Capturing images online is easy with the snipping tool. There are many images, webpages, and portions of web pages that you can’t right-click and save the same way that you can an image. This is where the snipping tool comes into play. If you want to take a snapshot of a portion of a webpage, for example, the snipping tool allows you to designate exactly what you want a screenshot of.

But once you’ve taken your screenshots, how do you share them with others? What if you want to share a bunch of screenshots? 

This article will be all about converting a screenshot to a PDF. We’ll achieve this by saving our screenshots and then using our PDF converter tool that allows you to convert images to PDFs. 

Using Windows’ Snipping Tool

If you’re on a Windows machine, the snipping tool is already available to you. Simply type Snipping into the Windows search bar and you’ll see the icon of a pair of scissors. 

This tool allows you to cut out certain portions of anything that’s currently displayed on your monitor. By selecting New, you’ll see that your screen will be slightly gray. You can then use your cursor to draw a box over whatever you want to screenshot. 

After you’ve done this, you’ll see a preview of the screenshot you’ve taken. You can always retake a screenshot with New, or select Mode if you want a screenshot shaped differently from a box. 

From here, you can copy the screenshot you’ve taken by selecting the icon with two pages on top of one another. This is useful if you want to paste it somewhere else. You can also save the image by selecting File > Save As. 

Converting a screenshot to a PDF starts from here, so make sure you’re familiar with the snipping tool before continuing. 

Using Mac’s Screenshot Tool

Apple’s Mac laptops allow you to take screenshots using keystrokes. Here are three keystrokes you can use to take screenshots. 

1. Pressing Command + Shift + 3 together will take a screenshot of your entire screen (and all screens, if you have more than one connected screen).

2. Pressing Command + Shift + 4 will allow you to click and drag to draw a box around what you want to screenshot.

3. Pressing Command + Shift + 5 brings up a cropping screen that allows you to drag, move, and adjust the size of the clipped portion of the screen.

How to Combine Screenshots Into One PDF

If you want to combine screenshots into a single file, you’ll need to convert them from image files to PDF formats. PDF.Live offers a JPEG to PDF converter that’s available entirely online for you to use (no additional downloads!). To make a screenshot into a PDF, we’ll be using this tool. 

1. Change Screenshot to JPEG

After you’ve taken your screenshot with the Snipping tool, select File and Save as. When saving your image, you’ll see File Name, where you can type a name for your screenshot. Under this, you’ll see Save as type listed. You need to select this and then select JPEG. 

Take note of where you save your screenshot, as you’ll need to access this location later on. 

2. Convert JPG to PDF

Open the PDF.Live convert to PDF from JPG tool. This converter operates in your web browser. You can either drag and drop your screenshot into the tool from your file explorer or find it on your PC by selecting Select JPG to Convert.

3. Click Convert to PDF.

Upon doing this, you’ll see a preview of your screenshot in PDF form. You can then download it or directly print it if you want a physical version of the screenshot. 

PDF.Live welcomes you to sign up for a free trial. If you need more, we offer very low-price subscriptions, which you may cancel at any time. For pricing, select PDF.Live Unlimited at the top of the page.

The post Convert Screenshots to PDFs appeared first on pdf.live.

Do you have multiple JPG (also JPEG) photos you want to combine into one place? It’s a common need, whether you’re digitizing old photo albums, sending a batch of images to a client, or just trying to cut down on clutter. The short answer: You can’t merge JPGs into a single JPG file. But you can convert them into a multi-page, high-resolution PDF, which works even better.

Here’s why and how to do it. 

Why Can’t You Merge JPGs (JPEG)?

A JPG is a single image with a fixed resolution. You’ll sometimes see this format listed as JPEG; they’re the same thing, just two names for the same file type. Resolution is the number of pixels in an image — those tiny colored squares that, from a distance, form a recognizable picture. A typical high-quality photo runs 1920 x 1080 pixels or higher.

Why Can’t I Merge JPGs?

This is because a JPG is considered a single image with a fixed resolution. The resolution of an image refers to how many pixels are displayed per inch of an image. A pixel is a tiny square that contains a color and the resolution represents how many of these squares there are in the image (width X height). If you look closely at your monitor or zoom in on a digital image, you will see these tiny squares that appear as an image when observed from a distance.

_{Image source: Wikipedia}

If you tried to combine two JPGs into one file, the result would be both images stacked into one giant image — not two separate photos in one file. A 100 x 100 image merged with another 100 x 100 image would produce one 100 x 200 image. Scale that up to full-sized photos, and you’d end up with a bloated, distorted mess that’s hard to view and impossible to browse like a photo album.

There’s no page structure in a JPG. No way to flip through images one at a time. That’s where PDF comes in.

How to Merge JPEG Into PDF Instead

PDFs are built for exactly this — holding multiple images in a single, browsable file, each displaying a separate image, clean, full-sized, and easy to scroll through. Think of it as a digital photo album where each photo gets its own page.

Here’s how to merge JPEG into PDF with PDF.Live:

1. Head to PDF.Live’s JPG to PDF converter.
2. Drag and drop your JPG files into the tool.
3. Click Convert. Each image becomes its own page in a PDF.
4. If the converter produces one PDF per image, head to the Merge PDF tool, drag in your converted files, and click Merge. You’ll download a single PDF with all your images inside.

