A Collection of Free Utilities for Generating PDF in Windows

For those of us unable to afford the full feature version of Adobe Acrobat, generating PDF files can be a challenge. Stuck as I am with a single computer that must run Windows, I've been forced to develop workarounds. Here's a useful one for generating PDF in Windows.

First, the setup:

• Create a postscript print-to-file printer (instructions from IRIS group at UC Berkeley)
  1. Start -> Settings -> Printers
  2. Double-click Add Printer
  3. Click Next -> Choose local printer, Uncheck Automatically check, Click Next
  4. Scroll down ports and choose print to file, Click Next
  5. Choose HP as manufacturer, then select a color postscript printer (e.g. HP Color LaserJet PS), Click Next several times, don't print test page, then click finish
• Install the GSView postscript viewer.

Now the process to generate each file:

• Print the document to a file with ".ps" extension using the ps-to-file printer (if you have problems getting GSView to open the file, check that Windows has not added its own ".prn" extension).
• Use GSView to convert the ps file to pdf:
  1. Open the ps file in GSView.
  2. Choose "Convert" from the "File" menu.
  3. Use the "pdfwrite" device (the resolution parameter appears to make little difference to the final file size or quality).
  4. The output is a pdf file that Adobe Acrobat reader should understand (make sure you give the output file a ".pdf" extension)