How to convert a Word file to PDF. How to convert Word document (doc) to PDF file, as well as convert it to FB2. Command line tools for automatic document conversion
Greetings, readers of the site. More and more often in our daily life we have to deal with electronic documents of various formats and less and less often work with paper. Unfortunately, there is no one standard type of electronic document that would fit for all occasions.
It often happens that you need one file format (for example, pdf), but another is available (for example, doc or docx). You have to think about how to convert them. Today I will show several ways how to convert word to pdf for free and without much hassle, using 3 different approaches: Standard office programs, Special application and Online conversion services.
What are Word and PDF formats for?
Different types of files that at first glance perform the same functions are rarely created out of the blue, more often than not, each of them has unique features and is used to perform its own range of tasks. Word and PDF are no exception - despite the fact that both provide text and graphic information in the same form for perception, they are intended for different purposes.
This article is not an educational program on the purpose of doc, docx and pdf files, so I will convey the essence in a short form, and we will go directly to the topic of conversion.
Word with its doc (old versions) and docx (new versions) is intended to create text documents from scratch, that is, by typing text and inserting the necessary graphic elements into it. Saving to files with standard doc and docx extensions allows you to edit the created document at any time by any user using Microsoft Word.
Word documents are needed to create files from scratch with the possibility of subsequent editing.
PDF format (Portable Document Format) was originally created as an electronic analogue of printed publications (books, magazines). That is, it is a file that can be read and printed, but cannot be changed - a kind of protection against corrections.
PDF is considered universal, as it is supported by any device, regardless of operating systems and versions, moreover, its content looks the same on every device and in every program.
Of course, there are ways to correct it, with the help of special programs (such as Foxit Phantom, etc.), you can make small edits to the finished pdf document, but it does not lend itself to major changes in the structure.
Files in PDF format are the final product, which does not imply any changes after their creation (only view and print).
A pdf is created not from scratch, like doc, but by converting documents laid out through other editors (text or graphic).
From all this follows the following:
- Word to PDF is easy to convert;
- Converting PDF to Word is much more difficult.
Now let's get back to the conversion. Since pdf files are not created by typing and inserting pictures, but by converting from other types of documents, the procedure for obtaining them from the source is quite simple and accessible to anyone.
Converting with Microsoft Word
Starting with the 2007 version of the Word program, he can create files in pdf format without outside help. Previously, there was no such feature and had to resort to other programs or add-ons.
The presence of the function of saving in pdf has greatly simplified the process of creating e-books and other important documents requiring copyright preservation. We just work with any test document (rtf, doc, docx), write, insert pictures, format them as we need and, when the process is complete, save them not in a Word file, but in pdf.
As you can see, you can choose one of two quality options - better or smaller.
If you have an older version of Microsoft Word (2003 or even earlier), then read on. Although, in 2016, we rarely come across such old programs, and I would advise their owners to switch to something more modern. If you don't want to spend money on paid Microsoft, then free OpenOffice will be better - it weighs little, supports all new formats, including docx.
Saving to PDF with OpenOffice Writer
If you use this free document software, then you have the option to convert Word documents to pdf in the same way as newer versions of Microsoft Office. Just open a file of any supported type and export it to pdf. Unlike Word, here the export goes in a separate menu, and not in the general "Save As" heap.
In terms of various settings for the generated pdf document, OpenOffice is head and shoulders above its competitor. There is also a manual setting for the quality of images inside a file and a security tab that allows you to set passwords for the created file, as well as allow / prohibit / impose restrictions on printing. It is possible to set the initial parameters of the window when opening a document through the tab “user interface” and much more. Naturally, most of these functions are rarely used, but you never know what you need - and they are.
We press the button “Export” and the document is ready.
DoPDF Conversion Tool
Probably, in 99% of cases, the above will be enough, but if you could not solve the problem with standard office applications, special programs come to the rescue.
The free Word to pdf converter that I recommend is called doPDF.
Download doPDF from the official website - dopdf.com
There they also have a paid version, called novaPDF, which can also do the reverse transformation, extract from pdf - if anyone needs it, keep in mind.
How to use doPDF
Download the distribution kit from the site I wrote above. Install the program on your computer. If you leave a check mark during installation, then a special add-in will be added to your Microsoft Office, allowing you to make some general conversion settings. Honestly, I did not see the point in installing it, since it does not increase the level of convenience - everything works and without that is simple. So, you can uncheck the box during installation.
As a result, you will have one more device in the list of equipment - a virtual printer called doPDF8.
Now, to receive a pdf document, we need to open the Word file, then go to the "Print" tab (note - not in "save", but in "print").