If anything looks off — spacing, alignment, order — the PDF Editor lets you rearrange pages, crop, and adjust until it looks right.

When you’re done, you’ll have one clean file with all your photos ready to share or store. You can even compress the PDF before sending it, which makes it faster to email or upload without sacrificing much quality.

The post Combining JPG to PDF: How to Merge JPG Files Into One PDF appeared first on pdf.live.

When you need to create a fillable PDF, we have an online tool that lets you add “boxes” that will allow you or others to fill in information. This is especially helpful for job applications, surveys, and other online form needs.

The PDF is the best format to send documents online. PDFs are compact and preserve formatting settings across any device. But let’s say you need to make a contract, send out a survey, or invite someone to apply for a job. How do you make sure the recipient can fill out the areas that you’ve designated?

You need a fillable form PDF where you can designate specific areas that are marked as fillable fields. A fillable field allows someone else to insert text into that spot, so they can “fill out” the PDF before sending it back. This is useful because not everyone has access to a PDF editor, and converting a PDF to a Word document can create issues with formatting, depending on the tool you use to do it. (Try PDF.Live’s PDF to Word converter).

So how do you make a fillable PDF? How do you designate the areas you’d like to be marked as fillable? In this article, we’ll be going through everything that you need to know about PDF Fillable Forms.

Can I Create a Fillable Form for Free?

Looking for ways to create fillable PDF forms for free online? If you need to create just one fill form, sign up for a free trial of PDF.Live. You can cancel at any time, before you are charged. If you have a high volume of fill forms to create, or if you need to use the tool regularly, subscribe to PDF.Live. The fees are very reasonable (see pricing page for latest subscription rate and offers), and includes practically unlimited conversions and edits every month.

Convert an MS Word Doc into a Fillable PDF Form

If you’ve created the form in a program like Microsoft Word, you’ll need to export it as a PDF. It’s ok if you only have this document as a DOC file! We can convert your Word docs to PDFs. 

Head over to PDF.Live’s DOC to PDF converter. Click Select File to Convert and then navigate to where the Word doc is stored on your computer. Then, upload it. Alternatively, drag and drop your Word doc into the converter. Then, click Convert Doc to PDF.

You can then download your converted PDF, or you can select Edit to change your PDF right in PDF.Live’s online editor.

Steps to Convert a PDF to a Fillable Form

Making edits to PDFs is easier than ever with PDF.Live’s Edit tool. While this tool has a host of editing options, the one we’ll be highlighting here is the Text Field and Free Text features. These features allow you to designate areas as fillable. First, import your PDF into the PDF.Live editor. 

You can either drag and drop your file or select the file wherever it is saved on your device. Once your PDF is in the editor tool, select the Edit Text option at the top of the screen. A toolbar will then appear with some useful tools. 

We’ll be focusing on the Forms tab…

From left to right, these are:

• Add Text — Create a text box field that you or the recipient can type in. 
• Add Cross — Create a cross box for the recipient to X out. 
• Add Check — Create a checkmark box for the recipient to select to mark something as “checked.”
• Add Dot — Adds a bullet dot to your form. 
• Insert Signature Field — Add a field for the recipient to sign. 
• Insert Text Field — Adds a text box marked to be filled by the recipient. 

Let’s use the Text Field tool to create our fillable form!

This feature allows you to click and drag your mouse to create text fields in your PDF. The person receiving the PDF will be able to enter text into the field while viewing the PDF on software like a PDF reader or a web browser.

To do this, click and drag to create a box in the area that you want the person filling out your PDF to be able to type in. 

If the field is initially too large, click and drag the blue dots around the perimeter of the box to resize it to fit your form. 

The text that they can fill in will appear like this in the PDF: 

The text fields you’ve specified can then be filled out by the recipient. You can even experiment with typing text in the forms to make sure they’re in the right areas. This only previews the text; the background color of the text won’t appear in the final downloaded version.

Once you’re happy with the state of your fillable form, hover over the Menu and click Download or Save As. You can also just click the icon with the arrow pointing down. Opening the new downloaded version of your PDF will then have several fillable fields that you’ve designated. Users will be able to type in these fields and only these fields.

Once the form is filled out, it can be downloaded or saved as a new PDF. If the PDF is being viewed on a web browser, you will be prompted to download the form with the “changes” made. These changes are the lines of text that the recipient has added.

The PDF that has been filled out will now be able to be viewed with the changes made.

Now What? Filling in a PDF Form

When you send the PDF form to someone, how do they fill it in? Do they need special software to fill in a PDF, and are there free versions?

For Mac and Apple users, the Preview app recognizes fillable fields. Preview is the default PDF reader on Apple laptops and computers, so there is no need to download and install special software. However, on older devices, Preview may have been removed, so you can use an online PDF reader to open and complete the form.

On modern Windows PCs, Microsoft Edge is typically the default PDF reader that recognizes fillable fields. Older PCs may come equipped with Adobe Acrobat Reader. In a separate post, we cover free and paid Windows apps for reading PDFs.

All Windows and Apple devices can work with PDF.Live’s online editing tool, including fill forms. Because the app is web-based and works in your browser, you won’t need to download and install any special software to complete your form. Ready to start? Edit a PDF.

