Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
One of my pet Mac OS X feature film is the capableness to “ print ” to a PDF filing cabinet . In any program , you just prefer the Print bidding , fall into place on the PDF clitoris in the Print dialogue , and then choose Save As PDF . In fact , as part of my personal efforts to economize , the immense legal age of “ print ” I do these 24-hour interval is flat to PDF . For representative , I have a Receipts booklet that contains a PDF receipt for every online purchase from the preceding few years . ( Which intend that in accession to relieve trees and toner , I ’ve also made it easier to store and find info about preceding purchases . And since I have a good stand-in routine , all those written document are also bet on up regularly . )
My only beef cattle with this system is that I wish it were more effective . Whereas printing involves simply pressing Command+P and then the take key , keep a papers as a PDF require me to press Command+P , mouse down to the PDF button and tick on it , take Save as PDF from the resulting carte du jour , sail to the desired leaflet , and then press riposte . ( If I choose to rename the result PDF before economize , that ’s another step . ) This may not seem like much , but when you impress to PDF as many clock time each day as I do , it ’s a hassle .
I rule a resolution in CodePoetry’sCUPS - PDF . Actually a Mac OS X - specific version ofthe open - rootage CUPS - PDF undertaking , CUPS - PDF is essentially a virtual printing machine number one wood for CUPS ( Common UNIX Printing System ) , OS X ’s printing software system . Once installed , using OS X ’s own Installer program , cupful - PDF lets you create a “ printer ” that automatically preserve documents as PDF files .
Adding a CUPS-PDF “printer”
add a cup - PDF “ pressman ”
Setup is n’t difficult , but it requires a few more stair than add most printers . In Leopard , you spread out the Print & Fax superman of System Preferences , and then get through on the minimal brain dysfunction ( + ) push button . In the window that come along , dawn on Default in the toolbar , then pick out CUPS - PDF in the printer list . ( The default printer name will be “ cup - PDF ” ; you’re able to exchange it , if you prefer , in the Name field . ) From the Print Using pop - up carte du jour , choose Select A Driver To Use , and then select Generic Postscript Color Printer in the list of printing machine driver . select Add to create the raw printing machine .
Printing using CUPS - PDF
Printing using CUPS-PDF
Once you ’ve complete that initial setup process , your new PDF “ printing machine ” appears in the Printer protrude - up fare in every print dialog . Choose it and press Print and a PDF of your document is make in a newcups - pdffolder on your screen background , with the PDF file call using a combination of the text file name ( the WWW page name if print from a web web browser ) and the CUPS print - caper number . If , like me , you save to PDF more than you print to paper , you could set your virtual printing machine as the default using Print & Fax orientation ; this makes saving documents as PDF files as easygoing as compact Command+P , tax return .
CUPS - PDF is also utilitarian forconvertingdocuments to PDF format . If you place your CUPS - PDF printer in the Dock , or create an alias of it on the Desktop , you’re able to drag most documents onto the pressman icon to automatically save a PDF interlingual rendition in your CUPS - PDF folder . ( The printer — actually its print - waiting line program — is located in~/Library / printer . Just tangle that printer icon to your Dock , or admit down command - option while drop back the icon to your Desktop to create an false name in that location . )
If you prefer to store your PDF files somewhere other than the default location , you may edit the destination folder in the CUPS - PDF form data file ( /etc / cups / cups - pdf.conf ) ; specifically , you require to edit this line :
Out $ { HOME}/Desktop / cups - pdf/
changing{HOME}/Desktop / cup - pdf / to the course to your want folder . For object lesson to economize to a pamphlet called PDFs inside your Documents brochure , you ’d change the phone line to readOut $ { HOME}/Documents / PDFs/
There are a few downside to CUPS - PDF compared to using the Print dialog ’s Save As PDF statement . First , PDF files created using CUPS - PDF are roughly doubly as large as OS X ’s built - in feature . Second , if you use Preview or Adobe Reader to inspect the PDF ’s information , OS X ’s build - in PDF - saving feature admit a few more detail , such as the name of the user who create the PDF . in the end , with cup - PDF , you do n’t get a luck to deepen the name of the resulting PDF file cabinet before saving ( although for me , this is an vantage , as skipping the Save dialogue makes the process more efficient ) .
