Make Your Own PDFs

In this post I'm going to tell you how you can create PDFs for free!

PDF stands for: Portable Document Format. This technology allows you to share documents between computers that may not have the same program or operating system from which the document was created. I open PDFs almost every day - it might be something I'm downloading off a web page, or an attachment someone sends me in an e-mail. In marketing we use PDFs a lot for sharing proofs of brochures and other design layouts.

So why would YOU benefit from creating your own PDFs? Sending your document in a PDF instead of a Word document allows you to protect your format and your content from being tinkered with. You can feel confident that it will look the same on the receiver's screen as it does on your own, plus just by sending a PDF you will look really cool and techno-savvy.

Here are two examples:

1) A PowerPoint presentation you've created about your business. If you use the original file to post on your web site or e-mail, it will open in the "edit" format and not look very professional. Plus someone could very easily make changes to it without your knowledge or permission. If you send it as a PDF, they will get only the more polished "finished" version (no edit text boxes) without the option to make changes.

2) Your resume. Listen, your resume needs to look great. You don't want it showing up looking all funky because the person who opens it has different tab settings or doesn't have the font you used on their computer. Plus, if your resume gets passed around from person to person, you can avoid the possibility that someone will screw with it and make you look bad. You never know...

How to Make Your Own PDFs
You could pay $299-$499 for Adobe Acrobat Software. These packages give you tons of different formatting options that the occasional user doesn't really need.

OR for no cost at all you can download CutePDF software. I heard about it from an IT person at work when I requested a PDF writing program for occasional use. They installed CutePDF on my work computer quickly and easily, so I knew it was a safe download to install on my home computer as well.

After you download the program (it will take you just a minute or two) you can start using it right away! It's so easy, you'll be amazed. When you want to make a file into a PDF, tell your computer to print the document. Don't worry, it won't really print it - when your computer asks you what printer you want to use, you will choose "CutePDF" instead of your real printer. Then it will ask you where you want to save your PDF and you can name it whatever you choose.

Simple. Free. Easy.

So to download the CutePDF program you can just click here, or you can go to the actual web page to learn the program specifics before downloading.

(By the way, to open PDFs you need to have Adobe Reader software - also free. Most computers already have it installed.)