The PDF format is a great way to read, especially eBooks. When they were first conceptualized, it was intended to be a document that users couldn’t edit. This is one reason why you see so many open source PDF editor projects being abandoned (like PDFEdit which was updated last in 2012). After all, if you wanted an editable document, there is always Microsoft Word or Google Docs, right?
The fact that Adobe has little documentation available on the topic doesn’t help either. A lot of people are under the impression that PDF is a proprietary format by Adobe, which is not true. It was until 2008 when it was released as open-standard.
Free pdf creator for mac iStonsoft PDF Creator for Mac Free to try. IPubsoft PDF Creator for Mac Free to try. Make PDF from Text, JPG, PNG, BMP. Amacsoft PDF Creator for Mac Free to try. Coolmuster PDF Creator Pro for Mac Free to try. Vibosoft PDF Creator Master for Mac Free to try.
When it comes to editing PDF files, Adobe’s Acrobat Pro DC is the industry standard, but it’s quite expensive as well ($15 per month). But fret now, there are still free and open source PDF Editors available for Windows and Mac. Let’s see what they are.
PDF Expert is the best PDF writer for Mac. You can easily edit text, images and links. Text, so you can make edits easily. Fill PDF forms. So Mac users should get an alternative to CutePDF Printer in order to print PDF files on Mac devices. One of the best tools for working with PDF files is PDFelement by the popular developer Wondershare. It is the complete PDF tool that allows you to read, edit, annotate, sign, and print PDF files easily and quickly. Coolmuster PDF Creator Pro for Mac Free to try. Create PDF files from 4+ major file formats on Mac.
Open Source PDF Editors for Windows
1. Using Word to Convert and Edit
While MS Word is not open source, it’s still is a worthy option, if it’s already installed on your Windows computer. We tend to give far less credit to Microsoft Word then it deserves. You can use Word to convert PDF to Word, edit it and convert it back to PDF on the fly.
Here is how it works, launch Word on your PC. Click the File button and click Open.
Apowersoft Online PDF Editor is a powerful PDF editor that's free to use, and runs in any modern web browser. Scribus is an open source page layout and PDF editor that is available for not only Mac, but also Windows and Linux platform. You can use it to create and design interactive PDF files. There is a lot of choice when it comes to color management.
Locate the PDF file on your system that you want to edit and open. If you can only see Word files and not PDF files, click on All Files from the drop-down menu on the lower left. By default, Word is set to look for its own kind.
Word will work its magic and open the file in .docx format. If you don’t know what that is, you don’t need to. Just edit the document and when you are done, click the file button again.
This time, you will click Save As as and choose file type as PDF.
The process is fairly simple and doable. You may see a popup during the process asking you to confirm your choice. Click OK in that case. If you don’t have MS Word installed, you can also use Google Docs online, the process is pretty much same.
The problem with Word is that it is inconsistent when it comes to converting from PDF to Word. This is why I went looking for other options.
Also Read:5 Best PDF Editor Apps For Android
2. Inkscape
Inkscape is another open source PDF editors but it picks up things where LibreOffice lefts. Inkscape primarily uses vector graphics to open and edit PDF files. This means better performance, more features, and more options to edit images embedded within the files.
Inkscape is available in portable version. Portable versions are directly executable files that you can use to open and use the software without having to install them on your PC.
How to use Inkscape to Edit PDF?
To get started, import your PDF with Inkscape, making sure the “Import text as text” option is selected. After you import it, double-click on the text line, and you can start editing it. Once you have made desired changes simply save the file as pdf. And that’s it.
The UI is more user-friendly compared to LibreOffice, more control over images and graphics, and completely free and light-weight. Where it falls short is speed. The tool is slow which can irk some people.
Download Inkscape (Free)
3. Apache OpenOffice Draw
Apache OpenOffice Draw is similar to Inkscape in that it is a drawing tool that you can use to edit PDF files. It is a graphics editor so you can easily edit images and vector in your PDF.
