# Where can I download a decent PDF reader? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532 "2001-11-09T23:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/1 "2001-11-09T23:01:36Z")
Well? Seriously. What is so special about PDF? I do want to read a few documents I’ve found that ONLY come in PDF, so I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and download one. Help, Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/2 "2001-11-09T23:06:36Z")
[http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html](http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html) The Acrobat Reader is a free download if all you want to do is read PDFs. To make them, you’d have to buy the full version of Acrobat. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/3 "2001-11-09T23:15:26Z")
The beauty of PDF is that readers don’t have to buy each application from which a file is written. Say I’ve created a document in Microsoft Project and I want to e-mail it to my co-workers, most of which don’t have Project. To ensure everyone could open the document, I’d send it PDF format because the PDF reader (Acrobat is the most common) is free and easy to install. The PDF writer costs $$$$, of course. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/4 "2001-11-09T23:16:39Z")
what type of computer? try [download.com](http://download.com) search for PDF, lots of programs of all types there. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/5 "2001-11-09T23:41:20Z")
I use Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDFs (it’s given away free with a lot of software and with magazine cover CDs), and I use a freeware program called PDFmail for creating PDFs (although, unsurprisingly, it won’t let you edit PDFs created by someone else). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/6 "2001-11-09T23:51:35Z")
That’s fine-I don’t want to create any-just read some articles. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/7 "2001-11-10T03:27:25Z")
Slight Hijack of Possible Interest… Of course if you use Mac OS X, you can generate PDF’s free. That ability is built into the operating system. But you’re not entirely out of luck if you’re unlucky enough to have a Windoze machine. Try [http://www.ghostscript.org](http://www.ghostscript.org) to get GhostScript for free. You can use it to convert .PS (PostScript) files to PDF files. Oh goodness, of course you can generate PostScript files on your PC. Setup a phony PostScript printer of your choice in your Printers folder – Windows comes with tons of 'em. Then check “Print to File” when you print, and there you go: instant PostScript files to give to GhostScript to create your own, free PDFs! This works on Linux and Unix, and yes, even Mac OS X if you don’t like the built-in PDF distiller. …End. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/8 "2001-11-10T03:30:19Z")
Thanks-I got Acrobat. You guys can close this thread now, if you like. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/9 "2001-11-10T03:41:33Z")
Although [this link](http://www.lowendmac.com/rumormill/01/0705.html) points out the reasons Adobe Hates Mac, Adobe is a widely used system and since it’s available on any platform (Windows/Linux/Mac) it’s considered a ‘standard’. I know the Federal and many state government’s use it. I’m not real crazy about it, but then I don’t deal with it that much. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/10 "2001-11-10T03:48:12Z")
And content management software designers would have to _invent_ the \*.PDF if it didn’t already exist. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-download-a-decent-pdf-reader/92532/11 "2001-11-10T03:56:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > The Acrobat Reader is a free download if all you want to do is read PDFs. To make them, you’d have to buy the full version of Acrobat. Maybe not. The PDF writer (“Distiller”) has been packaged free with Adobe Pagemaker for a long time. And it doesn’t require Pagemaker to operate, just print anything to a Postscript print file. The advantages of Acrobat PDF format are: [list=1] [li] It preserves all fonts, colors, art, pictures, layouts and proportions of the original, like an image file[/li] [li] It is text searchable, unlike a pure image file[/li] [li] It is very compact compared to similar image files[/li] [li] It can be read by any flavor of computer[/li][/list=1] Once you download and install the free reader the first time, subsequent encounters with PDF files will be painless, as the browser plugin will automatically activate. There are more advantages, but these are the main ones.