Foxit Reader gets new version, typewriter tool

: 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.

Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES

Aaron Traffas, CAI, AMM, CES, is an auctioneer from Sharon, Kansas. For the last 22 years he's worked for Purple Wave. Aaron served as president of the Kansas Auctioneers Association in 2017 and on the National Auctioneers Association Education Institute Board of Trustees from 2009 through 2013. He is a past instructor at CAI and co-wrote the original ATS and AMM designation courses from NAA. An active contract bid caller, he has advanced to the finals in multiple state auctioneer contests. During the summer, Aaron operates a farm in south central Kansas. Aaron is an active singer and songwriter and the Aaron Traffas Band's latest music can be found at aarontraffasband.com as well as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon.

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View Comments

Paul Yoder says:

1 January 2009 at 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
Paul Yoder says:

1 January 2009 at 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