To all NJCC Members,

I have completed reviews on the following three PDF software products
that I will demonstrate at 7 PM at our May 12th Regular NJCC Meeting:

1) Click2PDF - http://www.bluesquirrel.com

2) ActivePDF Symphony - http://www.activepdf.com

3) Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 - http://www.adobe.com

These three products are very different in capability, functions, and
pricing. All produce PDF documents that can be read and printed by the
FREE Adobe Reader software that is available for download from the
http://www.adobe.com website. These reviews will also be posted on our
http://www.njcc.org website in the Product Reviews section.

I hope you will be able to attend the May 12th meeting at 7 PM to see
these products presented, followed by an Ebay presentation at 8 PM by
Bob Perkel.

Please also feel free to contact me if you have any questions or
comments.

With best regards,

Fred (Sabin)
President, NJCC
president@...
Tel: 732-469-3843

THREE PDF SOFTWARE REVIEWS FOLLOW:

1) Click2PDF - http://www.bluesquirrel.com - Reviewed by Fred Sabin,
President, NJCC

Click2PDF is a desktop product that will allow you to easily create
PDF documents (that can be read by the free Adobe Acrobat Reader) from
anything that you can print. This product only creates an image in PDF
format that cannot be edited, but it is an excellent compromise for
those that only need the absolute minimum requirements for creating
PDF files.

Click2PDF will "print" any document and/or graphics to a PDF file in
black and white or color, at resolutions of 72, 100, 200, or 300 dots
per inch. Unfortunately, there are no other significant options or
adjustments that can be made to the document being saved, so you must
make any and all formatting changes to the document before it is
converted to PDF. The PDF file that is saved can then be used as any
other PDF file (with the exception that it can not be altered as it is
an image file). Thus, text and/or images from Click2PDF documents
cannot be selected to copy and paste into a word processor document
(with the free Adobe Acrobat ReTo all NJCC Members,

I have completed reviews on the following three PDF software products
that I will demonstrate at 7 PM at our May 12th Regular NJCC Meeting:

1) Click2PDF - http://www.bluesquirrel.com

2) ActivePDF Symphony - http://www.activepdf.com

3) Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 - http://www.adobe.com

These three products are very different in capability, functions, and
pricing. All produce PDF documents that can be read and printed by the
FREE Adobe Reader software that is available for download from the
http://www.adobe.com website. These reviews will also be posted on our
http://www.njcc.org website in the Product Reviews section.

I hope you will be able to attend the May 12th meeting at 7 PM to see
these products presented, followed by an Ebay presentation at 8 PM by
Bob Perkel.

Please also feel free to contact me if you have any questions or
comments.

With best regards,

Fred (Sabin)
President, NJCC
president@...
Tel: 732-469-3843

THREE PDF SOFTWARE REVIEWS FOLLOW:

1) Click2PDF - http://www.bluesquirrel.com - Reviewed by Fred Sabin,
President, NJCC

Click2PDF is a desktop product that will allow you to easily create
PDF documents (that can be read by the free Adobe Acrobat Reader) from
anything that you can print. This product only creates an image in PDF
format that cannot be edited, but it is an excellent compromise for
those that only need the absolute minimum requirements for creating
PDF files.

Click2PDF will "print" any document and/or graphics to a PDF file in
black and white or color, at resolutions of 72, 100, 200, or 300 dots
per inch. Unfortunately, there are no other significant options or
adjustments that can be made to the document being saved, so you must
make any and all formatting changes to the document before it is
converted to PDF. The PDF file that is saved can then be used as any
other PDF file (with the exception that it can not be altered as it is
an image file). Thus, text and/or images from Click2PDF documents
cannot be selected to copy and paste into a word processor document
(with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0). Also, the actual PDF
document itself cannot be altered directly, or converted directly into
another file format. The PDF converted file size will vary with the
color and resolution options selected.

Click2PDF requires a 486+ processor computer with 10 MB of hard-drive
space, and Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP with 64 MB RAM.

This software is thus very easy to use for the casual user, and I will
be doing a demonstration of it at the May 12th NJCC meeting. The list
price for Click2PDF is $18.95, but New Jersey Computer Club (NJCC)
members can get a 50% off User Group Discount (to $9.47) at
http://www.bluesquirrel.com/usergroup, or by calling 1-800-403-0925.
An additional $6.95 Shipping and Handling charge applies if you do not
download the software electronically (4.67 MB file size).


2) ActivePDF Symphony - http://www.activepdf.com - Reviewed by Fred
Sabin, President, NJCC

activePDF Symphony is a combination of two software products,
activePDF Composer that creates PDF documents, and activePDF Maestro
that edits PDF documents. These desktop products will allow you to
easily create PDF documents (that can be read by the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader) from anything that you can print. You can also markup
PDF documents with notes, highlighting, underlining, strikeouts,
bookmarks, etc. for future viewing and reference.

