Turning excel workbooks into PDF files?

Turning excel workbooks into PDF files?

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I've searched previous threads and tried the suggested www.cutepdf.com freeware but it only seems to convert two pages of a 10 page excel document. Has anyone tried anything that works and can they just run through the practical steps to get it to save the whole workbook? ie. Select "Print", select "Cute PDF" in printer box and "Print workbook" in what to print. etc.
Doug Scott

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By iandarkwater
02nd Sep 2007 14:00

Its Easy in Excel 2007
Hi Doug

This ability is built into Excel 2007 providing you've downloaded the free 'send to pdf' software from Microsoft.

It's simple easy to use & does just what it says on the tin!!

Best of Luck

Ian

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By neiltonks
02nd Sep 2007 16:45

PDF995
If you aren't using excel 2007, you could try using pdf995 (www.pdf995.com) rather than cutepdf. I've never had any problems with it though I confess I don't use massive spreadsheets.

It appears as a printer within Wndows so you just print the workbook as you would if it were going to paper but choose pdf995 as the printer. It then asks you where the file is to be saved and that's it - the pdf file is created.

The free version displays a couple of adverts on the screen as it works but if you want to get rid of those it only costs a few dollars to get the registered version.

Neil.

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By User deleted
02nd Sep 2007 19:22

pdf factory
I downloaded a program called pdf factory which will pdf anything that you would normally print. It appears on your list of printers when you do a print, and so you just choose pdf factory. I couldnt work without it now.

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By AnonymousUser
02nd Sep 2007 19:55

Free v Fee
Most of the pdf software out there seems to have a "free" version with limited features, or a full blown version for a cost. The free version is obviously designed to suck you in to the full version. In my experience the facility to stitch together multiple print jobs or PDF files into a single pdf file tends to be one of those features that they lock up in the paid-for version.

Your problem with filing CT returns is that you can only append a single PDF file containing the computations. I also think that if you have a version of Excel earlier than 2007 then you cannot load several worksheets into a single print job. That being the case, some stitching is required in order to comply with the single attachment requirement.

The cost-based versions are not that expensive I believe (except for Adobe's own version), although I have not looked at the corporate site license agreements.

I'd be delighted to be corrected. In particular I have not looked at PDF Factory, although I have played around with PDF995 and CutePDF.

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By martincassis
03rd Sep 2007 08:55

Cute pdf will print a whole file to one pdf
I struggled with the same problem that you seem to be having, ie that cute pdf tries to create a new file halfway through some workbooks. After about a whole morning spent searching for a solution, I found it! Cute pdf will fall down if the print resolution on different pages of your spreadsheet are different. Eg if pages 1 and 2 are set to 600 dpi, page 3 is at 300 dpi, then the rest is at 600 dpi again, then it will want to create 3 pdfs. To change the resolution, you need to select each page in turn (selecting several at once does not seem to work) and go File - Page Setup. Make sure the resolution (towards the bottom of the box) is the same for all sheets. Then I select all sheets manually, (Ctrl and click on each sheet in turn), then Print.

Hope this helps.

(Edit) I'm using the normal free version of cute pdf, printing from Excel 2002. I think this problem (and solution) arises because each time the print resolution changes, Excel creates a new print job, and as Clint says, stitching these different print jobs together is not a job for a free piece of software.

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Replying to vchan001:
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By TaxAngel
21st Nov 2013 18:43

Well worked out Martin

Martin full marks for perseverance and thank you for posting the solution. I couldn't work out why a three page spreadsheet I'd been using and converting for years wouldn't convert to a single pdf file with cute pdf writer this year.  martin's answer was spot on.  Very grateful. Thanks. 

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By AnonymousUser
03rd Sep 2007 09:43

Excel to PDF - openoffice all the way
Download openoffice the free MS style package. This will open excel files and then you can save all or any part of the workbook as PDF. Simple and free.

And you might even stop using MS as there are no fees associated with openoffice.

Andy

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By AnonymousUser
03rd Sep 2007 10:49

Re open office
I guess we are going to have to bite the bullet and instal Open Office, simply so that we can deal with client files sent to us in that format WITHOUT having to import them into MS Office.

But I generally intend to resist transferring files back and forth between applications that claim compatibility, and may indeed be nearly compatible. Trouble is they are not absolutely compatible (or were not last time I looked ... things may have changed since then), and small areas of incompatibility, if allowed to pass unnoticed (ie not generating an error or warning message), could give rise to large financial differences in computed results.

I first expressed these thoughts here:
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=155958

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DougScott
By Dougscott
03rd Sep 2007 10:53

Ta much
Thanks for all the answers - yes I do have an older version of Excel. I have now downloaded the freeware version from PrimoPDF and found that using PrimoPDF it was easy to stitch together the pages into one file so I've got that working at least, even if a little clumsily. I will also have a check of the resolution of each page to see if that enables me to use something like CutePDF!

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By 2486787
03rd Sep 2007 11:57

Free online tool
Have always found this to be a useful site to post files to:

http://www.pdfonline.com/

You can buy from them a printer driver too which allows you to have greater control over what you print - and as it replicates being a printer it works for any package you have on your PC

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John Stokdyk, AccountingWEB head of insight
By John Stokdyk
07th Sep 2007 09:28

It may be a radical suggestion, but...
Have you considered Adobe Acrobat? I know you have to pay, but I have worked with the program for our PDF and Acrobat Zone and found it to work seamlessly with all MS applications, so the Save as PDF sits in your menu bar as a one-click command.

It's a personal opionion, but if the electronic forms and indexing would find an application in your business, it's a very useful package.

John Stokdyk
Technology editor
AccountingWEB.co.uk

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By pauljohnston
07th Sep 2007 12:17

Another idea
We use paperport which holds all types of files which can be seen graphically.

It does however let you stack pdf files that is once you have stacked (drop & Drag) you have one pdf file that can be opened by the adobe acrobat fee reader.

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By AnonymousUser
10th Sep 2007 13:22

Print to PDF from Excel 2003
I print to PDF from Excel 2003. Simply select multiple sheets or the entire workbook option.

I use Jawspdf which I got free with a magazine years ago.

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By KaylaWildflower
19th Oct 2010 19:41

Synchronizing dpi on all pages works!

Martincassis has it!  I am running MS Excel 2003 and have a 23 page workbook I couldn't print to Cutepdf.  When I went to Page Setup and at the bottom of the first tab ("Page") set the print quality to 600 dpi for all pages, voila!  The entire 23 page workbook printed to Cutepdf no problem!  Thank G-d for that morning you spent figuring that out!  I never would have on my own!

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