But there are a surprising amount of comic reading applications meant for old-fashioned desktop machines, too. This stuff comes in handy for gadgets that blur the lines, like the Microsoft Surface, or for someone who’s amassed a large collection of DRM-free comic book files. $6.99 for a single DjVu Reader for Mac plus a free PDF reader for mac; $14.99 for the complete kit to read 7 types of files freely on mac; Now, Make This Best DjVu Reader for Mac Be Your Default Viewer. If you have decided to give a try on Cisdem Document Reader, do now!
Advertisement for most people. Adobe first introduced it in 1993, and later standardized it in 2008 to allow anyone to create PDF files and the tools necessary to do so. These days there are too many PDF editors to choose from, and they all seem to do the same task. Most of them aren’t worth your time, but it’s also quite difficult to get much done for free.
So here are our top picks for editing and creating PDFs on your Mac. How to Print to PDF in macOS Your Mac can create PDFs natively, which means just about any desktop publishing app can become a PDF editor. You’ll miss out on features like interactive forms, but there’s no quicker way to share a document or web page as a PDF. To export as a PDF in macOS:.
Click File Print in your editor, browser, or other relevant application. Find the PDF drop-down at the bottom of the Print dialog. Click it and choose Save as PDF. Give your file a name, specify a password if required under Security Options, then click Save. Editing PDFs With Preview. In short: Part of macOS.
Fine for markup, signing documents, and simple PDF management; not a “true” PDF editor or creator. Preview is an app that comes pre-installed as part of macOS. It’s a barebones document viewer, but it also includes a few handy PDF tools. Unfortunately, it’s not a PDF creator. You can’t design interactive documents or forms from scratch using Preview, but you can make rudimentary edits to existing ones. Its Don't pay for PDF software! Convert documents, merge or split PDFs, and annotate and sign forms for free on your Mac.
Preview also allows you to rearrange page order, delete pages, import new pages, and export individual pages as separate documents. You can’t edit existing PDF elements or create new ones, which means you can’t “edit” the PDF so much as annotate it. Preview functions as a better PDF viewer than an editor. You can sign forms using its in-built signature feature, enter text into forms and save the input, and mark up a PDF with shapes, arrows, custom text, and your own scribble.
These tools are easy to use and look great on the page, but it’s a far cry from a proper editor. Some users report that Preview does not display its changes correctly in other editors, though I’ve had no problems arise from this when using the app to sign and return forms. Editing PDFs With LibreOffice Draw In short: Proper free PDF editing and creation with an open source look and feel, warts and all. There’s a lot to love about the Microsoft Office is the king of office suites, but that doesn't mean it's the right one for you.
Here are some other office suites you might like better!, not least the Draw app’s ability to edit PDF files. We’re not talking simple markup a la Preview, but full-blown PDF editing. To get started, launch Draw and point it at the PDF file you want to edit. Once Draw opens your file, it converts shape elements into fixed images which you can resize and move. You can also move or fill text boxes, though any pre-filled data will be lost upon import. You can add your own shapes and boxes, form elements, charts, tables, and so on. The biggest problem with LibreOffice Draw is its interpretation of certain PDF files.
The formatting can appear slightly off, with weird text kerning and style interpretation. It’s also a fairly limited PDF creator. Form creation tools are hidden away under View Toolbars Form Controls. These can even create working interactive forms, but the tools are far from advanced. Download: (Free) Editing PDFs With Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. In short: Pricey but complete, perfect for editing and creating PDF files from scratch. It’s also the only app on this list to include (OCR).
Adobe created the PDF, and it’s still providing one of the best solutions for PDF editing, creation, and all the basic tasks in between. DC stands for “Document Cloud” which should give you an idea of what Adobe is going for: a cloud-reliant subscription-based all-in-one solution.
At $15 per month, the biggest barrier to entry is the price, though you can try for free before you buy. For your money you get one of the best tools of its kind. Acrobat allows you to take the standard “desktop publishing” blank page route, but it’s also a master of conversion. This means you can design your document in Pages, Word, or even an app like Illustrator, then convert with Acrobat, add some PDF jazz, and keep it all handy in the cloud.
