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Convert files to PDF using Adobe Reader X


Sometimes, your organization feels the necessity of bundling technical documents with collateral, such as presentations and proposals. Why? – To impress customers with a cogent combination of technical knowhow and business insight.

While you, the technical communicator, can always convert documents and digital assets to PDF using the Adobe PDF Printer that ships with Technical Communication Suite; let us explore an alternate way of creating quality PDFs that your marcomm/presales colleagues can put to good use. “What software would they need to install first?”, you ask. Only Adobe Reader X, which is a free download from Adobe.com.

Adobe Reader X features nifty integration with Acrobat.com that lets you quickly convert many types of files to PDF. At last count, many popular formats, including the following, are supported for conversion:

  • Adobe PostScript (PS) and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
  • Adobe Photoshop (PSD), Adobe Illustrator (AI), and Adobe InDesign (INDD)
  • Microsoft Excel (XLS, XLSX), Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX), and Microsoft Excel (XLS, XLSX)
  • Text (TXT) and Rich Text Format (RTF)
  • Image files (bitmap, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG)
  • Corel WordPerfect (WPD)
  • OpenOffice and StarOffice presentation, spreadsheet, graphic, and document files (ODT, ODP, ODS, ODG, ODF, SXW, SXI, SXC, SXD, STW)

To walk you through the process, let me convert a PowerPoint presentation to PDF.

  1. In Adobe Reader X, select File > CreatePDF Online.
  2. In the Create PDF Files area in the right pane, click Add File and then select the file that you want to convert to PDF. I selected Sample_presentation.pdf.
  3. Click Convert and, when prompted, sign in using your Adobe.com credentials (Adobe ID). Adobe Reader uploads the file to CreatePDF Online and then converts it to PDF. The converted file is saved online by default.
  4. To save the converted file locally to your computer, click Retrieve PDF File. Adobe Reader displays the CreatePDF repository in a browser window, so that you can work with it.
  • In the CreatePDF online repository view, select the newly-created PDF file (in my case, Sample_presentation.pdf) and click Download. Save the file to a local directory.

Once you’ve converted the required files, you can combine multiple PDF files — right from within the online CreatePDF view. Isn’t that cool?

I’m sure you’ll love these new Adobe Reader features! For more information, refer to this Help article.

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This entry was posted on February 10, 2011, 4:52 pm and is filed under How to, New feature, PDF, Technical Communication - General, Tips and tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  1. #1 by Ko Jae Hyeong on November 16, 2011 - 4:12 am

    Thank you for supporting

  2. #2 by Vincent A. Palmer on January 7, 2012 - 5:53 am

    Greetings,

    I have a new laptop with Windows and could use your help in adding Adobe Reader X as a printer. Please let me know what procedures are involved with doing that. I tried the “Add Printer” feature on “Devices and Printers” in the Control Panel, but could not get it to recognize Adobe Reader X that came installed on my HP Pavilion laptop.

    With my other laptop I would locate information online and simply hit the “Print” option, selecting Adobe printer to create a PDF version of that website page that I could then save as a PDF document.

    Any advice you can provide as to what I should try to add that helpful feature to my new laptop would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    • #3 by Lou on May 3, 2012 - 6:47 am

      I have the same problem. Just wondering if you had resolved this problem.

  3. #4 by louis kirby on March 24, 2012 - 5:12 pm

    I am not reallypleased with reader X because 1) save as has no single button to save as a pdf. it requires me to go through the menu every time. Why not have two buttons, one for pdf and another for text. 2) No way to save to other formats. Used to we could choose other file types. No longer. is this a way to lock us into pdf? Well, if i could copy th formatting into a word document by copy and paste, I would not care but I can’t and reader X has removed my ability to do that unless I download 3rd party programs. Thanks for that option which saves us from the dominance of the big monolithic companies who forgot about how we really use our computers.

  4. #5 by jack Strickland on April 18, 2012 - 1:57 pm

    I have just the opposit problem – I have a picture in an adobie file and need to have it in a jpeg format – is that possible?

    Thanks

    Jack

  5. #6 by asad on July 2, 2012 - 2:14 am

    i wana conver jpg to adobe

  6. #7 by dr Rangarao on September 7, 2012 - 9:30 am

    I wish to convert a few photos for my e-publishing.
    How do i convert from the ms file to jpeg?

  7. #8 by maher migdady on October 16, 2012 - 1:29 am

    excelent

  8. #9 by MIke Aazami on November 29, 2012 - 5:19 pm

    I want to convert my PDF files to JPEG using adobe acrobat reader XI. I go to file save as and click on the drop down to choose JPEG but there is nothing there… only PDF. I also went to “save as other” but it only gives me work and excel. What do I need to do to convert to JPEG? I have done with previous versions of Reader with no problem. Please help.

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