How to create PDF-Files from any application that allows printing

~ compatible with any OS that allows print-to-file and GhostScript ~

Ever wondered WHY there are so many PDF-Files around?
Well, my opinion is because they´re highly portable. From Atari to Irix, back to Mac, OS/2 and Amiga.
Check the tools for this little PDF-Creator and you´ll see....

This is a little tutorial on how to create and view PDF´s without any acrobat stuff :)

What you will need:

First, you need programs to interprete postscript (*.ps) and PDF-Files. Linux users already got it, others have to download it, anyway it´s ported to multiple OS.

You need Alladin or GNU Ghostscript and i recommend to get GSView too if you´re too lazy to type into terminals and check syntaxes cause all you need is convenience... You can obtain both programs at...

http://www.cs.wisc.ed u/~ghost/index.html

Descriptrion of the proggies:

What is GhostScript ?

Ghostscript is the name of a set of software that provides:

an interpreter for the PostScript™ language and the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF -- sometimes confused with Acrobat, Adobe's PDF browser and editor product), and
The Ghostscript library, a set of procedures to implement the graphics and filtering capabilities that are primitive operations in the PostScript language and in PDF.

Alladin and GNU ghostscript run under different licenses, Alladin is newer than GNU and also covered by the Alladin free public license. No trials, no popups.

What is GSView?

GSview, a popular freely available MS Win and OS/2 screen previewer based on Ghostscript. It´s also useful for viewing LaTeX documents on Win-machines. No trials, no popups.

Let´s get it on....

Here´s the lazy way for win-user:

So you got GhostScript and GSView downloaded and installed, right? right!
Next you´ll need your winOS-CD to install a printer. Regard that you choose a PostScript-Printer, means any printer with PS or PostScript in the name. (doh)
As device, choose in the printersetup "FILE: Creates a file".

Now everytime you print over that "virtualreality-printer", a file will be created called *.PRN. This file can now be viewed with GSView.
Check the options/printer-tab of GSView. Here you choose as device "pdfwrite" and check the box "Print to File".
Now you got your own selbstgebackenen PDF-File.

Don´t forget to set in options the formats/colours to a higher bitrate as default, or you´ll get greyscale pictures.

It´s possible to have a reproduction that differs from whats printed if you selected different drivers for printer and print to file. just experiment a bit!
Another problem is that links dont work in those PDFs you create this way, but hey, GSView is a nice GPL-Tool. What did you expect, acrobats?

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