How to Write on a PDF Form (Without Fillable Fields)

Sometimes, it’s not possible to add fillable fields to a PDF. The PDF may be locked, or the OCR (optical character recognition) isn’t picking up the text fields. Or, perhaps someone sent you a PDF that doesn’t include fillable fields, but you want to provide information. There is a way to write on a PDF form without using form-fill fields. 

You can add your own text boxes in the PDF.Live editor if you received a non-fillable form that you need to fill out.

Open the document in the editor tool and go to the Free Text option under the Forms toolbar.

This redirects you to the Add Text tab and allows you to click an area on the PDF that you want to type words in. For example:

Before you type the text, you can change the style of it, including the color, font, and alignment. You can also change this later on by selecting the text again with the Move hand and then adjusting the formatting settings found at the top toolbar. 

Remember that if the words don’t quite sit properly on the line, you can always adjust where they’re placed by dragging the outer edges of the box to adjust where the text box is placed. Adjust this while the Move tool is selected.

What Are Fillable Forms Used For?

PDF.Live’s fillable form feature can be used for myriad purposes, including:

• Survey responses
• Client intake forms
• Nondisclosure agreements
• Job applications
• Rental applications
• Maintenance requests
• Event signups/registrations
• Volunteer signups
• Membership applications
• Purchase orders and invoices

Speaking of invoices, PDF.Live’s Invoice Template is a downloadable PDF that you can use and customize at no additional cost to your PDF.live subscription.  

Be careful about asking for and sharing sensitive personal information such as Social Security Numbers. Follow local, state and federal privacy laws when sending personal information through PDF, whether by email, online form, fax and other methods of delivery.

The post How Do I Make a PDF Form Fillable? appeared first on pdf.live.

When applying for a job online, present yourself with professionalism. A PDF keeps your layout exactly the way you designed it: spacing, fonts, margins, and everything else. That means:

• Your resume looks the same on every device.
• Employers won’t see broken formatting.
• ATS (applicant tracking system) software can parse your resume.

Unless a job posting specifically asks for a Word or other type of file, PDF is the safest choice for submitting your resume for a job.

PDF vs. Word: Why It Matters

Word files (.doc/.docx) can look different depending on:

• The version of Word the employer uses
• Whether they use Google Docs, LibreOffice, WPS, etc.
• Mac vs. Windows differences
• Available fonts and spacing settings

If your formatting breaks, your resume may look messy or unreadable — and that can hurt your chances of getting hired, as a hiring manager will have a hard time understanding your experience.

PDFs, on the other hand, keep the layout intact no matter what software is used.

Understanding ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

Many employers use ATS tools to scan and sort hundreds of resumes they receive for a position. ATS systems:

• Read your work history, skills, and education
• Look for keywords the employer wants
• Filter out unqualified applicants before a human ever sees the resume

Hiring managers can then filter applicants based on the criteria for a position. Companies don’t have to disclose whether or not they use an ATS, so you may as well always have your resume ATS-optimized to improve your chances of getting through the application. 

To help an ATS read your resume:

• Submit a PDF (unless otherwise requested).
• Make sure your text is selectable (not an image).
• Run your resume through an online ATS checker to make sure your experience is legible.

What to Include in Your Resume

Most resumes use a simple structure, so both recruiters and ATS software can scan them quickly.

Identification

• Name
• Email
• Phone number
• City/state

Expect employers to Google you, so keep your online presence clean. Recruiters and hiring managers will look at your LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other public social media if they’re interested in hiring you. 

Education

• School or program name
• Years attended
• Degrees, certifications
• Optional when relevant: GPA, major/minor

Experience

• Job title
• Company
• Dates of employment
• Key responsibilities and accomplishments

Include roles that highlight transferable skills, even if they aren’t in the same industry. If you have a lot of experience in one area, try to think about how some of the things you know could apply to the position you’re applying for. 

Skills

Hard skills, such as:

• Software or application knowledge
• Trainings (e.g., graphic design, project management)
• Languages
• Methods or frameworks (e.g., Agile, Six Sigma)

ATS systems look for keyword matches here, so list skills clearly. If a skill is listed in a job posting and you have it, ensure that it’s on your resume. 

Soft skills, such as: 

• Written and verbal communication
• Collaboration
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Attention to detail

Be prepared to speak to specific examples of your soft skills when you are interviewed. In other words, don’t just include those soft skills because the job posting mentioned them. Make sure you can speak to, “Tell me an example of a time when you showed attention to detail…”  

Resume Formatting Tips

A clean, readable resume works best for both humans and ATS scanners.

Avoid images

ATS software can’t interpret photos, icons, charts, or graphics. It’s nice to have a photo of yourself on your resume, but this can break formatting. Not always necessary!

Use standard fonts

Stick with easy-to-read fonts that everyone has on their devices:

• Arial
• Calibri
• Helvetica
• Times New Roman
• Verdana

Don’t rely on fancy formatting

PDFs preserve layout, but extreme formatting (excess columns, text boxes, graphics) can confuse ATS systems. You may find your skills being listed under a job description, for example. Keep formatting simple.

Proofread everything

Typos can cost you interviews. Have someone else look it over, too. Run it through an AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to check for misspellings, grammatical errors and other potential issues. 

