We’re looking for feedback on a new add-on product to Win2PDF called Win2PDF Desktop.
What is it? Well, basically it’s an icon that sits on your desktop and allows you to drag and drop files to create a PDF. Normally, since Win2PDF installs as a printer, you would need to open another application (like Word, Excel, etc.) and then choose print. This eliminates that extra step.
If you download it, here’s a couple of notes on its usage:
Win2PDF Desktop Beta does require a working copy of Win2PDF to work. When you install it, it will automatically download and install a copy of Win2PDF (if you do not already have it installed).
Drag a file (or multiple files) onto the Win2PDF Desktop icon to create a PDF file. It will open and print the default application associated with the file type (e.g., a .DOC file will open with Microsoft Word, an .XLS file will open with Microsoft Excel, etc.). It will prompt you for where to save the file and for the name. If you want save the PDF file without prompting, you can use the Win2PDF Auto-name capability.
If you double-click on the icon, it will prompt you to select a file on your hard drive. Again, it will open and print using the default application associated with that file type.
If you right-click on a file in the Windows Explorer or the desktop, you can choose Send to… –> Win2PDF Desktop
If you have an image (.jpg, .gif, etc.) saved to your clipboard and you double-click on the Win2PDF Desktop icon, it will convert the image to a PDF file.
We’ll have more details and documentation about the final Win2PDF Desktop product once we get some field testing completed, but feel free to give it a try today and let us know what you think.
Now that Windows 8 is starting to get traction on new devices, we’re seeing more and more customers using Win2PDF on tablets and laptop/tablet hybrids. One of the more interesting entries has been Microsoft’s first foray into the hardware world with their Surface tablet.
Microsoft Surface, photo by methodshop.com via Flickr
Microsoft released its newest version — Surface Pro — earlier this month. While similar in design to the more inexpensive and lighter Surface RT, the Surface Pro really is a full-fledged PC stuffed into the form factor of a tablet.
Please note, there is a significant difference between Surface RT and Surface Pro:
Surface RT uses an ARM-processor and can only run apps designed for the newer Windows 8 style interface. Many existing desktop Windows applications (including our Win2PDF product) will not run on this platform at this time. Also, you can only install applications through Microsoft’s App Store. This is probably a suitable option for people that only want an iPad-like tablet for running specialized apps or accessing email or a web browser on the go.
Surface Pro, on the other hand, has an Intel processor and uses the complete Windows 8 operating system. This makes it especially useful for business users who need a full Windows compatible PC to run any type of application (and yes, our Win2PDF product is fully supported on this device). For our needs, and for others who need PDF tools like Win2PDF, the Surface Pro is the only model that is capable of running all applications from the tablet.
We haven’t got our hands on one yet, but most reviews are generally favorable.
Consumer reports: “The Microsoft Surface Pro delivers on its promise to provide the most laptop-like performance yet from a tablet. But like most groundbreaking devices, it has flaws—including limited storage and hefty weight and size—that mean it’s suited mainly to road warriors who can’t wait for a better super-tablet device to come along.”
New York Times: “But inside, the Pro is a full-blown Windows PC, with the same Intel chip that powers many high-end laptops, and even two fans to keep it cool (they’re silent). As a result, the Pro can run any of the four million Windows programs, like iTunes, Photoshop, Quicken, and, of course, Word, Excel and PowerPoint… Are you getting it? This is a PC, not an iPad.”
ZDNet: “There are a number of Windows 8 laptop and tablet options, but I haven’t seen any that are as light, well designed, and compelling to me as the Surface Pro. I want a super portable computer that is well designed and does not limit me from doing what I need to do when the occasion arises and I believe the Microsoft Surface Pro is that computer.”
It has decent horsepower and capability for serious Windows users, but the Surface Pro is not without its flaws.
Wired claims that it is virtually unrepairable should something go wrong: ” In a teardown of Microsoft’s tablet-laptop hybrid, the company gave it a rock-bottom score of just one — one! — out of 10 for repairability, lower even than Apple’s iPad and the Windows Surface RT.”
