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Post by marquessa on Jun 2, 2021 11:00:54 GMT
Hi, it’s been a while so I’m so glad to have found this site. I’m a Lulu publisher ready to submit a new project after 3 years. I recently had to reformat my laptop which meant reloading Word 2007. I found that this no longer has the Save as a PDF facility. Can anyone suggest a good free version of PDF creation compatible with Lulu requirements? I know Lulu has their own PDF conversion, but in the past I’ve had problems with it and it’s never been as good as the Word created one. Is the Lulu conversion any better these days, or do I need to create the PDF beforehand?
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Post by BlueAndGold on Jun 2, 2021 12:00:40 GMT
Absolutely! I highly recommend "DoPDF". It is free, no adds or junk, and installs a new menu bar item to your Word window. It allows you to select precise dimensions, DPI, and embed your fonts. Very easy. (And welcome aboard!)
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Post by BlueAndGold on Jun 2, 2021 12:02:02 GMT
By the way, Lulu no longer converts Word to PDF. You are now required to upload your creations in PDF.
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Post by benziger on Jun 2, 2021 14:07:41 GMT
Or you take the open source solution LibreOffice Writer instead of Microsoft Word. Writer comes with a very easy to use PDF converter integrated (if you use the drop down menu and not the button on the bar).
And by the way, it is more recent, then Word 2007 (for no costs or just a donation).
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Post by marquessa on Jun 2, 2021 17:00:24 GMT
Absolutely! I highly recommend "DoPDF". It is free, no adds or junk, and installs a new menu bar item to your Word window. It allows you to select precise dimensions, DPI, and embed your fonts. Very easy. (And welcome aboard!) Thank you, I've had a look at this and it sounds great.
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Post by Ken on Jun 3, 2021 10:04:37 GMT
I don’t use and have never used DoPDF.
What would concern me would be using to resize a PDF, especially if changing the format considerably.
For example if I had spent hours, days, weeks on the typography what would the effect be on character size, leading spacing?
My personal preference is to get the design and type setting perfect to start with and then use the real Adobe Acrobat to create a print ready PDF. For anything at all to do with PDFs Adobe Acrobat already has all the necessary built in tools.
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Post by benziger on Jun 3, 2021 12:11:26 GMT
In principle, I agree with Ken. In practice, there are two ways: - The Adobe way (paid licence). (there is other paid software) - the open source way (LibreOffice or Scribus with built-in PDF tool, free or donation). In the vast majority of cases they are interchangeable. With Adobe, there are probably two or three functions more. Normally, however, it also works without these without any problems.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Jun 3, 2021 12:45:57 GMT
DoPDF is an extension to MS Word. It is not a stand-alone program. It is used to save a Word document (for instance an image or a text box) as a PDF, since the MS Word SAVE AS PDF function is limited in functionality (to be kind). To my knowledge it is not used to change a PDF.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jun 3, 2021 15:20:52 GMT
The tools someone uses boil down to economics and choice. To write I use Word 97 on a Linux machine. I moved away from Windows after years of using XP-Pro since the later versions were a bit too clunky. Adobe Acrobat is decent software, with the caveat it essentially costs US $180 annually. If you have a professional need for it and the money, it's your choice. Benziger has pointed out Libre Office converts to PDF. If you need something a bit more robust B&G has pointed out DoPDF works, and I had okay results with it back in the day. The caveat with DoPDF is without a lot of effort and head banging against a keyboard it only works on Windows .
Benziger also pointed out there are paid alternatives to Adobe Acrobat [which while it can be installed with WINE doesn't always play well on Linux machines]. One is PDF Studio [note I don't work with the company and haven't used it but it showed up on a quick query and it has a decent end-user rating]. The software has a one-time fee of US $89 for the standard version and US $129 for the PRO version. It also works on Mac, Windows, or Linux machines. www.qoppa.com/pdfstudio/
There are free / semi-free converters online but they have limited functionality in many cases.
When all is said and done what you pick depends on your needs as well as your discretionary budget.
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Post by markcbrown on Jun 3, 2021 16:48:52 GMT
Hi, it’s been a while so I’m so glad to have found this site. I’m a Lulu publisher ready to submit a new project after 3 years. I recently had to reformat my laptop which meant reloading Word 2007. I found that this no longer has the Save as a PDF facility. Can anyone suggest a good free version of PDF creation compatible with Lulu requirements? I know Lulu has their own PDF conversion, but in the past I’ve had problems with it and it’s never been as good as the Word created one. Is the Lulu conversion any better these days, or do I need to create the PDF beforehand? Hello, if you google word 2007 save to pdf one of the links goto filehippo which has the file to download. However, if you don't trust it, don't d/l it. but there are options. I happened to have it on a thumbdrive. always good to keep plugins on them, because you never know when you'll need them. Good luck
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Post by Ken on Jun 3, 2021 17:26:44 GMT
DoPDF is an extension to MS Word. It is not a stand-alone program. It is used to save a Word document (for instance an image or a text box) as a PDF, since the MS Word SAVE AS PDF function is limited in functionality (to be kind). To my knowledge it is not used to change a PDF. I wasn’t aware that it’s not a stand-alone program. I obviously misunderstood earlier comments. As I said I don’t use it, nor do I use Word or Windows. My contribution was just to promote discussion on “resizing”. Yes I agree with Cameron that cost could be a factor for some. Fortunately for me it is just one of several applications in Adobe Creative Cloud including Photoshop, InDesign and several other premium design products.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Jun 3, 2021 18:02:57 GMT
Best practice for resizing a PDF is to start with the original WP file, then print / convert to the same size PDF. Fewer unwanted surprises that way.
Cost can be a factor for many people who aren't exactly wealthy whether it's software or other products.
When hiking rough terrain with the spouse and our replacements I carry an IFAK capable of treating anything from booboos to serious trauma while other people carry a small first-aid kit or nothing. C.A.T.S., compression bandages, and books on field trauma care aren't cheap.
Similarly the software for making a PDF can be bare bones and free or fully functional at a cost.
The software used all depends on the end-user's preferences, budget, and choice.
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