 1 Peacel better correct your Latin!
Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare

@ #1 You don't need Mr. Copy and Paste, AKA Giovanni to enlighten - all you need to do is go to Softpedia. Complete waste of space for him to post.

I am curious as to what happened to his self imposed exile.

When anyone posts a list of alternatives it does a disservice to the software developer that day and should be banned.

KS

I agree with walter @19, it is a 'add to' not an editor. I tried to open a 99 page PDF and the program froze. I tried it twice, it opened the second time. You also need to watch when you import a PDF, it defaults as read only if you don't uncheck the box. If you have a wheeled mouse, the wheel doesn't work, you have to use the slider bar on the side and click an arrow at the top to change pages. The flip book feature is nice, but you can't enlarge the book to be able to read it, and it will not save as a flip book. You need to buy another program to do that. All in all, it is getting uninstalled, I am sticking with PDF Converters.

This product has a somewhat misleading name because it is not a .pdf editor in the true sense of the word. You can essentially add to a file but you cannot edit existing text or images. The software is decent but definitely needs a more applicable name. You can output to an image file or build a flip book. The software is from the A-PDF family.

The installation routine is unable to detect a prior installation of Ghostscript so you will need to click "cancel" if you already have a newer version of Ghostscript installed on your pc. You might also wish to delete the Ghostscript installation file from the PDF Editor programs folder (programs (x86) for those running 64 bit versions of Windows).

I hope this helps with some of the apparent confusion.

Include digital signature and ability to include video in pdf.Every thing work good for me.

sorry, but have to say "NO" to this one.
It's lacking features like wondershare PDF (which is free).

as 19. walter, I second that, it's a non-starter and needs lots of work before charging THAT kinda money for it.
But it's free today, so, anyone... try it and see for yourself.

#14 You must run “activate” as administrator.

Here's a great PDF Editor for free, for all those who missed this offer: https://www.pdfescape.com/

# 16 Giovanni
Wondershare PDFconverter is hopeless. I purchased the Pro version and it is a big failure, does not seem to do any job correct. Output is terrible. This very morning it crippled my Office2007. If you want a good converter, go for Abbyy or SodaPDF.

There is a free PDF editor that does NOT require Ghostscript. Wish I could think of the name of it. Anybody?

This appears to be an annotator and not an editor. To be an editor, you would have to be able to edit the text within the original pdf. Most pdf viewers today have all the [annotation] features of today's offer.....

An incredible FREE viewer with a very wide array of annotation features (certainly all those mentioned for today's offer) is PDF XChange Viewer. It is such a good viewer (e.g., faithfully showing shadows) that I use it as my default pdf viewer even though I have a professional pdf editor!

It is not a PDF editor.
Can't edit the text. Only add text, shapes. It's not so useful
I prefer Macromedia FreeHand or Adobe 4.0 - oldist but better.

It´s an 'Add_Something_To_A_PDF' tool - and not a PDF-Editor!
And it is everything less than comfortable and intuitive.

The 'Draw' module of 'OpenOffice' (or 'Libre Office') seems to be more of a PDF-Editor than this tool...

sorry, but this needs a lot of work and / or a *much* lower price.

Too much grammatical errors on your site (and I'm not English mother tongue!). Needs Ghostscript v.8.71 install (another 33 MB disk space). Once installed, it opens a web page of another product: A-PDF... What the hell?

Installed OK on WIN7 64, but ghostscript makes it a bit bloated.
First file I tested was password protected. No change actually appeared.
Second was a larger file. Output was corrupted, unreadable.
Third one finally worked with simple graphic.
Guess this tool can be useful but paying $79 I would not.

Thanks GOTD

Very nice PDF Editor tool today I highly recommend to download and try, although it's not a 100% PDF editor since it doesn't allow you to edit older texts, as rightly pointed out by # 4.

And it looks like a brand new product since I can't find ny review of it on the NET (not listed on Softpedia library yet).

With this app advanced users can also create stunning page-flipping ebooks from a single PDF file, embed images into pages, add lines, arrows, hyperlinks to appointed webpages etc..., which can altogether be very useful for those who want to write and publish professional magazines on the web.

So THUMBS UP from me!!

That being said...I was wondering why pay 80 bucks if you can do more or less the same things with the brand new and still in beta phase "Wondershare PDF Editor".....

Did I mention that it's FREE??

http://www.wondershare.com/pdf-editor/

User Guide
http://www.wondershare.com/pdf-editor/guide.html

Alternatively, or better yet in addition to it, why not download the award-winning NITRO PDF READER (==> PDF READER, CREATOR and EDITOR tool)???

http://www.nitroreader.com/features/

And to merge, split, encrypt, decrypt, fill out forms directly on PDF files and perform other more advanced tasks on them for FREE, before converting them to WORD docs using the amazing FREE tool mentioned above, just download and install this awesome freeware:

http://www.pdfill.com/download.html


Enjoy!!!

I can't find out how to rotate a document. Is it possible?

Downloaded, installed and ran "activate" as instructed. Program did not register, nor did I receive a "Key" for registration. Consequently, the program runs as "trial" mode placing watermarks on the output.
Please provide instructions for completing registration properly so that watermark will be removed, otherwise will have to uninstall

Guys, good work but very few fonts provided, and the most important - for me - , not even one Greek font exists. Can you fix this please ?

Installed with no problems on Windows 7 ultimate 64bit and XP & Vista 32bit via VMware.

However, on trying to import a PDF (standard text - 100 pages at A4 size) every install (win 7, Vista and XP) gave the following error:

"Not enough space: Error C000001D"

Ummm, so on that note - if it cant import a standard text .pdf then i think i will be uninstalling this.

#6 - I came across some freeware software (http://pdfrider.codeplex.com/) that will let you do the following:
* Merge PDF documents
* Insert pages from another pdf file
* Extract pages from a PDF document to a new document
* Delete pages
* Rotate pages
* Crypt and Decrypt a pdf file
* Burst a document into single pages

This software is very easy to use. Enjoy!