Select "doPDF 8" from the list of printers. If you do not need to translate the entire document, then specify the page range. Click "Print"
A window for configuring the future pdf file will open. Above is the path where to save it. Then you need to choose the quality - the higher, the more volume will be. I recommend checking the "Embed fonts" checkbox, this option includes all the fonts used by the document in the file, it is useful if the file will be opened on a device where the required fonts are not installed - there will be no different hieroglyphs instead of letters.
That's all the settings, the application is very simple.
Online conversion services
Sometimes it becomes necessary to convert a text document to pdf using online services. For example, when using someone else's computer, where the office version is old, and you cannot install additional programs. This raises the question of how to make pdf from doc using some publicly available means.
There is a solution for such cases. Here are several services that convert Word files to pdf directly on the Internet, and you download the ready-made version to your computer.
1. СonvertOnlineFree.com
The desired page - convertonlinefree.com/WordToPDFRU.aspx
We load the necessary files, at the output we get a pdf. It knows how to convert not only Word, but also other formats, it supports work simultaneously with several documents - you can download a whole pack.
The required page is smallpdf.com/ru/word-to-pdf
This service supports downloading source files not only from a computer. You can directly convert your Word files from Google Drive or Dropbox to pdf, and you can also save the result there.
Converter page - ilovepdf.com/ru/word_to_pdf
This service is practically a twin brother of the previous one in terms of implemented functionality, it also works with cloud services for downloading and saving files.
That's where we finish today, now you know what doc and pdf files are for, what is their fundamental difference and, most importantly, how quickly and easily you can convert a document from one format to another, while maintaining its internal content and structure.
We will return to different types of computer files, so subscribe to new blog articles and write your additions, questions and wishes in the comments.
Good afternoon, readers of my blog! Today I want to talk about a problem that many people usually face at the beginning of their journey. Namely - how to translate a document from word to pdf and vice versa. Today I will talk about how you can convert formats without losing the structure of the text itself.
How to translate document from word to pdf and vice versa
Why convert PDF to DOC and vice versa
First, I want to explain why this or that format should be used. Originally * .PDF was developed by the American company Adobe for the US authorities to store and distribute documents. Now this format is used if you need to send a letter or other text, create a resume, send an important document, write a book or even a post on your own blog.
Whoever sends you a text in this format does not provide that you will edit something in it. The file is difficult to modify, but easy to print and read.
Of course, there are exceptions to all the rules. And it is for this that there are many ways to convert the document format * .pdf to * .doc, namely the file for the Microsoft Word program. The main ones are: the use of a text editor, special utilities and online services. I'll cover each of them in more detail, preparing screenshots for clarity.
Using a text editor
To change the format of the document, you can open it in any text editor. Let's take Microsoft Word and Open Office as an example. These programs are used more often than others.
Word
To convert a DOC document to PDF, you need to print the text we need with all the edits and formatting (headers, bold highlighting, etc.). Then you need to click on the FILE button in the top panel and go to the SAVE AS command.
After that, the following dialog box will open:
In the FILE NAME line, enter the name of the document, and in the FILE TYPE drop-down menu, select the PDF format. Here you can also select the type of text optimization - standard or minimal. At the end, press the SAVE button. That's all, the text is ready. It can be viewed in a new format!
Openoffice
Microsoft Word is a paid program, so many netizens use the free Open Office suite.
You can download the program of this text editor on the official website: https://www.openoffice.org/ru/
To translate a document from word to pdf, you need to open the text editor Writer. It has a toolbar similar to Word. Press the PDF button when our text is fully written and formatted.
In the dialog box that opens, you need to enter the name of the file, select the folder for storage and click the SAVE button.
Utilities and other software
Utility programs are simple pieces of software that are installed on a computer. Such auxiliary programs do not require a lot of disk space and can be easily installed even by a “teapot”.
The most common ones are:
- PDFCreator;
- Free Word to PDF Converter;
- BullZip PDF Printer.
Let's take a closer look at the PDF Creator program. After a simple installation, open the program and see the following dialog box:
Press the SELECT FILE FOR CONVERSION button and select the document you need to convert.
In the window that appears, enter the title of the document, select the folder in which it will be saved and click SAVE. The conversion process begins. At the end, our document will open, but in a new format. If all is well, then just close the program.
Online services
Free online services can also help in converting text. They are convenient to use if you are not at a stationary computer. For example, on the road or at home by the tablet. Free online converters are no worse than stationary ones, as they quickly complete their tasks.
One of these online services is the site https://smallpdf.com. To convert a document, you just need to follow this link: https://smallpdf.com/ru/word-to-pdf
The screenshot shows that thanks to the service, you can convert DOC documents to PDF and vice versa for free. In this case, files can be downloaded from both PC storage and Google Drive. We need to click the SELECT FILE button, specify the location of the document and save the new document in the updated format. As you can see, everything is simple, fast and convenient.
