pdf

Compare PDFs with DiffPDF

Visually comparing PDFs to identify changes or differences is harder than it sounds, and it sounds hard enough, not to mention extremely boring. But it's all too easy to miss subtle differences with the Mark I Eyeball, and some changes might not be visible at all. Why put yourself through it when there's a free tool that can do the job for you, only much faster and more thoroughly? It's called DiffPDF, and it's from RubyPDF Technologies. With dual file selection tools and display panes, this efficient tool makes quick work of a tedious but necessary … Read more

How to print in grayscale in OS X

If you need to print in black and white in OS X, you can, but it may not be obvious how to do it.

Apple used to include an obvious setting in its print dialog boxes for color or black and white, but in OS X this has disappeared since these options are now handled by the specific driver for your printer.

You can certainly still print in grayscale and there are various ways to do it, although some of these options might be a bit obscure, may only be available on some systems, or might require a few extra steps.… Read more

Soda brings 3D to PDF readers

Soda 3D Reader is Lulu Software's answer to Adobe Reader. While it may not be the most powerful Adobe alternative out there, it does have some nice features and unique 3D functionality that make it worth a look.

The program's interface is clean and inviting, with ribbon-style navigation that should be familiar to Microsoft Office 2010 users. The tabs at the top act as your main menu, with submenus that open up beneath them as you click. And along the left, there's a page preview pane, if you choose to enable it. The program's controls are … Read more

Soda PDF goes 3D

Soda PDF, the popular Adobe Acrobat alternative, jumped to version 2012 today.

All three editions--Standard, Professional, and Pro + OCR--have been outfitted with a redesigned user interface and improved PDF editing features. Now, users can split PDF documents or extract specific pages in just one click. Also, simple operations like selecting text and rearranging elements should be a bit easier.

But the biggest addition to the product is Soda's new 3D View. This patent-pending technology presents PDF files like a book, allowing you to grab and manipulate a page just as you might in the physical world. While it's … Read more

Security threat in Reader and Acrobat poses threat to Macs

Yesterday Adobe released a security bulletin that discusses a new attack which is targeting a flaw in its Acrobat and Reader programs.

The flaw affects both version 9.4.6 and 10.1.1 of its Reader and Acrobat programs, on all supported platforms, which include both Windows and Macintosh PCs.

Described only as a "U3D memory corruption" vulnerability, if the attacker takes advantage of it by releasing a compromised PDF document that when opened causes the target system to crash, it allows the attacker to take control of the system. Adobe does not go into any additional … Read more

Get a slew of PDF tools with PDFill PDF and Image Writer Free

There are plenty of tools that let users convert a variety of different document types into PDF files, but we're not sure we've ever seen one as comprehensive as PDFill PDF and Image Writer Free. This useful tool not only converts documents to PDFs, but also supports a number of different image formats and lets you adjust a wide variety of settings. If you need a way to take advantage of the characteristics of PDF files without investing in expensive software, give PDFill PDF and Image Writer Free a try.

The program can be accessed from virtually anywhere … Read more

Got a new PC? Get a perfect starter kit - now 83% off

Just in time for the holidays, CNET has partnered with top consumer software publishers to offer an exclusive bundle of six products worth $177.88 for just $30! That's a 83% discount on the leading anti-virus, system care, PDF creator, compression and remote access software.

This great software bundle lets you protect your computer, create and compress documents, and stream media content from your computer to any connected device!

The New PC starter-kit bundle includes the following six software:

Avira Antivirus Premium 2012 - Protect your computer against viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and phishing: reg.$29.99 Smith Micro … Read more

Convert PDFs to Word docs with Wondershare PDF to Word

The business world relies on PDFs. Microsoft Word is the leading word processor. To edit PDFs in Word, you need to convert them to DOC files. That's where Wondershare PDF to Word comes in. It's a simple, free utility that converts PDFs to Word documents, either one by one or in batches. It preserves all of a document's layout and formatting, which saves a lot of time when reusing content. It's compatible with most versions of Windows from XP to Vista, but it only runs in 32-bit editions of Windows 7.

As you'd expect with … Read more

Fix nonfunctional Mail PDF function in OS X Preview

Apple's Preview application is the default PDF reader, and has a number of features that make it a convenient program to use. For example, you can quickly e-mail the PDF document you're reading by choosing the "Mail Selected PDF Document" option in the File menu.

This option should work for other document types as well, but some people have been finding this feature is not working at all. When the option to mail PDFs is selected, the system just sits there without opening Mail or generating any new messages containing the PDF document.

If this happens … Read more

How to sign PDFs on Android

Normally when you want to sign a PDF you have to download it, print it, sign it, scan it, and then e-mail it back.

This can get pretty annoying if you're doing all these steps often. That's why having an app that can let you sign PDFs right from your Android device is very convenient. Sure it'll set you back $3.99, but it's worth losing the frustration for a mere four bucks, right?

Step 1: Install SignMyPad on your Android device.

Step 2: Open a PDF from your … Read more