Tag: OpenDocument to PDF

Win2PDF 10 build 172: Win2PDF Pro Converts Excel Spreadsheets to PDF, Image, and Text Formats

A new release of Win2PDF (version 10 build 172) is now available on the Win2PDF Download site with a variety of new features and enhancements.

We’ll cover other features in a subsequent post, but the most significant addition is that Win2PDF Pro now supports the ability to easily convert Microsoft Excel and OpenDocument spreadsheets (XLSX, XLS, XLSB, ODS, and CSV formats) to PDF, images, and text. Win2PDF supports these formats directly, and Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice do not need to be installed. (Note: This is a Win2PDF Pro feature only)

Converting a spreadsheet file to PDF is useful for several reasons:

  • Preservation of Formatting: PDF ensures that the layout, fonts, and formatting of the spreadsheet remain consistent across different devices and operating systems. This is crucial when sharing the file with others who may not have Excel or have a different version.
  • Security: PDFs can be password-protected, preventing unauthorized editing or copying of the data. This is important for sensitive financial or personal information.
  • Portability: PDFs are widely supported and can be opened on virtually any device without the need for specific software. This makes them ideal for sharing and distributing information.
  • Archiving: PDFs are a stable format suitable for long-term archiving of data, as they are less likely to become corrupted or incompatible with future software.

Earlier versions of Win2PDF Pro supported Microsoft Word document formats, but this update expands coverage to Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice spreadsheet formats. This is a free update to licensed users of Win2PDF 7 or higher.

In the Win2PDF Desktop app, you’ll now see conversion options for XLSX, XLS, XLSB, ODS, and CSV formats in the Batch Convert and Watch Folder (Win2PDF Pro TSE only) interfaces. These features now support the following spreadsheet file formats:

  • XLSX – Microsoft Excel Workbook
  • XLS – Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Workbook
  • XLSB – Microsoft Excel Binary Workbook
  • CSV – Comma Separated Values
  • ODS – OpenDocument Spreadsheet

One thing to note is that there are differences between these spreadsheet formats when used as inputs versus outputs. As an input format, the new spreadsheet formats can be read and converted to anything (PDF, Image, Text). As an output format, however, it can only handle another spreadsheet format as input.

Here are a few examples:

Convert Type

Supported?

XLS to PDF

Yes. Spreadsheet to PDF file is supported

XLS to JPG

Yes. Spreadsheet to Image file is supported

XLS to TXT

Yes. Spreadsheet to Text file is supported

XLS to XLSX

Yes. Excel spreadsheet to another spreadsheet format is supported

PDF to XLS

No. PDF to spreadsheet is not supported because formatting is different between file types

DOC to XLS

No. Word to spreadsheet is not supported because formatting is different between file types

The command line options of Win2PDF Pro have been similarly updated. Here are the new command line options to convert from spreadsheet formats to PDF:

And these added command line options allow users to print spreadsheet formats to a paper printer:

Plus, the following output formats have been added to the convertto, batchconvert, and watchconvert commands:

  • “xlsx” – Microsoft Excel Workbook
  • “xls” – Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Workbook
  • “xlsb” – Microsoft Excel Binary Workbook
  • “ods” – OpenDocument Spreadsheet
  • “csv” – Comma Separated Values
  • “pdfa” – PDF for archiving

Stay tuned as we’ll be covering the other updates and enhancements to this release in a follow-up post. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Batch Converting Folders of OpenDocument Text (.odt) Files to PDF Using Win2PDF

In last week’s post, we announced details on the latest Win2PDF support of various Word Processing formats like Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), OpenDocument Text (.odt), and Rich Text Format (.rtf).

While MS-Office files have always been an important format for documents, there is an increasing need to support OpenDocument (ODF) files as well, mostly due to its increasing adoption within government and international organizations.  The reason for this is simple:  they’re open and not dependent on changes imposed by a single company.

Microsoft Office Documents (.doc) were originally binary files used by Microsoft as a proprietary format.  Microsoft adapted the format to an standards-based format based on Open Office XML in 2007, and this became the (.docx) format.  Today, both (.doc) and (.docx) formats are maintained by Microsoft.  The OpenDocument format, on the other hand, is an open format that is documented and maintained by an independent non-profit consortium known as OASIS.  

[If you’re interested in more details, here’s Microsoft’s list of differences between (.docx) and (.odt) files].

For these reasons and more, Win2PDF now supports more conversion options with .odt files. 

You can now read .odt files in the Win2PDF Desktop App, and batch convert folders of .odt files into the following formats:

If you want to convert individual files instead of batch converting folders of documents, you can either use the “export to ODT” feature or the “convertto” command line with the source or destination set to an .odt file.

Whether you’re looking to share these documents with others by email or the web, or simply preserve their formatting in another format, Win2PDF can help you batch convert folders of .odt documents to PDF quickly and easily.  If your organization is using OpenDocument Formats and there’s something else you’d like to see in terms of conversion, let us know.  We’re always interested in making the conversion process between different file formats easier and more flexible.

Win2PDF 10.0.144 is now available

The latest release of Win2PDF (10.0.144) is now available on the Win2PDF Download site.

The biggest additions to this release are specific to the Win2PDF Pro version of the software, which now supports the ability to batch convert standard word processing documents (Microsoft Word, Open Document Text, and Rich Text Format) to PDF.

Here’s a summary of changes in this new version:

This Win2PDF 10 update is a free upgrade for all Win2PDF 7 and Win2PDF 10 users. If you have an existing Win2PDF standard edition license and wish to use any of the new Win2PDF Pro features, you can purchase a Win2PDF Pro Upgrade.

We’ll be posting more specific information on some of these features next week, with more details on changes to the interface and how these new features can be used. In the meantime, if you would like to evaluate one of the new Win2PDF Pro features (PDF watermark, PDF security, batch-convert, auto-rename, or watch folder), contact us for a free 30 day trial of Win2PDF Pro.