- Image by PiPiWa via Flickr
Now that PDF is an ISO standard and no longer an Adobe product, it has value for some types of content distribution. We’ve mentioned the benefits of using Foxit Reader for all your PDF viewing needs in two articles and a podcast. Foxit is faster than Adobe Reader and takes up much less disk space. Our favorite PDF reader received an upgrade in November that makes the decision between it and other free PDF readers simple. Unlike Adobe Reader, Free Foxit Reader 3.0 for Windows now lets you type on PDFs and save the result.
Previous versions of Foxit only supplied the holy-grail-of-all-PDF-tools typewriter functionality in the Pro Pack, which is a $39 purchase. Now, with version 3.0, the typewriter is available so long as you install either the Foxit Toolbar or an eBay icon. While toolbars are unequivocally bad, and icons to websites aren’t on the positive side of useful, satisfying either requirement is definitely worth the use of the typewriter within the best PDF reader on the market. If you have a problem with the toolbar or the icon, you can simply elect to not display it after its installed.
Active Adobe PDF forms suck. They’re difficult to make, and getting good data in a good format is hit or miss. With Foxit Reader, now any PDF befomes a form. Simply view the PDF, select the typewriter tool from the toolbar, click on the page and start typing. If the text is too big or small, simply adjust it using the font toolbar, similar to that in OpenOffice, Word or any other familiar desktop application. When you’re done, simply save the file as a PDF and it’s ready to print or send.
If you don’t have Foxit Reader, shame on you. Here’s a link to the download page for the latest version. Click the link on the left and run it to begin the installation.
By Paul Yoder 1 January 2009 - 4:56 pm
I downloaded the software including the toolbar. I like the reader better than the Adobe reader, however my Gmail didn’t work properly, it would take forever to load going in to the inbox or opening a message, at times it didn’t open at all. I uninstalled the the tool bar and the problem is solved. The typewriter function no longer works but the reader does. I’m using XP and Firefox. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Paul
By Paul Yoder 1 January 2009 - 9:56 pm
I downloaded the software including the toolbar. I like the reader better than the Adobe reader, however my Gmail didn’t work properly, it would take forever to load going in to the inbox or opening a message, at times it didn’t open at all. I uninstalled the the tool bar and the problem is solved. The typewriter function no longer works but the reader does. I’m using XP and Firefox. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Paul