You can even snap a picture with your camera, then turn it into an interactive document. Every time you open a PDF, Acrobat will scan it and make text searchable using OCR. Editing tools are second to none, and you won’t have to worry about the weird formatting issues seen in free solutions like LibreOffice. A clear differentiation between edit and view mode means you won’t accidentally screw up formatting while trying to fill out a form. If you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed.
Download: (Free trial, subscription required) Editing PDFs With PDF Expert In short: An affordable single-license premium PDF editor that lacks some creative tools, but plays nicely with most PDF files. Readdle’s PDF Expert is a premium tool, but it’s a one-off purchase. For $60 you’ll get a competent editor that allows for proper PDF document editing that’s a step above what Preview offers. Unfortunately PDF creation from scratch isn’t an option here, and a few of the editing tools leave something to be desired.
The app is a competent editor for basic text, markup, and image-related duties. You can fix typos, add a new photo to your resume, or add hyperlinks, but there are no tools for adding new shapes and form fields. However, it does include tools for merging, annotation, signing documents, and a fast search. If you need a good editor and can’t commit to a Creative Cloud subscription, PDF Expert might just fit the bill.
There’s a seven-day free trial upon downloading, so you can test out the features and decide if the app goes far enough with its limited tools. It’s worth noting that the app enjoys positive reviews and a 4.5/5 star rating on the Mac App Store. Download: ($60) Forget the Other PDF Editors I tried a fair few PDF editors while coming up with this list, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC was probably the best solution. Windows users can use apps like, but the scene is a little more limited on a Mac. In particular, look out for fake landing pages masquerading as official websites, especially if they suggest using a. For online tools, check out our roundup of You don't have to install software just to fill in or edit a PDF.
![Editor Editor](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125611834/262908078.jpg)
We have compiled online solutions you can turn to for all your PDF editing needs. Explore more about:,.
Advertisement While all-in-one PDF suites that can do everything exist, they can cost quite a bit. For example, Nitro Pro is $160, PDF Studio is $90, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC will set you back $15 per month. If you’d rather not pay a single cent, then we have some good and bad news for you. The good news? Adobe Reader isn't always the best choice for viewing PDFs. Here are the best PDF readers for Windows 10 to consider.
And many of them deliver acceptable results. The bad news?
You’ll have to collect several different tools and assemble your own “PDF suite” a la carte (if you want the very best results). In this article, you’ll find Windows and Mac recommendations for the best tool to use for the following specific PDF use-cases: viewing, annotating/editing, signing, merging, and splitting. For Viewing PDFs Windows: I switched to SumatraPDF years ago and have never looked back, and for one main reason: it’s the fastest and most lightweight PDF viewer I’ve ever used. Even on an ancient laptop that’s breathing its last breaths, SumatraPDF is blazing fast while providing accurate PDF rendering. But it’s only a PDF viewer. It does not have capabilities for editing, signing, annotating, or otherwise changing PDF documents.
In addition to PDF, SumatraPDF can view EPUB, MOBI, XPS, CBR, and several other formats. Not happy with SumatraPDF? Check out these other Are you still using Adobe Reader for PDF documents?
It's time to move on to an alternative PDF reader that is lightweight, launches quickly, and yet keeps your documents save. Mac: Preview is the PDF viewer of choice for most Mac users, and to be fair, Preview certainly can get the job done — and the fact that you don’t have to install anything to use it is a bonus.
But if you want a faster PDF viewer with better usability, consider using Skim. Skim was originally designed for viewing scientific papers in PDF form, but it has since evolved into a general purpose viewer. It’s extremely fast, lightweight, and easy to navigate (even for huge documents with many pages and images). Note that the site looks outdated, but the app is still being updated. Don’t like Skim or Preview? Check out these If you're looking for a free Preview replacement for your PDF reading habit, here are the best free options out there.
For Annotating/Editing PDFs Windows: PDF-XChange Editor is one of the only free tools that allows true editing of text in PDF documents. However, you can only edit text. Editing any other content type (e.g. Lines, shapes, images, etc.) is a paid feature. Indeed, PDF-XChange Editor isn’t completely free.
