pdf creator

[the1knight]

Currently to make pdf books, i am trying out pdf redirect (http://www.exp-systems.com/) for windows. i'm looking for a linux or more importantly, ubuntu equivalent.

[unoodles]

Simple, just create your document in OpenOffice Writer and then click export->to PDF

[snowpine]

Simple, just create your document in OpenOffice Writer and then click export->to PDF

Yes, and the upcoming (currently beta) OpenOffice 3 will also be able to edit PDF documents!

[the1knight]

Hi, yea i know about open office writer. And it is very good at what it does. And thanks snowpipe for the heads up about v3. However, what I was looking for, was a program that would instantly make pdf's using image files. I know that I could import a pic to writer and then spread it out over the whole page, then export etc, but these are coursework manuals i have to scan and it's much quicker to simply load the image to pdf re-direct click and go whereas with writer there is the task of importing and stretching the image. When I look at the pile of manuals to scan, import, stretch etc, it is very daunting.

The point is that although I can just do it in windows, I have finally found that after months of trying out ubuntu, I would really like to drop windows altogether and use ubuntu all the time. At this stage i won't be able to do that.

[silkstone]

One of the printer options that shows on my system is PDF - so I can print to PDF from any application including, say, gthumb.

I don't remember installing anything extra to achieve this - PDF just appears in the list of printers!

[Unterseeboot_234]

Silkstone, I wished you could remember what added a PDF printer to your Linux. Was it CUPS, Apache (java-based) or...

For the genesis of this thread, look at this information article...

PDF editor (http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/open-source-linux-pdf-writer.html)

But, having a PDF printer in WIN was totally convenient. I had to install Acrobat (not the Reader) and the LaserWriter printer driver. Wished I could do the same for system-wide Linux PDF printing.

[the1knight]

I've just had a blonde moment wake up call guys. It was after reading Unterseeboot_234 reply "Silkstone, I wished you could remember what added a PDF printer to your Linux. Was it CUPS, Apache (java-based) or..." I remembered today I installed something from synaptic that, as I remember had to install cups (i think). Anyway the short story is I just tried my print command and guess what, cups/pdf is right there. But I will take a look at pdf edit just out of curiosity. Hey, thx 4 all yr help guys.

[angelsguitar]

I don't know if you already found waht you are looking for, but just in case, I wanna make a suggestion. I use a program called gscan2pdf which I use to scan images and docs, and it's very handy for those tasks.

Just a suggestion; might be useful.

[the1knight]

I don't know if you already found waht you are looking for, but just in case, I wanna make a suggestion. I use a program called gscan2pdf which I use to scan images and docs, and it's very handy for those tasks.

Just a suggestion; might be useful.

Hi Angels.
Is that in the synaptic or where is?

Thx in advance

[Unterseeboot_234]

Hi the1Knight, and the others to this thread.

Yeah, Synaptic has it under Ubuntu users. Might be quicker to open Terminal

sudo apt-get install gscan2pdf

Fairly big. 9.6 meg download, that expands to 38 meg. upon installation. I'll wait because I have other projects in the works. Because gscan2pdf uses SANE for the scanner, I would opinion it works well, even with a USB-connect. I love that part, Ubuntu just says the name of the connected scanner when I scan. XP panics and informs me I have new hardware.

[Vivaldi Gloria]

Silkstone, I wished you could remember what added a PDF printer to your Linux. Was it CUPS, Apache (java-based) or...


PDF printer comes out of the box in ubuntu 8.04.

[the1knight]

You have covered just 1 aspect of why I like Ubuntu. The fact that it quietly accepts peripherals, for instance my Epson RX340, plug and use, no installation, same with scanner, brilliant.

Even more brilliant, gscan2pdf, got it, luv it. Just what I was looking for, so top marks there.

The problem for me, I've been in and out of many linux derivatives for so long, maybe 10 years, I got frustrated with the incapability of either myself grasping what was being explained to me, or the lack of a seasoned linux user being able to communicate to a windows vet. Maybe a mixture of both. For example, you suggested "Might be quicker to open Terminal".
6 months ago I would have been spooked by that suggestion. Only recently I used terminal for the first time. I think I'm slowly getting there but still much is very daunting.

Like when I started using Windows in 98. I was a seasoned Amiga user, but the moment I learned how to install, my fears where gone. Same with Linux. I have to say however, Ubuntu is the best and easiest I've ever used. Got a free cd posted last January 2007 and have played around with it ever since. In particular, this past two months I have been doing over 80% in Ubuntu, of what I normally do in Windows. It even does Karaoke, which is what I do now.

Anyway, thanks everyone once again. And yes gscan2pdf does work well.