These products fill the gap between PDF programs that only create an
image in PDF format that can not be edited, and the full fledged PDF
programs that cost much more for extra features that you would
probably never use. As such, they are an excellent compromise for
those that want more than minimum requirements, but less than
professional performance options.

activePDF Composer will "print" any document and/or graphics to a PDF
file in black and white or color; at resolutions from 72 to 2540 dots
per inch; at 1 to 1,000% scale; in portrait or landscape mode (with 90
or 180 degree rotation options); on numerous sizes of paper. This PDF
file can then be saved and used as any other PDF file. The file size
will vary with the options selected, but I saved a ten-page, 60 KB MS
Word document to a black and white, 300 dpi, PDF file of 104 KB. A
website with numerous graphics that saved as a 320 KB HTML file was
converted to a color, 300 dpi, PDF file of only 172 KB.

activePDF Maestro will allow you to "markup" a PDF file as you would
do with a normal document. You can highlight text in any color,
underline it or put a strikeout through it, or you can add notes
anywhere on the page that can be viewed as either a pop-up or when you
put the mouse pointer over them. If you need a quick method to find a
page or something on a page, you can bookmark it for instant access.

Text and/or images (or even boxed areas) from activePDF Composer
documents can also be selected to copy and paste into a word processor
document (with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader̉ 6.0). Unfortunately,
the
actual PDF document itself cannot be altered directly, or converted
directly into another file format.

activePDF Symphony requires a Pentium 50 MHz CPU computer with 26 MB
of hard-drive space, and MS Windows 98 or ME with 32 MB RAM, OR MS
Windows XP with 64 MB RAM.

This software is thus very flexible and powerful for the casual user,
and I will be doing a demonstration of it at the May 12th NJCC
meeting. The list price for activePDF Symphony is $95. activePDF
Composer lists separately at $79, and activePDF Maestro lists
separately at $25. A discount of 25% is available for NJCC members on
activePDF Symphony and activePDF Composer (but not activePDF Maestro)
by email order before June 12th directly to the activePDF Sales
Department (sales@...) using promotional code PCUG905F.


3) Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 - http://www.adobe.com - Reviewed by
Fred Sabin, President, NJCC

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 is absolutely awesome! … Why? Read on and find
out.

The Portable Document File (PDF) is a standard for today's computer
users, and for good reason. These documents can be utilized on any
computer platform, and can be read by anyone using the free Adobe
Reader software. They can be easily and simply created from anything
that can be printed, including text, graphics, and almost any other
file type used on any computer. They are small due to compression, but
when viewed and printed are exactly like the original document. If
desired it is possible to allow the contents to be annotated,
marked-up, or even extracted for usage in another format.
Alternatively, the contents may be locked and secured such that only
viewing is permitted, and nothing may be changed or even printed
without a password.

Like any comprehensive software, Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 takes a
while to learn, as there are a lot of features and settings available
to use as you develop proficiency with it. You can create a PDF
document from a file, Microsoft Office, or Internet Explorer with a
single right mouse click, or "print" any document from almost any
application directly to a PDF format in lieu of going to a printer.
You may then change the default options to various color or black and
white settings; dots per inch settings from 72 to 4000 dpi; portrait
or landscape orientation; various compression modes; numerous paper
sizes; etc. You also have the options of adding pages, bookmarks,
layers, signatures, and/or comments. Secure digital signatures and
encryption or password protection are also available. The combinations
of choices are extensive to allow you to get exactly what you want and
need.

For example, minutes of a meeting can go directly from Microsoft Word
to a PDF document that can be emailed or posted for review and
comments by numerous persons prior to final approval. Or an HTML
document from the Internet can be saved as-is in PDF format, or an
entire website can be automatically converted into a PDF document with
page identifications and bookmarks (as our NJCC website was saved as
217 pages in full color in minutes as a 2.6 MB PDF file). The saved
PDF files can then be viewed in a wide range of magnifications, or
even "read out load" through your audio system. Pages may also be
deleted, added or merged from other sources.

This is a quality product. The versatility and applications are
seemingly endless. I will be doing a hands-on presentation and
demonstration of Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 at our May 12th NJCC
Meeting. I encourage you to attend to see what this software can do
and to answer your questions.

Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 requires a Pentium CPU; Microsoft Windows
98SE, ME, or XP; 64 MB (128 MB recommended) RAM; 220 MB of hard-drive
space; IE 5.01 or later; a CD-ROM; and an 800X600 monitor resolution.

The list price for Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 is $299, and it is
available from their website e-store at: http://www.adobe.com. The
Adobe Reader software (for viewing and printing PDF files only) is
free, and is also available for download from the http://www.adobe.com
website.
ader 6.0). Also, the actual PDF document itself cannot be altered
directly, or converted directly into another file format. The PDF
converted file size will vary with the color and resolution options
selected.

Click2PDF requires a 486+ processor computer with 10 MB of hard-drive
space, and Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP with 64 MB RAM.

This software is thus very easy to use for the casual user, and I will
be doing a demonstration of it at the May 12th NJCC meeting. The list
price for Click2PDF is $18.95, but New Jersey Computer Club (NJCC)
members can get a 50% off User Group Discount (to $9.47) at
http://www.bluesquirrel.com/usergroup, or by calling 1-800-403-0925.
An additional $6.95 Shipping and Handling charge applies if you do not
download the software electronically (4.67 MB file size).