If you need layout ideas, check the sample resume database on Indeed.com. If possible, search for resumes of people in the same field or who have the job title you’re aiming for. Ask a mentor or professional for industry-specific tips on resume formats for your position. 

How to Convert Your Resume to a PDF

If you’re using a document editor (Word, Google Docs, Pages, etc.):

1. Open your completed resume.
2. Go to File → Save as or Download as.
3. Choose PDF.
4. Save the file to your computer.

If your editor won’t export as PDF:

You can still convert it using a tool like PDF.live:

• Head over to the PDF.Live Word to PDF converter
• Upload your .doc/.docx
• Download the converted PDF

To edit your PDF afterward, use either the original document editor or PDF.live’s online PDF editor. We recommend making all of your tweaks to the original document rather than the PDF version. When you print or save your document as a PDF, it should be considered finalized and ready for submission.

The post How to Convert Your Resume Into a PDF appeared first on pdf.live.

At the IRS.gov forms page, you’ll see that most tax forms are readily available as PDFs. The IRS uses PDFs because the format is preserved across almost every type of device. No matter what device you open a PDF with, it should look the same. The PDF that you see will be formatted the same way for everyone who views it. 

In this guide, we’ll cover: 

• Where to find free fillable tax forms (PDFs) online
• How to convert a tax file into a fillable PDF form
• How to convert your completed tax forms into PDFs 

We’ll also provide links to PDF tax forms, IRS forms, and show you how to turn a PDF into a fillable form. 

Where Do You Find Free Tax Forms?

Federal tax forms can be found online through the IRS.gov tax form section, where you’ll find PDF versions of all of the types of tax forms you may need. This includes personal income tax forms, business tax forms and over 3,000 forms, instructions and publications. All of the forms are available to download for free as fillable forms. 

If you’re looking for forms for individual states, we’ve listed some of the most common state forms below with links provided. These free fax forms will usually be available for download as a PDF, but the layout and structure of each site will change from state to state. 

How Can You Convert a Blank Tax Form into a Fillable PDF Online?

If a tax PDF that you download isn’t a fillable form, you can convert it with PDF.Live. A fillable form is a document that has designated sections that can be typed in by the user. These fillable fields look like boxes where you can enter text. 

1. Download the tax form that you need and open it in the PDF.Live editor.

2. Under the Popular Editing Tools of the PDF.Live editor, click the Form Fill icon. PDF.Live auto detects forms, so you can fill them in within the editor. 

3. Select the Text tool from the menu. Position your cursor over the box and enter your text, the active box will change color. You’ll also notice that PDF.Live’s editor even detects checkboxes for you.

4. Once you’re done adding all of your fillable fields, click the Download button at the top of the PDF.Live editor. You’ll download a new version of your PDF that now has fillable form fields on it. Make sure that this version is the one that you use. 

5. To save the file to your PDF.Live Studio dashboard, select Save and Save as, and name your file.

6. Navigate to My Documents, and this is where you’ll see all of your saved PDF files.

How Do You Save Your Tax Forms as PDFs?

In this section, we answer questions about how to save tax forms as PDFs outside PDF.Live, such as from a paper copy or from an online tax service. 

Converting hard copies of tax forms to PDF 

If you have a paper copy of a tax form, you’ll need to scan it to save it as a PDF. There are a few ways to do this:

• Scan your document using a document scanner. 
• Go to an office supply store or library to use a scanner (often a combination printer-scanner-fax machine).
• Use a scanner app on your smartphone device to take a high-quality image of your document.

When scanning a document, you’ll be prompted to save the digital version, usually as a PDF. For scanning at an office supply store or library, you may need to bring a flash drive to save the digital version of the document on. Otherwise, you might need a computer connected to the scanner to access the PDF — it’s always smart to call ahead to find out how it works. 

Downloading or saving tax forms from software or apps

If you use software (TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, etc.) to fill out your taxes, you should receive a copy of all the forms that you’ve filled out once you’ve completed your taxes. The copies of these forms are usually in the PDF format, but if they aren’t, PDF.Live offers DOC to PDF, Excel to PDF, and JPG to PDF online conversion services.

Alternatively, once you’re done filling out the forms through the software or secure online application, you can download and save as PDF.  

PDF Tax Tools

Once you’ve submitted all your tax returns, you’ll want to save these forms for your records. How long should you keep tax records? Your tax preparer can answer that. You can also find answers on the IRS’s tax help website.  

 PDF.Live has a couple of tools that can help you out with file management:

• Merge PDF — Merge all of your tax forms and attachments into a single document titled “2025 Taxes” for easier organization and storage. 
• Convert PDF — Have some tax forms or attachments/schedules in a format that aren’t PDFs? Convert your DOC, Excel, PPT, and JPG files to PDFs so you’ll be able to read them anywhere at any time. File formats that are of the same type will be possible to merge.  
• Compress PDF — Tight on computer storage space? Use PDF.Live’s PDF compression service to store PDFs easier on your computer. This compressor will not alter or damage the layout of your PDF — it will reduce the file size. 
• Fax PDF — Need to send your tax documents to the IRS or to someone else, such as your accountant? Fax.Live functions entirely in your web browser. No fax machine needed!
• Studio — As long as your PDF.Live account is active and current, you can safely store all of your PDF files, including your tax files. 

