Top PDF Creating Software Compared (Free & Paid)

Why choose PDF?

Consistent formatting across devices — PDFs preserve fonts, layouts, and images.
Broad compatibility — readable on nearly every device with a PDF viewer.
Easy to secure — support for password protection and permissions.
Good for printing and archiving — reliable WYSIWYG output.

Quick methods by source

From Microsoft Word (Windows & Mac)

Finalize your document: check formatting, headers, footers, and images.
Use Save As / Export:
- Word (Windows): File → Save As → choose PDF in the “Save as type” dropdown.
- Word (Mac): File → Save As or File → Export → select PDF.
Choose options: export range (all pages or specific pages), ISO/A-1b compliance for archiving, and whether to include markup.
Click Save/Export. Done.

Tip: Use “Optimize for” options (Standard for print, Minimum size for web/email).

From Google Docs

Open the document in Google Docs.
File → Download → PDF Document (.pdf).
The file will download to your device ready to share.

Tip: Use Print → Save as PDF for further print-based options (margins, scale).

From LibreOffice / OpenOffice

File → Export as PDF (gives advanced control over images, compression, and security).
Choose desired options and export.

From macOS (any app with a Print dialog)

File → Print → click the PDF button in the lower-left → Save as PDF.
This works from browsers, text editors, and nearly any app that supports printing.

From Windows (any app with Print)

Select Print → choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” as the printer → Print → choose filename and location.
Many apps also have Export/Save as PDF features.

From images (JPEG/PNG) to PDF

On Windows: Select images → Right-click → Print → Microsoft Print to PDF → choose options (paper size, fit, file name).
On macOS: Open images in Preview → File → Print → PDF → Save as PDF.
Using free tools: Small batch converters like ImageMagick (command-line) or simple online converters.

Example ImageMagick command:

convert image1.jpg image2.png output.pdf

From web pages

Chrome/Edge/Firefox: File → Print → Destination → Save as PDF (adjust layout, margins, pages).
Use browser extensions or online “webpage to PDF” services for one-click conversion.

From scanned paper documents

Use a scanner app with built-in PDF creation (e.g., Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens, iOS Notes scanner).
These apps often perform automatic cropping, perspective correction, and OCR.
Save or export the scan as PDF.

Batch creation and automation

Use command-line tools for bulk tasks:
- Ghostscript for PDF manipulation and conversion.
- ImageMagick for image-to-PDF sequences.
- pandoc to convert markdown or text to PDF (requires LaTeX for advanced layouts).
Example pandoc command:
```
pandoc input.md -o output.pdf 
```
For Windows automation, PowerShell scripts can loop through files and call system converters.
For macOS/Linux, bash scripts with imagemagick/ghostscript simplify batch jobs.

Optimizing PDF size and quality

Compress images before embedding or use export options to downsample images (150–200 dpi for screen, 300 dpi for print).
In Word/LibreOffice/Export dialogs choose “Minimum size” or adjust JPEG quality.

Use Ghostscript to recompress:


gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/ebook  -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH -sOutputFile=compressed.pdf input.pdf

Remove unnecessary metadata and embedded fonts if not needed.

Accessibility considerations

Tag documents to provide structure (headings, lists, tables) so screen readers can navigate.
Add alternative text to images.
Use readable fonts, sufficient contrast, and logical reading order.
Many tools (Adobe Acrobat Pro, Word’s accessibility checker) can validate and fix common issues.

Security: passwords and permissions

Most editors allow password-protecting PDFs and setting permissions (prevent printing/copying).
From Word/LibreOffice/Office apps: File → Info/Export → Protect → set password.

For command-line: qpdf can add encryption:


qpdf --encrypt user-password owner-password 40 -- input.pdf output.pdf

Remember: strong passwords and separate owner/user passwords help control access; encryption strength depends on tool and settings.

Editing and merging PDFs

Small edits (text/images) often require a dedicated PDF editor (Adobe Acrobat, PDF-XChange, Foxit).
Merge/split quickly:
- macOS Preview: drag-and-drop pages into a single file.
- PDFtk or qpdf for command-line merging/splitting.
- Online tools provide quick merges but consider privacy.

Example qpdf merge:

qpdf --empty --pages file1.pdf file2.pdf -- out.pdf

Quick workflows for common tasks

Create a PDF from a Word proposal → File → Export → PDF → attach to email.
Scan receipts with Microsoft Lens → Save as PDF → OCR → upload to expense system.
Convert a web article to PDF for offline reading → Print → Save as PDF from browser.

Troubleshooting common issues

Fonts look wrong: embed fonts on export or use standard system fonts.
Large file size: compress images, remove unused objects, flatten layers.
Broken links: ensure links are absolute URLs; check after export if links are preserved.
OCR not working: use higher-quality scans and dedicated OCR tools.

Recommended tools (quick list)

Desktop: Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Adobe Acrobat, PDF-XChange, Foxit.
Mobile: Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens, iOS Files/Notes scanner.
Command-line: Ghostscript, ImageMagick, pandoc, qpdf.
Web: browser “Save as PDF” and trusted online converters for quick one-off tasks.

Summary

Creating PDFs quickly depends on source material and desired features (security, accessibility, size). Built-in print/export functions in modern OSes and applications cover most needs. For batch jobs, automation tools like Ghostscript, ImageMagick, pandoc, and qpdf provide speed and control. Optimize images and use accessible structure when needed. With these step-by-step methods you can produce consistent, high-quality PDFs efficiently.