For quite a few years, PDF files have been the standard method
of distributing information in a manner that ensures preservation of formatting,
fonts, text, graphics, and Web links. The viewer software for Windows, Macintosh,
Linux, and a number of other operating systems is free. However, until recently,
the only method of creating PDF files was to purchase Adobe Acrobat for $200
or more. Several companies have now created lower-priced programs with the capability
of creating PDF files that are fully compatible with Adobe’s Acrobat standard.
This week I used the lowest-priced program of all: a free program called PDF995.
PDF995 is one part of a suite of programs written for use on Windows
95, 98, 2000, Me, NT 4.0, and XP. I used PDF995 on a Windows 2000 system. PDF995
is the program that creates the PDF files. Other programs in the "suite"
produce encrypted files and also offer extra enhancements and file utilities
not available in the basic PDF995 program.
PDF995 can be downloaded directly from the producer’s Web
site as a ZIP file. Once downloaded, it must be unzipped with WinZIP or any
other compatible ZIP file extraction program. Once unzipped, you double-click
on the single new file to install PDF995.
PDF995 becomes a logical printer within Windows. It appears on
your list of printers within all Windows programs. To create a PDF file, you
simple create your work in the normal manner, using a word processor or genealogy
program or spreadsheet or whatever application you wish. You then "print"
to PDF by selecting the PDF995 "printer" from the normal Windows printer
selection menu within your application. Instead of printing on paper, PDF995
creates a new PDF file of whatever name you specify.
Since I was writing this newsletter with Microsoft Word, I created
a PDF version of the newsletter by using PDF995. It worked flawlessly. The PDF
version was able to display the text, fonts, and everything else as if I had
printed it on paper. In short, it did exactly what I expected. I then used PDF995
with two different genealogy programs and again found that the PDF files it
created worked perfectly, even displaying the lines around text boxes in pedigree
charts. Everything in the file created with PDF995 displayed properly in the
free PDF viewer program from Adobe. The PDF files contained all the formatting
produced by the genealogy programs. I then experimented by having PDF995 create
PDF files of Web pages, complete with graphics. Again, the program worked well.
There is one glaring omission in PDF995 however: the program cannot
disable the ability to copy text from the file and then paste that text into
another program. Anyone looking at your PDF file created with PDF995 can click
on the "Text" icon and then copy and paste text information from your
document into another. While this is a significant drawback for some users,
it may be a trivial issue for others. In any case, one cannot complain too much
about a free program. PDF995 is an excellent solution for preserving formatting
and ensuring that your documents can be read on any operating system. It is
not, however, an appropriate solution for those who wish to protect the integrity
of their text.
PDF995 is a free program supported by advertising. It will display
a sponsor page in your Web browser each time you run the software. If you would
prefer to not see the sponsors’ messages, you may upgrade to a non-sponsored
version by obtaining a license key at any time for $9.95 (U.S. funds). However,
even the advertising-supported version of PDF995 has all the functionality of
the registered version. The only difference is the advertising.
There other two programs in the PDF "suite" of programs.
PdfEdit995 is a utility that adds extra functionality, such as combining PDF
files, allowing for rotation of the output 90 degrees, specifying non-standard
page sizes, placing a stamp (such as "Confidential") on each page,
and more. The third program, Signature995, uses Microsoft cryptographic technologies
to give you 128-bit DES encryption, offering a high level of protection for
all your Internet communications, including legal documents and financial transactions.
All three of the programs in the PDF995 suite are free and fully
functional, although supported by advertising. To remove advertising, you can
register each program for $9.95 apiece or all three for only $19.95. You may
pay the registration keys online via a safe and secure Web order form.
PDF995 is an excellent addition to your Windows system. Once installed,
you can use PDF995 to create files for your Web site or CD-ROM or simply to
send to others via e-mail. You can probably find many uses for this free program.
For more information about PDF995 and its accompanying programs,
look at: www.pdf995.com.
Dick Eastman Online