If you utilize any of the paid features, which are marked with an x icon in the menus, your PDF will be stamped with a non-revertable watermark as soon as you save! Removing the watermark requires a paid license, which costs $43.50. Paid features include inserting or deleting pages, replacing pages, editing forms, headers and footers, anything involving bookmarks, and more.
However, other notable free features include text box notes, highlighting, sticky notes, and drawing lines and shapes. Mac: Unfortunately, we did not find any reputable free tools that can truly edit PDFs on Mac — only tools that can annotate and fill out documents. The best free tool we found is Mac’s default app, Preview.
Preview’s annotation options include highlighting, text box notes, drawn shapes, and embedded document notes (only viewable when the PDF is opened using Preview). It can also fill out most PDF forms, including text fields and checkboxes. But if it can’t, you can just use a text box note instead. For Signing PDFs Windows and Mac: Foxit Reader is a free PDF app that offers five ways to protect a PDF document:.
PDF Sign: Hand-drawn signatures to verify authenticity. DocuSign: Electronic signatures using DocuSign eSignatures. Sign & Certify: Digital text signatures embedded on document pages.
In addition, Foxit Reader also offers a Validation feature (which checks if a PDF document adheres to ISO standards, thus ensuring it will be usable at any point in the future) and a Time Stamp feature (which uses a third-party service to verify that signatures were signed at a particular time). Foxit Reader is seen as bloated by some, but we recommend keeping it around just for these signature and security features. Still don’t want to use it?
Check out these When you get that contract via email, what do you do? You have to print the last page, sign it, scan it, and email it back — surely MakeUseOf, there must be a better way? For Merging PDFs Windows and Mac: Formerly known as PDF Split and Merge, PDFsam is the best way to merge multiple PDF documents into one.
It’s open source and completely free for personal use, and it works on any platform that supports the Java Runtime Environment — that means Windows, Mac, Linux, and more. You can select any number of input PDFs, and you can designate which pages you want to merge for each PDF. If the PDFs have bookmarks or outlines, you can decide to keep, merge, or discard them. You can also create a Table of Contents for the resulting PDF. It’s all quite easy. Other nifty features include mixing PDFs (combining documents by alternating pages), rotating PDFs (applied to all pages), extracting PDFs (creating a new document using only certain pages from a source PDF), and splitting PDFs (but we recommend using the method below for this). For Splitting PDFs Windows and Mac: Web Browser These days, you do NOT need a dedicated tool for splitting PDFs.
Your web browser, as long as you’re using one of the mainstream ones, is equipped with a simple feature that can handle this for you with full flexibility. On Windows 10, open any PDF in any web browser:.
Print the PDF document (keyboard shortcut Ctrl + P). Change the destination to Microsoft Print to PDF.
Select which pages you want to keep. Want to split a 10-page document in half? Go with 1-5 or 6-10, for example. Want only certain pages? You might go with 3,6,8. You can also combine them, like 1-3,6-8,10. Click Print.
On Mac, open any PDF in any web browser:. Print the PDF document (keyboard shortcut Command + P). Change Pages to Range and input which pages you want to split off. In the lower-left corner, click the PDF menu and select Save as PDF. Give a name to the resulting PDF and click Save. Unfortunately, Mac’s print-to-PDF option isn’t as flexible as Windows 10, but it’s good enough for simple splitting. If you need more complex functionality, consider using PDFsam (mentioned above).
A Few More PDF Tips We’ve covered several other PDF-related tips in the past, including PDF files can be containers for embedded images. We show you how to extract images from a PDF file and save them to your desktop., all the cool things you can do From managing your files to collaborating on Docs, Drive is a full-functioning office suite. What many people don't realize is its capability to do far more than only view PDFs., and ways to convert PDF documents ( and PDF to Word converters are a dime a dozen. We have compiled the 5 best ones you can get for free, for both on- and more secure offline use.). If you’re making PDFs of your own, be sure to keep Any good PDF needs to be accessible to communicate ideas — follow these tips to make sure your document hits the target. in mind. Nothing worse than trying to read a poorly-formatted document! What are your favorite PDF tools?
Are there any we missed? Share them with us in the comments below! Explore more about:,.