PrimoPDF is free pdf converter for Microsoft Word that will also convert your Excel spreadsheets to pdf format. It does not include the ability to edit pdf files, but the manufacturer offers the added ability -- at additional cost.
Pros
I’m a sucker for free software. Any free program that does what it claims to do without crashing my computer or causing any adverse effects automatically gets 2 and a half stars. In fact, any program that does what it claims it will do without causing any adverse effects gets two stars and a half stars! That said, I’m giving PrimoPDF, a pdf converter for Word, 4 out of 5 stars.
Using a broadband connection, I downloaded and installed the pdf converter in a matter of minutes. There were no options to specify, no messy desktop icons to delete, and no system reboot required. A few minutes later, I had converted a Word document to pdf format (optimized for screen viewing) using the pdf converter and was scrolling through the document in Acrobat Reader. No fuss, no muss, and the document looked identical to my Word document
Using a broadband connection, I downloaded and installed the pdf converter in a matter of minutes. There were no options to specify, no messy desktop icons to delete, and no system reboot required. A few minutes later, I had converted a Word document to pdf format (optimized for screen viewing) using the pdf converter and was scrolling through the document in Acrobat Reader. No fuss, no muss, and the document looked identical to my Word document
Cons
Compared with the ease with which I installed the pdf converter and the results it produced, the negatives are slight. Firstly, there is no toolbar icon or menu item for the pdf converter; rather, the option is hidden in the print dialog box. The fact that the pdf converter is actually treated as a printer, meaning one must open the print dialog box to access the pdf converter isn’t a big inconvenience in my opinion. However, one must know where to look for the option, and by now most Word users are probably annoyed by searching through menus and dialog boxes to find the command they need. Secondly, in the pop-up screen that appears after clicking OK on the print dialog box, one must specify the full file path for the file or use the Browse button to open a Save dialog box for the file. Otherwise the file won’t be saved or will be saved in a location I have as of yet to determine. These inconveniences will probably diminish as one becomes more accustomed to the software, but the possibility that a document won’t be saved due to an ambiguous interface is never a good thing.
Summary
All in all, I highly recommend this free pdf converter to any user who needs the ability to save Word files in pdf and who doesn’t want to invest a lot of cash. If you’re not sure if you need a pdf converter, this article might help you decide.
