A PDF creator is the simplest way to make a PDF out of something that is not one. The archived description of Quick All to PDF shows the typical feature set: a virtual printer, Office add-ins, batch jobs, merging, security, watermarks and compression controls. This page explains each idea in plain terms.
How the virtual printer works
After installation, the creator appears in your list of printers. Open the document you want to convert, choose Print, pick the PDF printer from the list and confirm. A small window asks where to save the result; choose a location, press Convert, and the file appears there. Because every program that can print can use this route, spreadsheets, presentations, web pages, text files and images all become PDFs in the same way.
Four ways to start a conversion
- Print the file to the PDF printer.
- Drag the file onto the program icon.
- Right-click the file in Explorer and choose the convert command.
- Use the add-in button inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook or Internet Explorer.
Batch conversion and merging
Batch mode converts text files, Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, images and more in a single pass. Merging is a related task: several PDFs are joined into one. You can remove entries, pick files or clear the whole list, and drag items to change their order. One limit applies: files already protected with a password cannot be merged until the protection is removed.
Security options
Created PDFs can be encrypted at 40-bit or 128-bit strength and locked with a password. Separate permissions control whether a reader may view, edit, copy, print or add comments, so you can circulate a document that can be read but not altered.
Watermarks
A text watermark is built from your own wording, with a choice of font, colour, style, size and rotation angle. Typical uses are “draft”, “confidential” or a company name.
Compression and display settings
Compression tools can reduce colour images to grayscale or even to monochrome, and fonts and images can be tuned for smaller output. Display settings determine how a reader sees the file when it opens: zoom, page mode and layout, and whether the toolbar, the menu bar or the title is shown.
Office add-ins
The add-ins for Word and Excel provide extra options. Excel can output a whole workbook, fit worksheets to the page, and keep cell comments. Word can keep comments and bookmarks. Document summary details are carried into the PDF in both cases.
Clipboard, attachments and properties
Text or images copied to the clipboard can be turned straight into a PDF. A “send as attachment” button prepares an email with the new file. Title, subject, keywords and author can be set so the PDF is easy to find later.
Profiles
Settings from the advanced tab can be saved as a named profile, loaded later and deleted when no longer needed. This is a time saver when you produce the same kind of output repeatedly, for example print-ready files on Monday and small email versions on Friday.
Why PDFs are easy to share
The finished PDF looks like the source: fonts, layout and images stay the same, and the original document is never changed. Files are lighter and the recipient only needs a free reader. That combination explains why a PDF is the default attachment for invoices, brochures and reports.
Compatibility notes
The tool is a Windows program and the archive lists support for Windows 7, Vista and XP, along with Word 2000 to 2010. An internet connection is needed for activation, and the licence is for one computer.
Typical scenarios
Sending a portfolio. A designer has images, a Word cover letter and an Excel price-free schedule. Batch mode converts them all, merge joins them into one file, and a password guards the result.
Archiving records. An office prints correspondence to the PDF printer each month, keeping a consistent layout that does not depend on the software that produced the original.
Publishing a draft. A team adds a rotated “draft” watermark, chooses a low-quality profile for quick email, and removes the watermark by regenerating the file from the source when the text is approved.
Choosing quality and compression
Compression is a trade between size and fidelity. Colour images that contain photographs should stay in colour or at least in grayscale, while scanned text pages often survive monochrome conversion with little visible loss. Fonts embedded in the file guarantee consistent text but add weight, so for web delivery a smaller profile is usually wise. Try two or three settings on one representative page, compare them on screen and in print, and keep the winner as a saved profile for the rest of the batch.
Common pitfalls
- Forgetting that password-protected PDFs cannot be merged.
- Choosing monochrome compression for pages with photographs.
- Saving over an earlier PDF by reusing a file name.
- Sending an encrypted file without telling the reader how to obtain the password.
Good habits
- Keep the original editable file; the PDF is a delivery format.
- Pick a quality profile suited to the audience: print, screen or email.
- Add a watermark only after final approval, so you do not have to redo it.
- Test the encrypted file on another machine before sending.
For the reverse process, see how to convert PDF to Word and PDF to Word features.