How to Make PDF Files for Free

If you've ever tried to save a .doc or .rtf file and then opened it on a different computer, you may have noticed that depending on the word processor used the document might not look the same when opened. Any special fonts you used won't appear unless the other computer has those same fonts available and the overall format my be different. This becomes incredibly inconvenient when you need to send documents to someone else via e-mail. PDF files solved this problem entirely. Documents created in .pdf format will appear the same whenever and wherever they are opened, with all formatting, special fonts, and any images you placed in the document when you made it. With the free Adobe Reader anyone can read .pdf files. The trouble comes in when you want to make a .pdf file, and that's why I'm writing this tutorial.

As of the time of this writing the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat is 9, and the "Standard" edition will set you back $299.00 (click here for specs). Unless you love throwing money away or have some special business need for Adobe software, this is overkill. There are numerous solid options available for free to create .pdf files. The Open Office Writer (OOW) program has a built-in option to export files to pdf, for example. I've tried it and it works, but I found OOW a pain to use. My preference for word processing is AbiWord, but it doesn't have an export to .pdf option (at least, not that I know of). The solution I found? PDFCreator.

Here's how you use it:

First, download PDFCreator (it's completely free, no spyware or other unwanted baggage). Click here for the download page. It should look like what you see below.


Second, write your document using your regular word processor. The screenshot directly above is of a sample file I created to explain the process (click on any of the images here to enlarge). Note that I used different fonts and character sizes, inserted a couple of images and centered a line. Save your file using either .doc or .rtf format and you'll be fine.

Third, launch PDFCreator. You should see it come up in a small window.

Fourth, click on the plus sign (+) in PDFCreator's toolbar. This will open another window where you can select the file you want to change to .pdf format. Be sure to switch from "PostScript Files" to "All Files" or you won't be able to find the document you want.

Fifth, once you've selected your file and clicked "Open" the file will appear in PDFCreator. At this point another window will pop up, allowing you to change file information such as date created, author and keywords. You can work with this or leave it as it is, depending on what you want. Once you are done here, hit "Save."


Sixth, after hitting "Save" you have the option to select where you want to save the .pdf file you are creating, and what you will call it. When you are done, hit save in this window.

Seventh and finally, PDFCreator will take a few seconds or more (depending on file size) and do the conversion. As you can see in the screenshot below, the end result is a read-only .pdf file that, when opened, looks exactly like what I set up in my original document. All formatting, fonts and images are intact.


As with every tutorial I write, I hope this has been helpful to you. In the comments on this post you can ask any questions, tell me if something was unclear or let me know of any other options that are out there for making .pdf documents. Just please, keep your feedback polite!