PDF.Live’s tools don’t require any additional downloads to function. Because PDF.Live is web-based, you can use our tools from any device that has an internet connection. Consider trying out our services today, entirely for free! PDF.Live offers limited daily tasks with no additional cost to you. If you like PDF.Live, consider our low-cost monthly subscription that allows for unlimited usage of our many PDF management tools. 

IRS and State Tax Forms

IRS 1040

Other IRS forms for businesses and individuals

Alabama tax forms 

Alaska tax forms* 

Arizona individual tax forms

Arizona corporation tax forms

California tax forms for individuals and businesses

Colorado tax forms for individuals and families

Colorado tax forms for other entities

Connecticut individual income tax forms

Connecticut business tax forms

Delaware personal income tax forms

Delaware business tax forms

D.C. individual income tax forms

D.C. business tax forms

Florida tax forms for businesses and individuals*

Georgia tax forms for individuals and businesses

Hawaii tax forms

Idaho individual tax forms

Idaho business tax forms

Illinois tax forms

Indiana tax forms

Iowa tax forms

Kansas tax forms and publications

Louisiana tax forms for individuals and businesses

Maine tax forms

Maryland individual tax forms

Maryland business tax forms

Massachusetts tax resources

Michigan income tax forms

Minnesota department of revenue forms

Mississippi individual tax forms

Missouri tax forms

Montana tax and state revenue forms

Nebraska revenue forms for individuals and other entities

Nevada tax forms*

New Hampshire tax forms*

New Jersey income tax forms

New Mexico forms and publications

New York forms and instructions

North Carolina tax forms

North Dakota tax forms

Ohio tax forms

Oklahoma tax forms

Oregon forms and publications

Pennsylvania personal income tax forms

Pennsylvania business tax resources

Rhode Island tax forms

South Carolina individual tax forms

South Carolina business tax forms

South Dakota state forms*

Tennessee department of revenue forms*

Texas tax forms*

Utah state tax forms

Vermont tax forms and publications

Virginia tax forms

Washington state forms and publications*

West Virginia tax forms for businesses and individuals

Wisconsin tax forms

Wyoming’s department of revenue* 

*These states generally do not levy personal income taxes as of this publication date. This is not legal or financial advice. Always check with a tax professional.

The post Guide to PDFs and Tax Forms appeared first on pdf.live.

What It Means to Change a File Format

To understand what file conversion is, you first have to understand what a “file” is. Files on your computer or device will generally contain information in a certain format. The name of the file ends in an extension (usually), which tells us what type of file it is. Examples include .pdf, .doc, .xls, and .jpg. These represent a file’s “type” or “format,” which conveys what applications the file is compatible with.  

A simple comparison might be to think of a computer file as a house (your computer itself might be the neighborhood or region where the house/file is located). 

Like a house, a file contains data or information about what’s inside and what it may be used for. Houses come in several types — apartments, condos, mansions, duplexes, and more. They can be converted into different types (single to multi, multi to single, residential to commercial, one-story to two stories, small to large … you get the idea). Files can be converted too.

A digital file conversion is changing a file format from one format to another, giving it a new use and, therefore, a new way to open and use it.   

What Changes When a File is Converted?

A file converter is a program that can identify the “old” file type and then convert it to a “new” format. In actuality, the file conversion process duplicates the original and gives it a new format. So, when you convert a Word doc into a PDF, you’ll retain your original .doc and have a second file with a .pdf extension.  

A PDF is a type of document that preserves formatting across all devices that use it. Your computer will open a PDF with a certain program like a PDF reader, web browser, PowerPoint, Word, etc. Therefore, to convert your PDF to a different file type is to change the extension, which tells your computer the way to store the file’s data. Your computer will then use a different program to open and view that data. 

The file converter must be able to recognize both the old and new formats. A file converter will specifically be things like PDF to DOC or JPG to PDF. These converters will only be able to accept their respective file formats and will only convert to a specific file type. 

What exactly changes when you convert a file? Well, in the background, the coding of the file changes. Sometimes, the appearance will change and functions will disappear. For example, when you change an Excel sheet to a PDF, you’ll lose the cell-by-cell functions and formulas; this type of conversion delivers a snapshot of a spreadsheet rather than the full functionality.

Why Do You Convert File Formats?

It’s often the case that the way that a file is stored dictates how it will be used. PowerPoint files, for example, are excellent for presentations; however, they are large files that aren’t practical for sharing. Converting a .ppt to a .pdf makes it more shareable. 

JPGs are great for pictures, but you can have only one .jpg per file. If you want to create a digital photo album, you’ll need to convert the .jpg files and merge them into a single .pdf file.

Lastly, you might want to convert a file into a non-editable format, so you can share it without worrying about anyone changing the contents.

In summary, these are the reasons to convert files:  

• So you can share them more easily
• So you can work with a file in a different program
• So you can combine multiple files into a single file format
• So you can protect the contents of the document from being altered*

*Protecting the format of a document is a complicated process. Learn more about locking and unlocking PDFs.

Are Free File Converters Safe?

File creation apps, like Microsoft Word, allow you to save or export documents as PDFs, which is essentially “converting” your document from a .docx file that’s editable by Word to a PDF. If you’ve got the software installed on your device, you’ll be able to make these conversions for free. 

