Misc Tools

Contents

Adobe Acrobat - PDF Files

To write a PDF file:

    • My best results come from PrimoPDF - free!
      • More customizable than several converters.
      • Download site. Be careful with this site to download the correct software. It is not Panda.
    • Another great writer is PDF reDirect - free!
      • You print to a PDF file instead of a printer.
      • Cannot insert live URLs into a doc.
      • Other tools available, notably Adobe Acrobat
      • I sometimes get font errors with PDF reDirect, whereas those errors do not appear in the more sophisticated PrimoPDF.
    • Only use TrueType or Type I fonts.
    • Print with:
      • Embedded fonts
        • If you don't embed the fonts, users will need to have their own copies!
      • >= 600 DPI
        • But higher resolution increases file size.
      • PDF converter (printer) set optimized for printing
    • Visually check the file afterward. You'll be able to see most conversion problems.
    • Slightly outdated tips on printing to PDF
  • Wikipedia on PDF tools

Trouble Reading Using Acrobat

If you somehow lose your zoom icons, you can use short keys:

    • <ctrl>o (ctrl + letter O) zoom page level – does not always work.
    • <ctrl>2 fit width
    • <ctrl>3 fit visible
    • <ctrl>- (ctrl-minus) zoom out
    • <ctrl>+ (ctrl-plus) zoom in

You can also right-click on the doc and select “Marquee Zoom.” Then right-click again, and several zoom options will appear. Select the zoom level you want and then hit escape. If you do not hit escape but instead click on the doc, you will probably zoom in. If you select Zoom to Page Level, you not end up aligned on a single page. You should be able to fix that by going to the top of the doc. That will align you on the first page, such that the Page Up and Page Down keys will navigate from page to page.

You also may be able to retrieve the control icons by moving the mouse toward the bottom of the page. A menu often appears, and that menu should include an option to "Show Adobe Reader toolbar."

PC Maintenance & IT

Use Autoruns to control which programs run at startup. This is free and well reputed.

Web Browsers - Downloading Videos

If you want to download a video from a streaming video website, Internet Explorer has a convenient tool in the right-click menu to do this. Chrome and Firefox do not.