PrimoPDF

PrimoPDF is a free PDF creator for Windows that was originally developed by activePDF and later taken over by Nitro, the maker of the commercial Nitro PDF editor.  It works as a virtual printer: any application that can print, such as a word processor, a spreadsheet or a web browser, can send its document to the PrimoPDF printer and get a PDF file instead of a paper copy.  The conversion itself is based on Ghostscript and the RedMon printer redirection software.  The installation requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0; on Windows 8 and later, the .NET Framework 3.5 feature has to be enabled so that the program can start. 

After installation, PrimoPDF places an icon on the desktop that briefly explains what the program does and how to use it.  A file can be dragged and dropped onto this icon, and PrimoPDF converts it into a PDF document; for example, a plain text file is turned into a PDF in a few seconds.  The same result is achieved by choosing PrimoPDF in the Print dialog of any program.  According to the developer, the program can create PDF files from more than 300 file types. 

The program is listed in the Start menu, which also gives access to the online user guide.  The Options dialog lets the user check for updates, set the PDF version (from 1.2 to 1.5) and the resolution of the pages, turn on auto-rotation of pages and choose whether to be prompted before an existing PDF file is overwritten.  The Save As setting controls whether the program asks for a file name when a PDF is created, and new PDF files can also be appended to an existing document. 

Along the top of the main window there are five creation profiles: Screen for the smallest files suitable for viewing on a computer, eBook for medium-sized files for web and office use, Print for documents intended for printing, Prepress for professional printing and Custom for user-defined settings.  The PDF Security button opens two options: a password required to open the document and a password required to change its security settings.  The Document Properties section lets the user enter the title, author and other metadata of the new file, and the Post Process list chooses whether to open the PDF, e-mail it or do nothing after processing.  The latest version, 5.1.0.2, dates from 2010; the product is no longer developed, and its website now redirects to Nitro PDF.

Quick conversion of almost any printable file to the PDF format with a single click.

Features:

• converts text files and other printable documents to PDF
• lets the user set the resolution of the resulting PDF
• allows file conversion to be initiated by an easy drop of the document onto the icon
• permits the user to save settings like auto-rotating documents
• gives the user the chance to set the properties of the resulting document like the title and author
• includes password-based security options for the document