PDF.Live’s file converters will allow you to upload JPEG, DOC, PPT and XLS files and convert them to PDF file types. PDF.Live’s converter is perfectly safe (and free to try!) but other free file converters may be less trustworthy. Always ensure that a site is safe and look for websites with HTTPS encryption, which is more secure. 

How Do You Change File Format? 

We mentioned earlier that you need a specific file converter for specialized conversions. This can be annoying, considering that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of possible file formats that you may use. 

You can convert your files in one of three ways: 

1. Save as… 

Using a file’s default program (like Microsoft Word with .doc files), open that file and then select File and Save As. When saving a file you’ll have a list of options, depending on the default program, that you can save a file as. In document editors, this may be more restrictive. But, in photo editors, for example, you may be able to save a photo file as a JPG, TIFF, PNG or other image format. 

2. Use a file converter service

File converter services are third parties that convert your files to other file types for you. File converter services tend to operate in your web browser and will grant you more nuanced conversions by having you drag and drop a file into the converter and downloading that file as a different format. Be cautious when using these, and use only file converter services like PDF.Live’s that are both safe and secure. 

3. Rename the file with a different extension

For the more tech-savvy internet users, renaming a file extension manually may be an option if you want to tell your computer a specific way to open a file without converting it. This won’t always work, as the type of data the file holds will need to be compatible with the app associated with the new file type that you intend to use. Files may not work properly when doing this, so consider a web search on your specific file conversion to find the best available method. 

What Is a PDF Converter?

PDF converters are very common on the web, as PDFs are difficult to modify without the use of a PDF editor. PDF converters change file formats to and from PDFs. For example, you may use a PDF converter to reformat a PDF to a JPG or a PPT to a PDF. The uses will probably be pretty specific, but the converter works similarly to how we outlined above: It translates the data within a file to a different format so that your computer can use a different program to open it. 

Consider checking out PDF.Live’s PDF converters to see a file converter in action.

The post What Is File Conversion? (What Does Convert PDF Mean?)  appeared first on pdf.live.

List of PDF Tools for Collaborating, Converting, Editing

To help you manage your documents easier, we’ve compiled a tool box that you can use for your PDFs. This “tool box” is a list of software applications that will help you do different things with your PDF. We’ll list some online browser services, subscription-based applications, and some free-to-use programs that let you do whatever you need to with your PDFs. 

Online PDF Tools vs PDF Software 

Your PDF tools will be separated into two broad categories: online tools and software applications. 

Online PDF Platforms

An online PDF platform functions on almost any device entirely from your web browser. You’ll just visit that website and access a host of different PDF services available. PDF.Live is an example of an online PDF platform.

Pros of online PDF platforms

• Easy to access and use on any PC, laptop (Mac and Windows)
• Some PDF solutions are free
• No additional downloads

Cons of online PDF platforms

• Requires an internet connection (doesn’t work offline)
• May have limited free use (requires subscription)
• May only have a single function (such as a tool that just merges PDFs)

Software Downloads

A PDF management software is a program that you download to your computer and boot up similar to Microsoft Office apps (Word, Excel). Adobe Acrobat is an example of a software downloaded and installed app for PDF management. 

Pros of PDF downloadable apps

• No internet connection required to use (works offline)
• May be an all-in-one tool (a lot of different functions in a single application)
• May run faster depending on your computer’s hardware

Cons of downloadable PDF apps

• Requires additional space on your device (and you’ll have to download and install app updates)
• May run in the background of your computer’s functions 
• Subscription or payment may be required to use

PDF Converter Programs

PDF converters change your documents to and from PDFs into other file types. The most common way you’ll convert a PDF is to and from a Microsoft Word document. Word documents are very easy to edit, as PDFs will preserve their formatting settings across any device. 

Web-based PDF converter tools can be found across the web. For example, PDF.Live’s web-based PDF converter allows you to convert Doc, Excel, PowerPoint, and JPG files to PDFs and PDF files to Doc, Excel, and PPT files. 

Other tools online may have more niche uses, such as just converting PDFs to PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and RTF and other formats (and vice versa). Some tools may be better than others, so make sure you’re using something that’s reputable and trustworthy by checking user reviews. Also, be aware of what you’re downloading from other sites. PDF.Live will have you download your converted files. You should never need to download and run an .exe file from these services. 

PDF Editor Applications

There are a lot of PDF editors that are both web-based and downloadable applications. PDF.Live’s editor is an example of a web-based toolkit that will let you alter PDFs entirely within your web browser. PDF.Live’s editor allows you to change text, images, and other formatting settings of a PDF.

You can try the PDF editor for free and consider a subscription for unlimited use if you like it and have more edits to do. 

There are other PDF editors that are applications rather than web-based. This means that you’ll download a program and then open your PDF with that program to make edits to your PDF. 

Our PDF editor lets you do the following:

• Add text
• Edit existing text
• Sign
• Add images 
• Annotate (for proofreading)
• Rearrange pages
• Add and remove pages
• Draw 
• Add hyperlinks
• Highlight text and objects
• And so much more!

PDF Annotating Tools

PDF annotators are handy for when you’re editing a document and need to make comments on that document. You should look for a PDF annotator tool that freely allows you to comment, highlight, and annotate any PDF you’re working on. 

Some PDF editors, such as PDF.Live’s editor, have annotation features built-in. Other PDF readers such as Mac’s PDF Preview will have annotation capabilities. The aforementioned Adobe Acrobat also has this capability. 

