Why Can't I Save PDFs in Reader?

Adobe offers Adobe Reader as a free download.

Creating PDF documents is an ideal way to preserve the layout, font and images of the document you create in a format that can be viewed by anyone. Adobe makes this possible by offering a free download for Adobe Reader, its PDF viewer. Adobe Reader is available on both PC and Mac platforms and is easy to use. But, it has some limitations, the biggest being its inability to create, edit and save PDF files. Consumers do have a few other options for performing these functions.

Free Adobe Reader

Adobe releases Reader for free to anyone who would like a copy. According to Adobe, Reader is "the global standard for reliably viewing, printing and commenting on PDF documents. It's the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all types of PDF content, including forms and multimedia." But because it is a free program, the perks end there. For PDF creation, Adobe sells Adobe Acrobat, a fairly pricey application (about $150 in March 2011) that is meant for digitizing documents, combining diverse content into portfolios and even creating forms that can be filled out online. In short, Adobe can't give you the ability to create PDFs in Reader because it wouldn't make any money on its other product.

Adobe CreatePDF

Realizing that not everyone wants to shell out $150 for Adobe Acrobat but still needs to be able to create PDFs, Adobe has launched an online service called CreatePDF. This is for someone whose productivity needs may be temporary or project-based. Essentially, it is an online add-on to Adobe Reader. Instead of the one-time purchase price for the software, the service is subscription-based at $9.99 per month (Adobe also offers a $99.99 per year option). It is a bit more limited than the software, but for the consumer who might need PDF creation capability only for a short time, it might be worthwhile. For anyone whose going to be using the application for a year or more, it's likely that the Acrobat software would prove to be more economical.

Primo PDF

PrimoPDF is freeware available for PCs running XP, Vista or 7. It allows you to convert any file you have to PDF with its Print-to-PDF and drag-and-drop features. It will not combine documents as Acrobat will do, but Nitro Software also sells a version (Nitro PDF) that it calls the "Acrobat Alternative" for $99.99 and claims to do everything that Acrobat can do, including form-filling and document combining.

Buy a Mac

Apple users have it easy when it comes to PDF creation, because it is built into all of the MS Office applications for Mac. Converting a document to a PDF on a Mac can be accomplished using the Print-to-PDF or Save-as-PDF function. Both produce the same result; the option is just available in two places. Macs are streamlined for productivity.

References

• Adobe
• Primo PDF