Excessive printing is bad for everyone,
but you can easily share files without wasting paper.
Using less paper is becoming
increasingly important. We’re always being told to ‘think before you print’. If
you’re always printing out documents to give to friends and colleagues, then
you can do your bit to help the planet by using PDFs - Portable Document
Format, the way in which you can display any type of file without needing the
original software the created the file - as an environmentally-friendly
alternative.
Using novaPDF Lite, free on this
month’s disc, you can store and share your documents easily with friends. You
can use it to convert most popular file formats to PDF, which can then be
easily stored on your PC or attached to emails and sent to friends or
colleagues. An added bonus is that each document is protected from being changed
by the person reading it. This program simply installs as another printer on
your computer and the files can be opened by any PDF reader, including Foxit
Reader, which can be found in the Resources section on your disc.
At a glance
Skill level: Anyone can do it
Time taken: 10 mins
Suitablefor: Windows 7,
Windows Vista, Windows XP
Use
novaPDF Lite to store and share your documents easily with friends.
Save
You can select your default save
location for all PDFs. This can be changed during the printing process (see
step 9). The program’s default location is your Documents folder.
Manage
This drop-down menu gives you many
different size options for your document, the default being the Letter option.
Orientation
If you want to create a document in
the Landscape orientation, then be sure to select that option here. Otherwise
the program will print to Portrait by default.
Resolution
For printing purposes make sure the
resolution is set to 300dpi. This is the official print resolution and will
ensure your prints are of the highest quality. Any setting lower than this can
result in blurring of your document.
Dpi: Dots per inch refers to the
resolution of the document. Print resolution is 300dpi, whereas screen
resolution ranges from 72-100dpi. Any less than this will look blocky.
Step-by-step print your files to PDF
Installation
Select
a language during installation
Insert your cover disc into your
computer, and navigate to the Full Programs section. From there you can easily
install the program to your hard drive by clicking the ‘Install Now’ button.
Your first two options will be to select a language during installation and the
location to save the application – this will be your Programs folder by
default.
Edit
printer name
Decide
what to call the PDF creator
On this screen you will need to decide
what to call the PDF creator in your printer lists. If you’re thinking that you
may want to upgrade to the pro version of the software, then we advice you
select the first option, which will then be overwritten if you install a
different version. Alternatively you can name it anything you like be selecting
the ‘Custom printer name’ option.
Printer
preferences
Make
novaPDF Lite your computer’s default printer
This next window gives you the chance
to make novaPDF Lite your computer’s default printer. Your default should
always be the printer you use most – if you’ll be ‘printing’ most files to PDF
from now on, this is the sensible option. Don’t worry, if you do select it as
the default printer then you can still use your normal printer should you need
to.