If you’re a student looking to take notes on a PDF, consider an application like Flexcil that’s meant to be used on touch-screen devices. This program is geared more toward note-taking for studying and researching. 

PDF Snipping Tool

Want to take screenshots of specific sections of your PDF? You already actually have a program that can do this built into your computer! The snipping tool allows you to draw rectangles on specific sections of your computer screen and create image files based on those sections. This is incredibly useful for taking snapshots of specific sections of your PDF. 

You can even save your snapshot as a JPG and convert that file to a PDF using PDF.Live’s JPG to PDF converter tool. 

PDF Inspection Tools

Need a tool to inspect the details of a PDF before you share or print it? This information isn’t immediately available to view without a specific program that knows how to “open up” and inspect a PDF. 

For an application that can do this, check out Adobe Preflight. This tool is generally used before print production of PDF documents and will inspect elements such as the colors, fonts, and visibility of certain content. Not the most common tool, but incredibly useful in the right situation! 

Misc PDF Tools

There are a lot of other very specific PDF management tools out there. If you’ve got a specific function in mind, consider looking through PDF.Live’s editor to see if that function is built into our tool. Here are some other common tools that you may be looking for.  

PDF measuring tool

Worried about the size of your PDF when you print it out as a physical document? A PDF measuring tool helps you find the size, in inches or centimeters, of specific sections of your document. This is needed when drafting a PDF that will be printed as a physical document. Adobe Acrobat has a grids and measurements guide that’s useful for this!

PDF quality enhancer

PDF quality enhancers will upscale and enhance your PDFs so that they’re more legible for people that are viewing them. Quality enhancers are most commonly used with physical documents that have been scanned and then converted to a digital PDF document. PDF quality enhancers may also increase the size of your PDF, so be careful when using them. 

PDF comparison tool

Want to look at two different PDFs side by side to spot differences? This is a niche tool, but Diffchecker will help you with this. You can upload two different PDFs and this tool will spot the differences. Useful for reviewing the edits of a document. 

The post PDF Toolkit: PDF Toolbox appeared first on pdf.live.

Open any piece of software in your file explorer and you’ll likely come across a file with the TXT extension. It’s one of the most common file types that developers use. But why? What is a TXT? Can you convert a text file to PDF?

A TXT file is called a plain text file. It’s usually opened in Notepad software like Microsoft Notepad, Notepad++, or Apple TextEdit. These pieces of software are free, so you can open a TXT on any device. 

If you open a TXT in one of these programs, you’ll see information displayed without any formatting settings like italics, bolding, or fonts. It will display information line-by-line in plain text. Ergo, the name “plain text file.”  

TXT files don’t have large file sizes and will sometimes contain instructions or information about a piece of software that it’s packaged in with. TXT files are not only easy for you to read, but they’re also easy for computers to read. Sometimes a .txt may contain configuration settings for a piece of software. Changing parameters within the .txt will then change how the software operates. 

With a better idea of what a .txt file is and where you can find them, we can now address the question of how to convert it into a PDF. 

Text to PDF Converter Using Notepad (Windows)

If you want your TXT file converted to a PDF without any formatting settings, you can do this in most free Notepad programs. 

1. Open your .txt file in Notepad and select File and Print. 

2. Select Microsoft Print to PDF and adjust your page settings as necessary.

3. Click Print. You can then choose where you’d like your converted PDF to be located on your PC. As you can see, the resulting PDF has no formatting settings beyond pages. 

TXT to PDF with Document Editors (Offline)

Quick hack: Depending on your operating system and version, you may be able to simply convert a TXT file to a DOC by changing the file extension.

TXT files are “legible” to most document editing applications. Meaning you can use most document editing software to open and edit a plain text document offline. For example, we’ve uploaded into Google Docs this software license that was stored as a .txt file. 

As you can see, Google Docs can display the information within the file as well as convert it into a Google Doc. If you convert your .txt to a Google Doc or .doc/.docx file (Microsoft Word format), the software you use will add formatting settings like pages, margins, and paragraphs. It will look significantly different from the original .txt file. 

From there, you can follow our Google Doc to PDF guide online to convert the .doc file into a PDF. Essentially, you’ll save the Google Doc as a separate PDF.

You’d be surprised how many different ways you can open TXT files. Try opening it with a document editor of your choice to see how the formatting settings may change. Again, if you’re unhappy with the result, you can always create the PDF directly with Notepad.

The post How to Convert Text to PDF appeared first on pdf.live.

First, let’s understand what a CSV file is and how to open it. Then, we’ll explain how you can convert CSVs to PDFs online, and vice versa. 

A CSV, or comma-separated values, file is a format that you may run into when working with large amounts of data or spreadsheets. A CSV is a very simple format that contains information in lists separated by commas. For example, a CSV that contains the ingredients for a chocolate chip cookie recipe would look like: 

Flour,butter,salt,chocolate chips,etc.

You can receive CSV files from a lot of places. Banks and other financial institutions often export reports that you’d use with spreadsheet software in the form of CSVs. These companies do this because any spreadsheet software or data recording tool can work with the file format. An .xls file, while meant to work with Microsoft Excel, may not be compatible with accounting or other data interpreting software. A CSV is much simpler and can work with almost anything, including Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, WPS Office Spreadsheets and Apple’s Numbers. 

