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How to print to PDF from any platform

If you ever need to convert a file to a PDF, and you will, we have a solution for you.

PDF is often your best choice of file format for transferring documents. Whether you want to ensure your resume arrives with a potential employer with your layout intact, or you're simply looking to cut printer costs. 5 Cheap 3D Printers You Can Really Buy Today. 5 Cheap 3D Printers You Can Really Buy Today. A few years ago, even the cheapest 3D printers were uncomfortably close to the $1,000 mark; now you can get a quality 3D printer for as little as $400. Read More

As such, it's beneficial to have the tools you need to create a PDF on hand at all times. With this guide, you'll be able to turn almost any file into a PDF, whether you're working on your Mac, Windows tablet, or Android phone.

Windows 10

Microsoft has made it easier than ever to print to PDF with the arrival of Windows 10 Make today your launch day:Get Windows 10 now! Make today your launch day:Get Windows 10 now! You're eager to install Windows 10. Unfortunately, you missed the Insider Preview and now it's taking a while for the update to roll out to you. Here's how to get Windows 10 now! Read More However, you may need to enable this option before using it. To do this, open Control Panel and navigate to Programs> Programs and features . Click Turn Windows feature on or off in the sidebar and make sure that Microsoft Print to PDF is checked.

How to print to PDF from any platform

With this setting changed, you will be given the option of a PDF printer when you use the print command on your PC. Since you have enabled the feature at the system level, you should find the option in all applications on your computer.

How to print to PDF from any platform

Windows 8.1

If you're not already upgrading to Windows 10, stop downloading and installing Windows 10 on your Windows 7 or 8 device stop downloading and installing Windows 10 on your Windows 7 or 8 device if your Internet has been slower than normal or if you notice less disk space, you can probably blame Microsoft. Windows Update may have downloaded the Windows 10 setup files behind your back. For! Read More 7 Best tools to print to PDF. 7 Best tools to print to PDF. Not a single version of Windows comes with a native print-to-PDF feature. solution. So what is the best alternative? We checked 8 of the most popular options to find out. Read more . Microsoft was previously quite committed to its own PDF alternative, the XPS format, and as such, XPS writers were present as default options rather than the PDF print options added in the latest version of the operating system.

However, there are plenty of third-party alternatives out there, with doPDF a particularly attractive candidate for its simple functionality and no nasty toolbars bundled with its installation package. Once it's installed, you can simply select it as the desired printer when you go to print a document, and you'll be presented with a PDF to use.

How to print to PDF from any platform

For more information on how to print to PDF in Windows 8.1, check out the full MakeUseOf guide on the topic How to Print to PDF from Windows 8 Desktop &Modern Apps How to Print to PDF from Windows 8 Desktop &Modern Apps It's the digital age and you should stop to print on paper! Print to PDF instead. This article briefly describes the benefits of PDF over paper and shows you how to print to PDF in Windows 8. Learn more .

Linux

Just like Windows 10, setting up a PDF printer on Linux is very easy, although it does require some effort on the part of the user. You don't have to download a particular piece of software for the job, but you will need to install an available package known as cups-pdf . Jon Mifsud has a helpful guide on how to do it on his blog..

Once that package is installed, printing a PDF is very similar to printing on any other platform; Using the print dialog, simply select the PDF printer from the list of available devices. The resulting file will be placed in your home folder, in a subfolder labeled PDF .

Mac OSX

Unlike many other companies, Apple supplies PDF printing tools as part of its Mac OS X operating system. However, you'll find access to the printer in a slightly different place than other options.

How to print to PDF from any platform

Open the print dialog by navigating to File> Printing as you normally would, then look for the PDF button near the bottom of the window. Choose Save as pdf , then select an appropriate destination for your file and name it.

In the browser

If you're looking to create a PDF version of a web page, the quickest and easiest route might be to use a browser-based tool. While there are several options available, PrintFriendly offers a flexible approach and is particularly convenient.

You can simply insert a URL into the form on the PrintFriendly home page to convert a web page, but that's just one of the options the site offers. There's also a handy extension to install in your browser, or a bookmarklet that's perfect for anyone who needs to convert web pages to PDF on a regular basis.

How to print to PDF from any platform

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Android

The best method to print to PDF on Android is through the Google Cloud Print app, so download and install it if you don't already have it. Once it's up and running, navigate to the content you want to convert to a PDF. Next, you will need to press the Share button, select Cloud Print and then choose Save to Google Drive .

Your PDF will be ready and waiting in your personal Google Drive, so you can access it from any device. If you need to access it without an Internet connection, you can change those settings from within Google Drive itself.

iOS

Even though Mac OS X has more readily available print-to-PDF functionality, Apple is unfortunately falling behind with iOS support for this technique. The best solution is to use the Cloud Print features included in the Google Chrome app, although unfortunately this only works with web-based content.

To do this, first start printing a web page from within the Chrome app as you normally would, but choose Save to Google Drive when prompted to select a printer. You will then be able to find your PDF in your personal Drive storage space. 7 New Google Drive Features Every Student Should Know 7 New Google Drive Features Every Student Should Know School is in session and Google is ready to make things easier for students with Google Drive. New features have been introduced and old ones have been refined. We have the details. Read more.

How to print to PDF from any platform

If you need to use your iPad or iPhone to create a PDF from content that isn't on the web, there are a couple of other alternatives. ToPDF and PDF Printer are two of your best options, but both come with compromises in terms of functionality and PDF quality.

Do you know of a great PDF printing method that we missed? Let us know in the comments section below.