For now, the Microsoft Surface Pro seems to be a good option for users who need to access to a full-fledged Windows PC (with applications like Win2PDF), but still want the portability and tablet features like touch-screen and pen-based applications. I’m sure the options will continue to increase as other hardware vendors introduce new products, and hopefully the competition will reduce prices as well. Until that happens, though, the Surface Pro seems to be a respectable option if you’re looking for a tablet today.
And finally, the last in our series of cloud storage services for PDF users (see part 1, part 2, & part 3).
There are many Cloud Storage Services available to make backups of your PDF files, but we’ve found that some services are better than others based on who you are and what you need in a cloud storage solution. Some services offer broad mobile access on a variety of platforms, and others do not. Some offer generous initial storage for free. Some index the PDF files for better searching.
Here’s a summary of the services, features, and our assessment of who each one is best for:
– free account with 7GB initial free storage;
mobile apps availabe for Windows phone, Android, and Apple iOS devices like iPhone and iPad
The nice thing about SkyDrive (aside from the largest initial free storage space) is that it is included with Windows 8, so there isn’t any additional setup required for Windows 8 users. If you recently acquired a new Windows 8 device, this is an easy place to start.
– free account with 5GB initial free storage; mobile apps availabe for Android and Apple iOS devices like iPhone and iPad
This is Google’s offering and may be a good choice if you already use Google’s other integrated applications like Gmail and Google Docs. Google Drive is also the only online service that indexes your PDF files so that they can be searched online. This means that you can search for content within the PDF files, and not just the file names. This alone makes it one of our favorites.
– free account with 2GB initial free storage; mobile apps available for Blackberry, Android, Kindle Fire, and Apple iOS devices like iPhone and iPad
Dropbox was one of the first of the major online cloud storage services, so it has a large user base. The other major technology companies (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) seem to be catching up with better initial storage, but Dropbox is still widely used, especially among home users. Also, Dropbox just added an app for Windows 8 and Windows RT devices.
– free account with 5GB initial free storage; mobile apps available for Windows phone, Android, Blackberry, and Apple iOS devices like iPhone and iPad
This service has the most comprehensive mobile offerings. Also, it has more flexibility for IT departments with a larger group of users that need to have centralized control and management of their accounts. It seems to be a popular choice for enterprise users, whereas some of the others are focused more on an individual user basis.
– free account with 50GB initial free storage; No mobile apps currently available
This is the newest entrant into this cloud storage market. It has a generous initial storage account and touts security and strong encryption as a main advantage. However, its security claims are controversial and the founder’s prior company was involved in some legal issues. We don’t recommend this service at the moment until we understand more about the technology and if the business looks both secure and stable.
– free email service with over 5GB (and growing) free storage; Android and iOS mobile apps, and also can be accessed with any mobile email client that supports IMAP.
Some organizations have firewalls that limit access to the other cloud-based storage solutions listed, but allows emailed PDFs to be sent through firewalls. Using Win2PDF’s email option and Gmail, you can still archive PDFs by just emailing copies to yourself. It also provides searchable index of PDF files that can be stored based on filters and labels you create.
* We like Gmail for the features, but other web-based email services (Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, etc.) work similarly.
And of course, there’s always the option to use multiple services for redundancy or particular organizational needs.
Our last post gave an overview of several cloud storage solutions for your PDF files. While we generally like all of these services, many users may also find it useful to just use an existing web-based email service (like Gmail, Yahoo, or Microsoft’s new Outlook.com) to archive and preserve copies of their PDF files. This is also a viable alternative if your company or organization has a firewall or policy restriction when using the other services; this method just uses email to send PDF files.
Let’s take a look at a simple procedure at how a user with Win2PDF and a basic Gmail account can make a backup PDF file every time to print out a paper copy of a file. [Note: we like Gmail because it indexes PDF files for search. You can search your Gmail account for any text that resides within the PDF file. In addition, you can automatically label the incoming emails to archive them without filling up your regular inbox. Other web mail accounts will do similar things, but our example uses Gmail for these reasons.]
For this example, make sure you have Win2PDF installed on your computer and have a active Gmail account. Then do the following:
1. Select your paper printer to be the default printer on your computer
2. Print to Win2PDF and select ‘Print file’ and ‘Send file’ (and ‘Delete after sending’ if you don’t want to keep a local copy of the PDF on your PC)
3. A copy of the print will be sent to the default paper printer that you set up in step 1, but you will also create a PDF file that you can email to a Gmail account.