However, CSVs don’t convert to PDFs particularly well. This is because the raw data hasn’t been structured or interpreted in any way. A PDF of a CSV would appear as a long list of numbers or words separated by commas or semicolons (see the above screenshot). This wouldn’t be particularly useful to anyone that you send it to. For this reason, you’re better off using a piece of software that can first interpret the data and organize it. Then, you can export a comprehensive report in a format that’s far easier to read. 

Convert CSV to PDF

The first step is to locate your CSV on your computer. The icon next to the file will be dependent on your system and what programs you have installed, but you’ll always be able to check the file type to see that it’s a CSV file. 

Once you’ve located it you can either right-click it and select Open With > Excel (or a similar spreadsheet or database program). Or, if you use something like Google Sheets, you can upload the CSV to Google Drive. 

For this example, we’ll be using Google Sheets. 

When your CSV is uploaded to Google Drive, you can double-click it to view it more closely. You won’t be able to edit it yet, but you can already see that Drive has interpreted the CSV in a more readable format:

Next, you’ll want to select Open with and Google Sheets. Google Drive will generate a sheet document with your CSV data. 

From here, select the Print icon or navigate to File > Print. You’ll have an opportunity to preview what your PDF will look like and adjust the margins and some other minor settings. Once you’re happy with what your data looks like, select Next.  

In the Destination drop-down, select Save as PDF instead of a physical printer. Then, select Save. You’ll then download a PDF version of your CSV. 

The benefit of performing the conversion this way is that your original CSV will remain unmarked in case you need to go back and work with it again. The spreadsheet version of the CSV that you create will be much easier to read, interpret, and make changes to if necessary. Working with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets also gives you certain formatting options like giving your CSV a title page, page numbers, and more. 

(Note: The .csv file sample used in this post comes from Stats NZ, an open-source data collection site based in New Zealand.)

Convert PDF to CSV

If you need to convert a PDF file to a CSV format, use PDF.Live’s pdf to Excel converter online. Follow the prompts, and download your file as an .xls. Open it with Microsoft Excel and from there, you can save it as a .csv format. Google Sheets also exports spreadsheets as .csv files as well.

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The PDF file format is an excellent choice for sending and receiving documents online. This is because PDFs display information with the same format settings across all devices. But, of course, PDFs wouldn’t be of much use if you couldn’t convert your documents into them. So there need to be several ways to convert other file types to and from PDFs. 

1. Converting PDFs With Browsers

PDFs can be opened and displayed on your browser, in cloud storage solutions like Google Drive, and even in some document editors like Microsoft Word. 

Many web browsers allow you to select print to save opened web pages as PDFs. 

2. Converting PDFs Using Google Drive

Upload a Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint to Google Drive, and then use Google’s Doc, Sheets and Slides apps (respectively) to convert the Microsoft formats into Google formats. Keep in mind that sometimes, converting from Microsoft’s programs to Google’s programs isn’t always seamless. Sometimes formatting is lost. Then, using File >> Download, save your files as .pdf formats.

Convert Google Docs to PDF

Select File >> Download and select .pdf, then save it.

Or, when you print a Google Doc, choose Destination >> Save as PDF. 

Convert Google Sheets to PDF

From Google Sheets, select File >> Download as and then choose PDF.

Likewise, you may choose File >> Print and change the Destination to Save as PDF. However, with Sheets, you’ll first need to select the cells that you want to print or save as PDFs. 

Convert Google Slides to PDF

Converting PDFs into Google Docs, Slides and Sheets

When you upload any PDF doc to drive, double click and Google will ask you what you want to open it with. Select Docs for text-heavy documents. 

Google Sheets and Google Slides do not open or convert PDF files. 

3. Other Ways to Convert PDFs

If you have a Mac computer, the Preview app allows you to export PDFs as other files. With a PDF open in Preview, you can select File > Export and see the file type options available in the pop-up menu. 

What if you didn’t create the document and want a tool that can directly convert a doc to a PDF? This is where PDF.Live’s file conversion services come in handy. 

4. Best Way to Safely Convert PDFs

Use PDF.Live’s Converter for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

PDF.Live allows you to convert PDFs both to and from several popular file formats entirely online. Here are the options available to use for fast, easy conversions that are both safe and reliable. No additional programs required to download, just drag and drop your PDF into the tool to start converting.  

Convert to PDF:

• Convert Doc to PDF. Convert documents constructed in Word into PDFs.
• Convert Excel to PDF. Converts files built in Excel into PDFs. 
• Convert PPT to PDF. Converts Powerpoint Presentations into a PDF. 
• Convert JPG to PDF. Converts JPG digital images into a PDF. 

Convert from PDF:

• Convert PDF to DOC. Converts a PDF back into a Word doc so it can be edited further. Some formatting settings may be lost. 
• Convert PDF to Excel. Converts a PDF into a spreadsheet to interact with the data. Formatting settings may be changed or lost. 
• Convert PDF to PPT. Converts a PDF back to a Powerpoint presentation. Each slide in the PowerPoint will be a page from the PDF. 

PDF.Live’s converters work with any computer and any operating system because they function entirely on your web browser. Consider trying it out today for free to see how useful it can be.

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