Way to Convert Your Ebook to PDF

Others 1283 views 2 replies

Sameer Medhekar

Student

4140 Points Joined April 2008

The Easiest and Cheapest Way to Convert Your Ebook to PDF - Part 1

Easiest and cheapest don't necessarily belong in the same sentence when it comes to PDF converters, and the phrase 'without a catch' doesn't fit very easily with those two words either! So, let's try find something that satisfies them all as best as we can.

You've finally finished your first eBook, ready to start distributing it and you realise you need to convert it to PDF first. You need to do it as cheaply as possible (after all, it is your first eBook - soon you will be able to afford the best of the best!) and without too much difficulty.

You could embark on a Google search for free PDF conversion which will yield plenty of results. But, what will probably happen is that each of the options you find will have a catch. And, if you're unlucky or impatient to get started you might find yourself downloading and trying out software, and using up valuable time before you realise that catch.

If you are looking for the cheapest solution, which gives good quality PDF conversion with all the features you might need for an eBook, then I would go with OpenOffice. There is no catch with the PDF conversion tools in this software, but there is however a 'price' to pay.

Depending on how proficient you are at your current word processor and on how adaptable you are, you might find it takes a while to get used to using OpenOffice. It has probably taken you some time to get as far as you have with what you use already, and time probably is money for you, so consider this hidden cost.

If however, you have time on your side, enjoy learning how to use new software packages or are starting from scratch with no particular preference for any wordprocessor, then I would definitely recommend it.

If, on the other hand, you don't have much time or money, the best option I've found for free PDF conversion is PDF995. The catch? It opens up sponsored ads every time you use it. If you can live with that, then this option will work for you. Compared to other ways of converting your Word document to PDF for free, this is a catch that won't affect your end result; you'll have all the features you need to create a professional looking eBook.

It may not be the easiest to use at first, but hopefully I can help you with that with these articles. And once you've set it up, you can create PDFs at the touch of a toolbar button in your Word document.

If you want to save yourself some frustration, you can download a free eBook (created with PDF995 from https://www.get-started-online.com/pdf/ - that will show you how you can create your own PDF eBook for free.

Replies (2)

Sameer Medhekar

Student

4140 Points Joined April 2008

The Easiest and Cheapest Way to Convert Your Ebook to PDF - Part 2

If you need to convert your Word document to a PDF to finish creating your eBook, and you need to do it for free, there are a lot of options out there. Each one has its own drawback, you just need to decide which drawback bothers you the least.

As you may have read in Part 1, the method I use which gives good quality eBooks for free is PDF 995. The catch is that a sponsored ad opens up every time you use it. If that's a small price to pay for you - it was, and is, for me - then read on for some help on how to use it.

It's not the easiest software to use if you haven't much experience with PDF converters, or if you're not very technically minded, but once you have set it up and used it once or twice, you will be able to convert your documents to PDF for free at the click of a button on your toolbar.

You'll need to download the free software from PDF 995, a quick Google search will find their site for you. Depending on what you want to do you will have to download and install five smaller applications.

They come in five parts so that you can download and install only what you need. If you want pdf conversion and are not worried about embedded links or security then you will only need the first two of them.

If you download all of them, don't be surprised to find only two actual applications in your Programs - PDFedit and Signature995 - the rest will actually install a type of printer in your Printers and Faxes folder. This is where your documents will be sent to be turned into PDFs. They won't actually be printed of course, this is just how PDF converters tend to work.

When you are ready to convert your document follow these steps.

Open a word document on your computer. Any one with a couple of pages or more will do for now.

1.Click on File-->Print

2.You'll see PDF995 listed as one of your 'printers' if you click on the drop down arrow in the text box on the top of the window. Select it as your current printer by clicking on it.

3.Click on Properties then click the Advanced button.

4.Make sure the Paper Size is set to A4. (click on the arrow next to the drop down text box)

5.Click OK OK OK.

6.A window will open asking you where to save your file and what name you want to call it - just like a normal Save As window except the file will have a .pdf extension. Pick a folder, pick a name and click Save.

7.You will find Advertisement from Software 995 opening up as you do these, just ignore them or close them. You might have to wait a minute while they load up - this is the price you're paying for free software, remember?

8.Finally after a little processing (depending on the size of your file) a window should open with your new PDF.

That's it; you now have your converted document!

Now if you check through your new PDF you will find that some of the links will already work, especially full web addresses starting with https: or www.

Embedded links where you have your own text name representing the link, affiliate links for example or to tidy up ugly or long addresses, probably won't work yet.

Table of contents probably won't work yet either.

And if you select some text in your PDF and right click on it, you will find that you can copy whatever you please (and so could anyone else you sell or give your eBook to!), so the document is not yet protected.

You may be happy with that much. But if you want to do more, read on....

If you want to save yourself some frustration, you can download a free eBook from https://www.get-started-online.com/pdf/ that will show you how you can create your own PDF eBook for free with all the detail you need.