# PDF Document Conversion Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614 "2009-04-01T19:18:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/1 "2009-04-01T19:18:53Z")
Is there software (preferably free) that will combine/compress multiple file types into a pdf? For example, I have a Word doc, an Excel spreadsheet, and a pdf file. I would like to combine all three docs into a single pdf. The program that I’m currently using (PDF ReDirect v.2) can combine multiple docs but they all must be in pdf format first. I’m just trying to save the step of making the individual docs into pdf’s but can’t seem to find a pdf maker that fits yet. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/2 "2009-04-01T19:33:17Z")
[CutePDF](http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/Writer.asp) will convert almost anything into a PDF. Then you can combine with what you’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/3 "2009-04-01T20:13:42Z")
I don’t know if there’s any software package that will combine multiple different file types into a single .PDF at one go, even Adobe. But I’ve been wrong before… Awhile back, Microsoft used to have a program called something like “Binder” or such. IIRC, its goal was to collect different files together and store them as one entity - rather like the software equivalent of a paperclip. (Not sure how this program improves on the folder concept already used in computing, but what do I know? Perhaps that’s why I haven’t seen the software program in some time.) If something like this is still around, and if it’ll print all the collected files as one document, you might have a way of doing what you want. Other than that, I think the only way to do what you’d like is to individually .PDF the files, then combine them into one .PDF. You could maybe insert the Excel file and the .PDF into the Word file using the Insert --\> File command, then .PDF the resulting file, but that could get ugly. Make backups and try this with a test file - don’t damage your originals! ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/4 "2009-04-01T20:36:38Z")
Umm … buy an Apple Mac? It will print anything from any program you have as a PDF … ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/5 "2009-04-01T20:45:48Z")
> [@intention](#): > > Umm … buy an Apple Mac? It will print anything from any program you have as a PDF … How does that meet the OP’s requirement of joining multiple documents into one PDF? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/6 "2009-04-01T20:49:41Z")
> [@intention](#): > > Umm … buy an Apple Mac? It will print anything from any program you have as a PDF … Seconded. Then the OP can have a prettier, $2000 machine that will have exactly the same problem. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/7 "2009-04-01T20:50:04Z")
Can you embed all of the documents into one document? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Word documents with an Excel spreadsheet object embedded into them, for instance. If you can embed everything into a Word document, then printing that Word document to a PDF should do it. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/8 "2009-04-01T21:05:46Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > The program that I’m currently using (PDF ReDirect v.2) can combine multiple docs but they all must be in pdf format first. Doesn’t PDF ReDirect create PDFs from all those docs? What more do you need? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/9 "2009-04-01T21:11:46Z")
> [@flex727](#): > > Doesn’t PDF ReDirect create PDFs from all those docs? What more do you need? **One** PDF of all the docs. I would have said do screenshots of the various types into one doc that then gets PDFed, but you also have a PDF to include. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/10 "2009-04-01T22:15:38Z")
You could easily (I think) do this with a Mac and Applescript. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/11 "2009-04-02T00:05:57Z")
Use this online software [PDF Editor | Write, Redact, Modify & Edit PDFs | Nitro](http://www.nitropdf.com/free/hammer/index.htm). You can upload your PDFs and do all sorts of nifty things with them, including merging them. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/12 "2009-04-02T00:25:41Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > I’m just trying to save the step of making the individual docs into pdf’s but can’t seem to find a pdf maker that fits yet. This is no help to you, but I looked for a similar program a few months ago and came up empty. I think you will have to make each individual document into a .PDF and then merge the .PDF files. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/13 "2009-04-02T00:27:56Z")
If you have the actual Adobe Acrobat Writer, I’m pretty sure you can import the Office documents directly into the same file one right after the other easily enough. Okay, that’s far from free, but if you only have to do it for one project, you can download a 30-day trial. ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/14 "2009-04-02T03:26:49Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Seconded. Then the OP can have a prettier, $2000 machine that will have exactly the same problem. > > :rolleyes: Huh? I don’t understand why it will have the same problem. I routinely put graphics, spreadsheets, and text in a single document (typically either and Excel or Word or Powerpoint or Pagemaker document) and save it as a PDF. Isn’t that what he wants to do? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/15 "2009-04-02T03:49:51Z")
> [@intention](#): > > Huh? I don’t understand why it will have the same problem. I routinely put graphics, spreadsheets, and text in a single document (typically either and Excel or Word or Powerpoint or Pagemaker document) and save it as a PDF. Isn’t that what he wants to do? No, first, he is a she. Second, I have three different documents… a Word doc, and Excel spreadsheet, and a .pdf that I would like to merge all into one .pdf. Currently I have to convert each individual document to a .pdf THEN I can merge all three .pdfs into one large .pdf. Thanks all for your help. I use this function daily, but I doubt the boss will float for Adobe just to skip this step. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/16 "2009-04-02T03:54:24Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I don’t know if there’s any software package that will combine multiple different file types into a single .PDF at one go, even Adobe. But I’ve been wrong before… > > Awhile back, Microsoft used to have a program called something like “Binder” or such. IIRC, its goal was to collect different files together and store them as one entity - rather like the software equivalent of a paperclip. (Not sure how this program improves on the folder concept already used in computing, but what do I know? Perhaps that’s why I haven’t seen the software program in some time.) If something like this is still around, and if it’ll print all the collected files as one document, you might have a way of doing what you want. > > Other than that, I think the only way to do what you’d like is to individually .PDF the files, then combine them into one .PDF. You could maybe insert the Excel file and the .PDF into the Word file using the Insert –\> File command, then .PDF the resulting file, but that could get ugly. Make backups and try this with a test file - don’t damage your originals! A quick check of Wiki tells me that Binder was discontinued in 2000. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/17 "2009-04-02T04:02:07Z")
I use [PDF Creator](http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/) on the PC for this kind of stuff. It’s a run-of-the-mill virtual printer that generates PDF files, with one useful twist: you can queue up your “print jobs” and have them all go to a single file. You still have to go to each app and print to PDF Creator, but you can queue the output to your single PDF file. ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/18 "2009-04-02T04:05:25Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > No, first, he is a she. Second, I have three different documents… a Word doc, and Excel spreadsheet, and a .pdf that I would like to merge all into one .pdf. > > Currently I have to convert each individual document to a .pdf THEN I can merge all three .pdfs into one large .pdf. > > Thanks all for your help. I use this function daily, but I doubt the boss will float for Adobe just to skip this step. Ruby, first, my apologies for trans-ing your genderification, my bad. Next, Powerpoint gladly accepts word docs, excel spreadsheets, and PDFs. On the Mac, you can print all of that as a single PDF. Alternatively, I have opened a PDF in Photoshop, saved it as a JPEG, and then imported it into Word. All the best to you. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/19 "2009-04-02T04:30:15Z")
I will second **minor7flat5**. PDFCreator can accomplish the OP goals with ease. There is no need to convert the documents first to PDF, each can be added to the queue by printing to PDF Creator and selecting “save”. Then, from the document queue, select all the print jobs and “combine” them to one single PDF. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614/20 "2009-04-02T05:36:30Z")
Do a search for “print to PDF.” There are plenty of utilities and drivers which will allow you to print to pdf - it doesn’t actually print, but creates a pdf file. There are also utilities that will then merge those files. [http://shareme.com/showall/Print-To-Pdf.html](http://shareme.com/showall/Print-To-Pdf.html) [http://www.freeware-guide.com/dir/util/pdf2.html](http://www.freeware-guide.com/dir/util/pdf2.html) Above are two sites which have various utilities. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-document-conversion-question/491614.md?page=2)