4. In Gmail, create a filter that matches your typical email and way of storing files. For example:
And that’s it… This will automatically create a backup of your printed paper documents off-site in your Gmail account. And they won’t clutter up your inbox — they’ll just be archived in with a label that you can reference in the future. And you will be able to use Google’s search features to find these documents in the future — and Gmail allows you to search for text within the PDF files.
Next week we’ll conclude this series by looking at how the different services and methods compare for PDF users… Stay tuned…
Last week we discussed going paperless by creating PDFs and storing them in the cloud, and today we’d like to continue that theme by looking at some of these services in general, and how the process can be automated.
The good news is that there are MANY cloud storage services that you can use to accomplish this type of cloud storage with various levels of free starter accounts. You just set up an account with the particular service that’s best for you, designate a folder to ‘sync’ on your PC, and then just copy or save PDF files to this folder. Here are some of the major services we’ve tried:
How do you use these services to back up PDF files? Easy. Once you’ve selected and installed your cloud storage service, just use Win2PDF to save your files to your PC’s designated Sync directory.
So, which service is best? It really depends. Each service has a free option with a starter amount of storage. We’ll be reviewing these services in the next couple of weeks and post our findings here to help you determine which one may be best for you.
The start of a New Year and it’s time for everybody’s resolutions — which, if you’re like me, won’t last until February. Going to the gym more? Cutting out that morning muffin or extra cup of coffee each day? It sounds good now but only time will tell if you can sustain it over the long term.
How about your work? Have you thought about changing your printing habits, or how you can reduce your ‘paper footprint’? Google has, and along with other companies, they’re encouraging online users to Go Paperless in 2013.
The idea is simple enough and PDF users probably “get it” more than most. And with today’s technology it’s never been simpler to create, organize, and store your electronic documents in the cloud without having to resort to paper printing. Retrieve the information you need, when you need it, on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
It’s not only more convenient, but it’s also friendlier for the environment. For example, a while back the World Wildlife Federation introduced a new .WWF file format for paperless files. This WWF format is basically a PDF that cannot be printed out. It’s a great idea, but the WWF file is also encrypted so you cannot go back and edit the file or print it out at a later date. If you just use PDF, you’ll be accomplishing this same thing and still give yourself a little more flexibility in the future.
You might want to consider Taking the Pledge to Go Paperless in 2013. Throughout the year the Paperless Coalition will be promoting Paperless 2013 via an email newsletter.
In future PDFBlog.com articles we’ll also be exploring some cloud storage services that can help you keep this resolution, especially for users of PDF files.
While the “big feature” in our latest Win2PDF 7.5 release is official support of Windows 8, we also tucked in a few other enhancements.
The first is a new Auto-name feature, which allows the user to automatically save PDF files without prompting. When this option is enabled, the PDF file is saved immediately after selecting Print from any application. The file is named using the original document’s base name, along with a unique date and time stamp so you don’t need to worry about overwriting previously saved PDF files. To enable it, you just need to go to the PDF Options… button and then check “Auto-name Files” on the Document tab, as seen below.
The second feature is Auto-merge. This feature was created to fix a situation that occurs with some Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, but the feature applies to other applications as well. When you print a workbook from Excel that has multiple worksheets, and the worksheets have different print areas, Excel splits up the print into several print jobs and sends them to the printer. Essentially several print jobs are sent in rapid succession with the same file name. With Win2PDF 7 and earlier versions, this resulted in prompts for a new file name for each print job. Users had to manually append each print job together to assemble the complete PDF version of the Excel workbook. If the Excel file had many worksheets, this could be a very tedious process.
With Win2PDF 7.5, this merging is done automatically. If an application sends multiple print jobs with the same file name and in rapid succession, all files will be merged together without additional prompting.
And, as always, we continue to fix bugs and customer-reported issues. There are dozens of fixes rolled into Win2PDF 7.5.
Still haven’t updated yet? Download Win2PDF 7.5 now — it’s a free update for Win2PDF 7 users. Even if you’re not going to Windows 8 right away, the new features and bug fixes will make it worthwhile.
