14 DAY TRIAL // Whether you use PDF files on a regular basis or just from time to time, a tool that can create them without much fuss comes in handy. Simpo PDF Creator Lite will help you generate PDFs from docs to HTML pages with just a few clicks.
The popularity of the PDF files is undeniable. You can use them to save scanned books or other materials and it can also contain customized display settings, including page display layout and zoom level. To add to all of these pluses, you can adjust a high level of security thus ensuring that your files are at least harder to copy.
When you want to secure an important document, this file format will most probably be your choice. These are the times when a utility that can not only create PDF files, but also enable you to edit the security options, comes in handy. Simpo PDF Creator Lite is an easy to use tool that promises to help your create your PDF files in just a few steps. It's the little brother of the more complex Simpo PDF Creator Pro that we've already reviewed and it comes with a price tag of $0.
In comparison, this application is designed as a virtual printer, so in order to start the app first you must select to print the document to convert. Select the Print option and choose the Simpo PDF Creator Lite option. You will then see the main window of the application that will enable you to actually start your conversion.
A big plus is that you are not limited to text or even a certain type of software, Microsoft Office for instance, but you can also launch it using an image view or your internet browser, if you want to convert a whole webpage. You will surely appreciate the fact that a text’s fonts and colors are accurately captured from the target. Webpages are a little tricky, given the fact that the exact layout is not stored.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that you won't have a watermark added or any page number limit with this tool.
The first thing you will probably notice is that you can only convert one file at a time. It's a feature that might be irritating for advanced users, but for an average home user this will do just fine. You can also set for the application to open the PDF file when the conversion is over, just in case you want to check out the result.
It's obvious that this application was developed with a home user in mind. You can't merge PDF documents or preserve hyperlinks in PDF document, but for a free tool it offers quite some satisfactory features.
The Options window is the one that will help you customize the newly created PDF document. First and foremost, you can adjust the metadata. You can set a title, author, subject or keywords to make sure that every document you create has your data. After all, you just might be using the PDF file format especially for the security and metadata editing features.
Under the Security tab you'll be given the possibility to protect the newly created document. The security level can be set to low (40-bit) or high, (128-bit). After setting the protecting password, you can select the actions it should prevent from taking place, unless you are authorized for them. So, you can select to allow printing or not, changing/copy or extraction.
The Advanced tab comes to allow you to create a PDF/A compatible document. This file format was designed for the long term archiving of electronic documents. Customizing it refers to the embed font, compression or page mode.
In order to make it accessible for a greater number of users the developers of Simpo PDF Creator Lite have translated the application into other languages. You can choose from: Chinese Simplified or Traditional, English, of course, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Given the fact that it's a free tool, it's to be appreciated.
You can, at any time, get the pro version through a shortcut that is present in the main window of Simpo PDF Creator Lite. The plus that the Pro version offers consists in: the ability of converting multiple files and file formats (images, text) thus merging them into one single PDF file.
To sum it up, this tool will get the job done without much fuss. Power users might want or need a little more from a PDF creation tool, but a regular user will be satisfied with what Simpo PDF Creator Lite has to offer. Add to that the fact that it will do all that without taking a penny out of your pocket and you've got yourself a competitive utility.
The Good
It's really great that you can have a tool designed to create your PDF files with just a few clicks. The fact that it can even convert whole web pages is also a plus that recommends it. Not to mention that it comes totally free.
The Bad
The Truth
