# Sticky  PDF printer?



## bj nick

Sorry for the newby question......after using PCs for ~30 years......but what is a "PDF printer??" I see all sorts of "explanations" out there that don't just lay it out in simple language? They keep saying, "go to printer -- PDF" etc, etc. but I have no need to print right now; I'm creating PDFs of music files for online use; to send people, etc. My assumption is when people refer to a "PDF printer," they mean it's just a virtual "printer" intended to create a PDF....and NOT to actually print the file. Am I right? Geez, embarrassing to even have to ask.


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## Noyb

Where's the message coming from ?
If you use Irfanview, and have the ghost script Irfanview add on installed ....
you can do either, Print any image file to a pdf ... or any file to Paper, including pdf.


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## bj nick

Not a matter of where it's coming from. I don't understand the basic function!


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## cwwozniak

bj nick said:


> they mean it's just a virtual "printer" intended to create a PDF....and NOT to actually print the file. Am I right?


You are correct. I personally use a free PDF printer app called PrimoPDF. It installs as a virtual printer and shows up in Windows' list of available printers when printing from any other app. It gives you options for the page size, landscape or portrait orientation, scaling, the number of pages per sheet, range of printed pages, etc. You can also adjust the quality of the PDF document and add passwords for opening the PDF file or changing its security settings, like being able to print it or copy content.

There are other free PDF printer apps as well


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## MisterEd51

Are you talking about *Microsoft Print to PDF*? When you print to it instead of a physical printer a PDF file is created. Below if Print To PDF is used then this web page is saved as a PDF file.










*Microsoft Print to PDF* is built into Windows 10. You can turn it on or off just like any other optional Windows feature.


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## Johnny b

bj nick said:


> Not a matter of where it's coming from. I don't understand the basic function!


Simply to create a pdf file from something else.


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## Noyb

An Image is most usually a Raster file.
A pdf is a Vector image file.
It might help to Google it


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## cwwozniak

Noyb said:


> An Image is most usually a Raster file.
> A pdf is a Vector image file.


A PDF file is not all vector images as it can also contain raster image objects that use JPEG and other types of compression.

https://blog.idrsolutions.com/how-images-are-stored-in-pdf/

https://pspdfkit.com/blog/2018/understanding-images-in-pdf/


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## PeterOz

bj nick said:


> My assumption is when people refer to a "PDF printer," they mean it's just a virtual "printer" intended to create a PDF....and NOT to actually print the file


Exactly


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## Couriant

bj nick said:


> My assumption is when people refer to a "PDF printer," they mean it's just a virtual "printer" intended to create a PDF....and NOT to actually print the file





PeterOz said:


> Exactly


+1 - you are correct.

You would normally see it in the print queue options with any installation of Adobe software or the Microsoft PDF as mentioned.


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## plodr

I installed a virtual pdf printer on several computers because we don't use Adobe software and my computers can't always open doc and docx files because MS Office is on my husband's computers but not mine. I open the docx file on his computer, "print" it as pdf. It doesn't actually print, it creates a pdf from the docx. I put the docx file on a USB stick and put it on my computer. (We get several docx files monthly for a board meeting and I need to look over these files.)







Note it listed as a printer even though it never prints. I don't need a 32 page docx printed out; better to read it as a pdf.


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## bj nick

Thank you. I assumed as much but people on the Finale Forum keep telling me to "print to PDF" and I can't get a simple explanation ("when we say print to PDF, we mean you're just generating a PDF, not printing it." Anyway, thanks. I guess my follow-up would be the best suggestion for a free PDF printer. I've gotten recc. for CUTE, Foxit, others. But Foxit is pricey....


Noyb said:


> An Image is most usually a Raster file.
> A pdf is a Vector image file.
> It might help to Google it


fwiw: I never post here without at least checking around first. In this case, multiple people on the other forum telling me to "Print to PDF".....not one person explained "You're not PRINTING, your PDF printer is just generating a PDF for you." It took coming to you, my trusted advisers to get a simple answer.


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## bj nick

plodr said:


> I installed a virtual pdf printer on several computers because we don't use Adobe software and my computers can't always open doc and docx files because MS Office is on my husband's computers but not mine. I open the docx file on his computer, "print" it as pdf. It doesn't actually print, it creates a pdf from the docx. I put the docx file on a USB stick and put it on my computer. (We get several docx files monthly for a board meeting and I need to look over these files.)
> View attachment 298527
> 
> Note it listed as a printer even though it never prints. I don't need a 32 page docx printed out; better to read it as a pdf.


The issue I face is that I create music on Finale notation software, which is complex, w/a steep learning curve. I'm not doing simple loops/effects stuff; it's involved orchestral chamber music I hope to distribute online. If I send a piece out to someone and the music isn't perfect, I'm dead.; it's like sending out professional documents w/typos, faulty formatting, etc. The problem I'm having is that I proofread the music w/the software, but when I export it as a PDF, there are some things "off." They're suggesting a PDF printer as the best option, so that's where I'm at. It's really new to me, and I MUST get it right. But it's something where once I understand it and have a set routine, it'll save me a lot of stress and I can just focus on composing.


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## plodr

So take one piece of music and "print" it as a pdf.
Then open both the original and the pdf and see if they appear the same. If so, you have your answer - it works. If not, then this isn't for the type files you are working with.


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## Couriant

OK i understand now what you mean.

Well there are some options within the Save As to Save to PDF. I think you would need Adobe Acrobat to have it work properly and the formatting may not be working correctly when cratering the pdf within the program. 

Print to PDF will print it as it would on a printer but in PDF format so I suspect that should work better.


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## bj nick

Yeah, I wound up using the Microsoft PDF built-in printer and it seems to be working fine, so I guess I'm good. Just didn't understand the concept at all. Thanks!


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## DR.M

bj nick said:


> Yeah, I wound up using the Microsoft PDF built-in printer and it seems to be working fine, so I guess I'm good. Just didn't understand the concept at all. Thanks!


Nick/@bj nick), there are 2 ways to create a PDF from Finale.

1. Using Export (Export > PDF)
2. Using Print (Print > Setup > Choose a PDF printer)

See attachments.


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## Stephank

Glad I opened this thread. I sure learned a lot. This pdf issue always confused me. 
Thanks everybody.


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