 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Dirt-Cheap PDF Files Trevor Gosbell |
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Most Windows applications that can print can also produce PDF files. Here is
a way to produce PDF files for free. The secret is that a PostScript printer driver produces a PostScript
file as output. Freely available utilities can then be used to convert the PostScript output to PDF.
Setup
Download and install Ghostscript http://www.aladdin.com/ and Ghostview
http://www.ghostgum.com.au/.
Ghostscript is an interpreter both for the PostScript language and the Portable Document Format. Among other
formats, it is also able to produce PDF output. Ghostview is a graphical front end to Ghostscript. (Don't
forget to register these utilities if you continue to use them.)
Now install a PostScript (PS) printer driver that prints to file.
Select Start|Settings|Printers|Add New Printer, and in the Add New Printer Wizard select to install a local printer. Choose HP as the
printer manufacturer and as the printer choose HP LaserJet 4/4M PostScript. It doesn't matter if you don't
have this printer, but you must make sure the printer you choose is the PostScript version. When prompted to
select the port to use with this printer, select FILE: Name your printer "PostScript File", and don't bother
to print a test page. It's probably not a good idea to make this printer your default printer!
Output
If your application offers print preview you can check the appearance of your output before printing
your PDF file. When you are happy with the preview and you are ready to print your PDF file, select
File|Print in your application, select
"PostScript File" as your printer is selected and click "OK". Because you are redirecting printer output to a
file, you will be prompted for a file name. Give your output file a name, click OK again and the file will be
produced.
Convert
The output file produced in this way will have a .prn extension, but the contents are pure PostScript. If you
have Ghostview installed, you can rename the file to a .ps extension and the icon will change to a
Ghostscript icon. Load the file into Ghostview, select
File|Convert, and then check that "pdfwrite" is selected in the Device
list. Click "OK"; you will be prompted for a file name again (I use the same filename with the extension
changed to .pdf), click "Save" and the job is done.
You can now open up your new PDF file in Acrobat or other PDF viewer of your choice.
It isn't elegant, but it's a cheap and easy method if you occasionally need to make a basic PDF file without
any fancy features.
Reprinted from the May 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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