PDF file creation via e-mail

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format that is quite popular among net content providers. This week NetSpeak presents a few tools and services that facilitate easy conversion of documents to PDF files.

Portable Document Format

The need of people who work on different kinds of computers that run on different operating systems — Windows, Linux, DOS and the like — to communicate and exchange documents led to the creation of platform independent file formats. The portable document format (PDF) is one such standard and a file created in this format can be read in any machine running any OS — you just need the Acrobat reader, which is available for free.

What prevents people from creating their files in this format? To create a PDF file, you need the Acrobat PDF writer, which is not free and is a bit of a costly proposition for an ordinary Net user. There is an interesting free software — Ghostscript — that helps us create PDF files from files of different formats,Before that a discussion of the `PostScript' file.

PostScript file

Net users who frequently download document files might have come across postscript files that generally come with the extension `. PS'. These files are created in the PostScript languageand can be printed on a PostScript printer the HP LaserJet 2100 that can interpret PostScript commands. If you have a PostScript file named `jm.ps' and want to print it out through a PS printer connected to your machine's printer port, go to the DOS prompt, then type in the command: `copy jm.ps lpt1:'.

If your printer does not have the PostScript feature, the file would print with some junk pages.To avoid this, you need to use a software that can read and interpret PostScript files. The program Ghostscript — mentioned earlier — is capable of doing this. This means you can print or view a PostScript file even if you don't have a PS printer. PS file creation

It is quite easy to convert a document into a PostScript file. You need to install a PS printer — though for this you do not need any printer connected to your machine. The installation process is just like installing a printer.

If you are a Windows user, click at the Start/ Settings/Printers, then double-click at the `Add Printer' option. Now, select a postscript printer from the list of printers displayed — for example you may select the printer named `HP LaserJet 4/4M PostScript'. After making the selection, the installer will ask you to specify the port to be used with this printer. At this point select the `FILE' option (to create the file on your disk) and finish the installation process.

Once, a postscript printer is installed, you will have one more printer option whenever you try to print a document from any application.

To create a PS version of a file, (a Word file) give the necessary instructions to print it and before pressing the OK button, change the printer name to the postscript printer that has been installed At this point you will have to provide a name to the postscript file to be created and you will than have a postscript version of your file.

Ghostscript

Ghostscript (GS) is a free open source software that can read a postscript file and convert it into any file format that include PDF and JPG. Download Ghostscript and install the program with the link: http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/doc/AFPL/new 704.htm. Now, let us convert a Word file named, say, NetSpeak.doc, into a PDF file using this program.

First create a PostScript version of the file using the procedure already described. Then invoke the GS program with a few options. Since the Ghostscript is a command line program — it does not have any graphic interface, go to the DOS prompt, move to the directory where GS is stored and type in the following command:

Gswin32c — sDEVICE= pdfwrite — sutputFile=netspeak.pdf — dnopause netspeak.prn

Here `netspeak.prn' is the PS file created from your application and the `netspeak.pdf' is the name given to the PDF file to be created through GS.

An ordinary user may find it difficult to use the GS software. And to simplify the use of the program, some front-ends with good user interfaces have been developed.

One such front-end is Gsview, which is available for free at: http://www.cs.wisc.edu/

ghost/gsview/index.htm After installing this program, you will not have to worry about the GS command and its numerous options. Simply load the GSview and use its friendly user interface.

PDF conversion through e-mail

Some brilliant people have automated the entire process for conversion of a document file into a PDF file. and have introduced some ingenious value-added services. One such service is PDF conversion through e-mail. Here, if you want the PDF version of a Word file and don't want to go through any of the steps mentioned above, just send an e-mail attaching this file to the address: doc2pdf@hotpop.com.

After a few minutes, look at your mailbox again; you will find a reply mail with the PDF version of the file attached. This innovative service has been made available for free.

To implement this service in your Intranet, you can download the program doc2pdf, available at the link: http://doc2pdf.sourceforge.net/. More details of the program are available at the site.