Let's summarize
Now you also know how to correctly and quickly translate a document from word to pdf and vice versa. Remember that in the new format it is impossible to change the content of the text, so it is better to make all the edits in advance and thoroughly proofread each letter. Only then can you be sure that the converted document is correct.
P DF files are useful for distributing documents so that everyone looks the same. Typically, you create documents using another application and then convert them to PDF. Here's how to do it for a Microsoft Word document.
Convert document to PDF using Word
If you have Microsoft Word, the easiest way to convert a document to PDF is in Word itself.
Open the document you want to convert and then click the File tab.
Then click the arrow in the Save as type box and select PDF (* .pdf) from the drop-down menu.
You can change the filename at this time if you like. When you're ready, click the Save button.
After you save the PDF, you will be returned to the Word document and the new PDF will automatically open in your default PDF viewer.
If you don't have Microsoft Word
If you do not have Word, but you need to convert the document that you want to send, you have several options:
- Google Drive: You can upload a Word document to Google Drive, convert it to Google Document, and then convert it to PDF. This works well enough for a simple Word document without much formatting (and if you already have a Google account).
- Conversion on website: There are many sites that offer converting Word documents to PDF for free. We recommend freepdfconvert.com. It's a secure site, it's fast, and it does a decent job with Word documents even with a little bit of formatting. And it's really free if you just need to convert your Word document to PDF. A paid subscription gives you additional features such as unlimited conversions (multiple documents at once) and the ability to convert more file types.
- LibreOffice: LibreOffice is a free and open source application that offers many features like Microsoft Office does. You can even open Microsoft Word documents and convert them to PDF.
PDF is one of the most popular electronic formats. The need to translate other files to PDF may appear under different circumstances. Most often, Word documents are converted to PDF, but if you wish, you can convert almost any file. The following guide will help you figure out how to do this.
Converting Word Files
There is a built-in converter in Word. It can be used to get PDF documents. First, you draw up a simple Word document with text and the required additional elements, format it as needed, and at the stage of saving choose the following option:At the same time, the converter allows you to choose whether the file will be saved in a compressed form "for the Web", or the document will be saved in the highest possible quality. In practice, the difference in the final size is not very noticeable. The finished PDF will be noticeably larger than the original Word document.
A universal method for converting files to .PDF
Use special software to convert any text and graphic files to PDF. There are a lot of utilities with such functions. One of the simplest and at the same time functional applications is doPDF. The utility is distributed completely free of charge.The application is installed on the computer as a virtual driver for printing. This makes the utility a universal converter that allows you to save documents to PDF from any software product in which the function of printing files is available.
The installation itself is carried out in a manner similar to the installation process for any other applications. First, the installer will ask you if you need to install a custom add-on for Word.
After successfully completing the installation of the program, you will be able to translate any files that could be printed into PDF. To do this, go to the print settings and select from the drop-down menu a virtual printer with the name of the program.
On the "Properties" tab, you can select the resolution for printing. Also, when saving, you can set the quality of the PDF file. If the document is executed using non-standard fonts, check the "Embed fonts" line. This will save third-party fonts in the final PDF.
If at the beginning of the installation you did not refuse to install the add-on for MS Word, a new tab will appear on the panel of the office editor. It provides the tools and settings offered by the utility for saving to PDF.
The settings, in their essence, do not change in any way, but the button makes the work with the utility more convenient.
Now you can convert almost any file to PDF without much difficulty, I hope you enjoyed my article, and if you have any questions or you know a way easier and better, then write in the comments!
By default, Word saves all documents created in it in its internal .doc or .docx format. As a rule, no problems with the subsequent reading of the created files by other users arise, provided that they also open it in the Word of the same or newer version. Difficulties appear when trying to open text documents in older versions of the Word compared to those in which they were created, or, even worse, when the file needs to be opened by a user of an operating system other than Windows.
In this case, saving a text file in the .pdf format, which was specially developed for storing text and graphic information and is cross-platform, that is, equally displayed in various operating systems, can help in this case. Read how to do this below.
How to convert Word to PDF format
For the first time, the direct possibility of converting a text file to .pdf format appeared in MS Word 2007. It will be used as an example to save any .doc file in the .pdf format. So, in order to translate from Word to .pdf format, follow these steps: 
In other newer versions of Word, the translation into pdf format is carried out in the same way, except that the interface for calling the window may differ slightly Save as... If you don't know how to invoke it in your version of the text editor, you can simply press F12 on keyboard.
In addition to converting Word to PDF directly from the text editor itself, you can perform a similar conversion using one of the many online services. It is very easy to find them by entering the doc query in pdf into the Google or Yandex search engine. Let's see how this happens on the example of a site. 
When the file is saved on your computer, be sure to open it and check the correctness of the conversion. If you have any problems, then try to convert Word to PDF format again on this or another similar service.