Read and write (create) PDF documents without Adobe Acrobat

ID: 165
Created: 2005-05-18
Updated: 2005-05-18

Introduction

PDF (Portable Document Format) has somewhat become a standard for distributing electronic documents. In opposite to many other formats (for example .doc) it has been free and cross-platform compatible for a long time. The leading company is Adobe, which also invented the PDF format.

Reading PDF Documents

For every release of Adobe's PDF reader (Acrobat Reader), it seems to be a bit slower, and a bit more memory consuming. Probably because of all its features(?). But, if you do not need all the features of Acrobat Reader, there are many other free PDF readers. One of my favorites is Foxit PDF Reader[1].

Creating PDF Documents

Adobe does not offer any free software to create PDF documents (alhough you can create it online[2]). Fortunately, there are free applications available to create PDF documents. For example CutePDF[3] (free for both personal and commercial use, no ads or anything else annoying), PrimoPDF[4] (source code available) and PDFCreator[5](Open Source).

Create your own application to read/write PDF documents

If no existing application is suitable for your needs, you can always create your own PDF reader/writer. All you need is programming knowledge, and read the PDF Reference[6].