How to make a PDF easily from Word

Summary:  If you want the ability to “print to PDF” from any program for free, follow these instructions:

1. Go to http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/Writer.asp
2. Download their software
3. Install it
4. Print to PDF from word, or any other program!

I know that I have been frustrated in the past trying to create a PDF document to send to everyone.  On my last computer I was able to get my department to pay for the latest addition of Adobe so printing to PDF was no problem, but when I got my new computer I had to find another way to do it.  There are plenty of programs available on download.com or web based applications that will do the conversion for you.  But most of those programs are only free for awhile, are intrusive, or create ridiculously large PDFs when a smaller size will do.  I also like having the ability to print ANYTHING to a PDF, be it a website, image, excel file, etc. in addition to word documents.

As I searched the internet trying to find a cheap competitor to Adobe (which is crazy expensive, even the student prices) I finally gave up and just used my old computer to print PDFs.  At this point my officemate introduced to “cutePDF”.  At first I thought he was crazy, but this company really does make a good print to PDF program.  He sweated by it, so I thought I would give it a try.  It installed seamlessly, and I have never noticed anything running in the background or any intrusive pop ups.  The program is also free for life, as far as I can tell.

At this point I have been using their free “print to PDF” program for 1 month and I love it.  They also have some pay options available that let you do advanced things similar to the Adobe product but I have not purchased nor used any of these products so I can’t recommend or criticize them.

Basically, if you are looking for a no frills program that efficiently makes PDFs (usable as a virtual printer) for free, then I highly recommend this product.  It was exactly what I was looking for.

Things can change, so let me know about your experience with cute PDF, either its free or paid version.  If the quality or service has declined since I’ve used the software let me know so I can update this advice.  Thanks!