As a follow up to our post on printing in Windows 8 from last week, Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen recently weighed in with his thoughts on their latest operating system.
“I did encounter some puzzling aspects of Windows 8. The bimodal user experience can introduce confusion… For example, after opening a PDF attachment in Outlook from the desktop, Windows opens the file in Microsoft Reader, an application more suited for use on a tablet, rather than the desktop Acrobat Reader.”
This is specifically referring to the new Microsoft Reader app, which is included in Windows 8. You will still be able to download and install the free Adobe Reader software (and other PDF viewers), but because Microsoft Reader is the default reader app for PDF files, it may be a little confusing at first.
PDF users will likely run into some of these puzzling aspects (as we did). If you’re planning on moving to Windows 8, it’s worthwhile to do a little reading on these new interface changes. Paul’s overview is a good place to start.
We’ve started getting questions about printing in Windows 8 and if Win2PDF will work with the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system. The short answer is yes* and we have a pre-release version available today. We’ll have an official release available once Windows 8 is officially released.
*Except for Windows 8 RT – the version of Windows 8 for ARM-based devices.
Today’s post will be an overview of what’s different about printing with Windows 8, and how that will affect Win2PDF users specifically.
1) What is Windows 8?
Windows 8 is the latest operating system from Microsoft (following Windows 7) and it has been specially adapted to support a greater array of hardware devices, especially touch screen tablets, laptops, and desktop monitors.
While the underlying operating system is built on the Windows 7 foundation, Windows 8 is going present some changes for most users (at least in terms of interface). This is particularly true when it comes to printing. And since Win2PDF installs a printer, this interface change will be noticed by Win2PDF users.
2) Windows 8 and Printing
Windows 8 introduces a new architecture for printers. This architecture change won’t greatly affect the way Win2PDF works from the end-user’s perspective so we won’t go into the details here. But, if you’re interested,you can read an in-depth overview from Microsoft’s developer blog.
Window 8 also introduces a completely new application interface for many software programs, something they refer to as Windows 8 style apps. (This interface style was formerly known as Metro style apps, but Microsoft has since discontinued the use of this term). This will be a tiled, full-screen interface that works for all computers but optimized for tablet computing and touch-screen laptops/ultrabooks/displays. Windows 8 will also support the more traditional desktop apps, which is the same interface most applications used in Windows 7 or Windows XP.
3) Win2PDF Support
The good news is that we do have a version that currently works with Windows 8 (both desktop and Windows 8 style apps) and it can be downloaded from our Win2PDF hotfix download page.
Once Windows 8 is officially released by Microsoft, we’ll have a version that officially supports it directly on our main download page. There will not be a charge to upgrade to the Windows 8 compatible version of Win2PDF for users of Win2PDF 7 or above.
Lastly, Microsoft introduced a version of the operating system called Windows 8 RT, which is the operating system used on ARM-based computers. This version of Windows 8 will only work with Windows 8 style apps that are either pre-installed or that are available through the Microsoft app store. Win2PDF will not support Windows 8 RT at the time of the Windows 8 official release.
4) Printing to PDF using Win2DPF in Windows 8
To use Win2PDF with desktop apps, not much has changed. Here’s a short video that shows Win2PDF creating a PDF file from a desktop app (or see our Win2PDF support page on this topic):
To use Win2PDF with Windows 8 style apps is a bit different. Here is a short video that shows Win2PDF creating a PDF file from a Windows 8 style app (or see our Win2PDF support page on this topic):
The key differences with printing to Windows 8 style apps are:
Printers are accessed as Devices, which can be found in the Charm bar. You can access the Charm bar by moving the cursor to the right side of the screen and swiping up in a Windows 8 style app.
From Devices, you choose the printer named ‘Win2PDF’ and then print. Immediately after printing, you will receive a notification in the upper right corner of the screen. “The printer requires your attention. Go to the desktop to take care of it.”
Click on this notification. This will bring you to the desktop where you will see the normal Win2PDF file save window.
Then you can set the file name and and save the PDF as you normally would. If you click ‘View PDF’ and your default PDF viewer is a Windows 8 style app, then it will open up back in the Windows 8 full screen interface.
PDF Blog - Topics from the makers of Win2PDF 