2) ActivePDF Symphony - http://www.activepdf.com - Reviewed by Fred
Sabin, President, NJCC

activePDF Symphony is a combination of two software products,
activePDF Composer that creates PDF documents, and activePDF Maestro
that edits PDF documents. These desktop products will allow you to
easily create PDF documents (that can be read by the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader) from anything that you can print. You can also markup
PDF documents with notes, highlighting, underlining, strikeouts,
bookmarks, etc. for future viewing and reference.

These products fill the gap between PDF programs that only create an
image in PDF format that can not be edited, and the full fledged PDF
programs that cost much more for extra features that you would
probably never use. As such, they are an excellent compromise for
those that want more than minimum requirements, but less than
professional performance options.

activePDF Composer will "print" any document and/or graphics to a PDF
file in black and white or color; at resolutions from 72 to 2540 dots
per inch; at 1 to 1,000% scale; in portrait or landscape mode (with 90
or 180 degree rotation options); on numerous sizes of paper. This PDF
file can then be saved and used as any other PDF file. The file size
will vary with the options selected, but I saved a ten-page, 60 KB MS
Word document to a black and white, 300 dpi, PDF file of 104 KB. A
website with numerous graphics that saved as a 320 KB HTML file was
converted to a color, 300 dpi, PDF file of only 172 KB.

activePDF Maestro will allow you to "markup" a PDF file as you would
do with a normal document. You can highlight text in any color,
underline it or put a strikeout through it, or you can add notes
anywhere on the page that can be viewed as either a pop-up or when you
put the mouse pointer over them. If you need a quick method to find a
page or something on a page, you can bookmark it for instant access.

Text and/or images (or even boxed areas) from activePDF Composer
documents can also be selected to copy and paste into a word processor
document (with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader̉ 6.0). Unfortunately,
the
actual PDF document itself cannot be altered directly, or converted
directly into another file format.

activePDF Symphony requires a Pentium 50 MHz CPU computer with 26 MB
of hard-drive space, and MS Windows 98 or ME with 32 MB RAM, OR MS
Windows XP with 64 MB RAM.

This software is thus very flexible and powerful for the casual user,
and I will be doing a demonstration of it at the May 12th NJCC
meeting. The list price for activePDF Symphony is $95. activePDF
Composer lists separately at $79, and activePDF Maestro lists
separately at $25. A discount of 25% is available for NJCC members on
activePDF Symphony and activePDF Composer (but not activePDF Maestro)
by email order before June 12th directly to the activePDF Sales
Department (sales@...) using promotional code PCUG905F.


3) Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 - http://www.adobe.com - Reviewed by
Fred Sabin, President, NJCC

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 is absolutely awesome! … Why? Read on and find
out.

The Portable Document File (PDF) is a standard for today's computer
users, and for good reason. These documents can be utilized on any
computer platform, and can be read by anyone using the free Adobe
Reader software. They can be easily and simply created from anything
that can be printed, including text, graphics, and almost any other
file type used on any computer. They are small due to compression, but
when viewed and printed are exactly like the original document. If
desired it is possible to allow the contents to be annotated,
marked-up, or even extracted for usage in another format.
Alternatively, the contents may be locked and secured such that only
viewing is permitted, and nothing may be changed or even printed
without a password.

Like any comprehensive software, Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 takes a
while to learn, as there are a lot of features and settings available
to use as you develop proficiency with it. You can create a PDF
document from a file, Microsoft Office, or Internet Explorer with a
single right mouse click, or "print" any document from almost any
application directly to a PDF format in lieu of going to a printer.
You may then change the default options to various color or black and
white settings; dots per inch settings from 72 to 4000 dpi; portrait
or landscape orientation; various compression modes; numerous paper
sizes; etc. You also have the options of adding pages, bookmarks,
layers, signatures, and/or comments. Secure digital signatures and
encryption or password protection are also available. The combinations
of choices are extensive to allow you to get exactly what you want and
need.

For example, minutes of a meeting can go directly from Microsoft Word
to a PDF document that can be emailed or posted for review and
comments by numerous persons prior to final approval. Or an HTML
document from the Internet can be saved as-is in PDF format, or an
entire website can be automatically converted into a PDF document with
page identifications and bookmarks (as our NJCC website was saved as
217 pages in full color in minutes as a 2.6 MB PDF file). The saved
PDF files can then be viewed in a wide range of magnifications, or
even "read out load" through your audio system. Pages may also be
deleted, added or merged from other sources.

This is a quality product. The versatility and applications are
seemingly endless. I will be doing a hands-on presentation and
demonstration of Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 at our May 12th NJCC
Meeting. I encourage you to attend to see what this software can do
and to answer your questions.

Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 requires a Pentium CPU; Microsoft Windows
98SE, ME, or XP; 64 MB (128 MB recommended) RAM; 220 MB of hard-drive
space; IE 5.01 or later; a CD-ROM; and an 800X600 monitor resolution.

The list price for Adobe Acrobat Standard 6.0 is $299, and it is
available from their website e-store at: http://www.adobe.com. The
Adobe Reader software (for viewing and printing PDF files only) is
free, and is also available for download from the http://www.adobe.com
website.