OpenOffice made the list because it is more stable and comes with additional features. The UI is a lot better. It has a built-in spell checker and offers more editing options.
How to use Apache OpenOffice Draw
After you have installed using the link below, you will have to install the import extension. Now, launch the software, click on Tools-Extension Manager-Add. This should open a popup. Find the extension file on your Windows and double-click to install it.
From here, the steps are same. Click on File and find the PDF file you want to edit to open it.
Download OpenOffice Draw (Free)
Open Source PDF Editors for Mac
1. Formulate Pro
Formulate Pro will allow you to view, edit, and redact PDF files. It comes with cloud support so that you can store your documents online and access them anywhere, anytime. How do i make my mac discoverable for airdrop?.
You can add text (there is an option to change the font as well to match the original copy) sign PDF files, and protect it with passwords as well as permissions. This is a good feature if the file contains sensitive information. It comes with a converter so you can convert files back and forth.
You can add or edit images as well, and there is support for OCR technology. Although the software hasn’t been updated since 2009, it worked fine in our testing.
Download Formulate Pro (Free)
2. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice has long been the favorite open source office suite. It is robust, free, and the community is awesome. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux platform.People who are used to Microsoft suite of apps may not appreciate the UI which is less than stellar, but you don’t get everything in life.
LibreOffice Draw will allow you to edit PDF files easily. You can import, export, add or remove pages, text, and images, and even digitally sign your PDF file. The process remains the same. Click Open and choose the PDF file. I am using it on my Linux powered laptop, but you can also use it on Windows.
What you don’t get is cloud option. Once again, though LibreOffice was working fine for me, some of our users came back frustrated by file types. You see, I mentioned that Adobe has some proprietary add-ons which make it difficult to edit all PDF files.
Download LibreOffice Draw (Free)
3. Scribus
Scribus is an open source page layout and PDF editor that is available for not only Mac, but also Windows and Linux platform. You can use it to create and design interactive PDF files. There is a lot of choice when it comes to color management.
Think of it as Adobe InDesign. A really handy tool for desktop publishing. This is what sets it apart from other document management tools available on the Internet. U,nlike some other PDF editors, Scribus developer team remains active.
The UI is fairly easy to understand and mimics that of Adobe. There is support for colors, font types, and images. There is a drag and drop functionality that you can use to move things around and resize them once they are placed inside the page.
Download Scribus (Free)
Best PDF Editor – Web
1. PDFescape
While PDFescape is not an open source PDF Editor, it’s still a worthy option, as it’s free and can be open from your favorite web browser. There is no messy installation process involved. There is also desktop version, which lets you edit PDF documents without internet connections.
Once you go to the website, you can either create a new PDF document from scratch or edit an existing one by uploading it from the hard drive. Next, to edit a PDF document, you can quickly add text, white out previous content, add images, and digitally sign documents.
The web app is free to use, if the PDF files is less than 10 MB and 100 pages, which is more than sufficient for most users. However, if you decide to remove these restrictions, you can upgrade to pro plan for $2.99 per month.
Try PDFescape
Wrapping Up: Open Source PDF Editors
MS Word is a good PDF editor for Windows if it is working for you. Otherwise, you can either go for Apache OpenOffice Draw to edit your PDF files. It is a little slow but still better than the ones I reviewed.
For Mac users, Formulate Pro is free and works nicely but if you are looking for more features and functionalities.
Oct 14,2019 • Filed to: Choose Right Mac Software • Proven solutions
Wondering how to print PDF on Mac? There are many free PDF printer for Mac that can do this, with no additional settings required. This article reviews the 8 top-rated PDF printer for Mac currently on the market, and also outlines their advantages and disadvantages.
PDF Printer Mac that Most People Hate to Know So Late
#1. PDFelement
PDFelement is an all-in-one PDF solution, which enable users to edit PDFs, annotate PDFs, create PDFs, convert PDFs, protect PDFs, sign PDFs and print PDFs. It is equipped with one of the best printing functions, capable of printing any edited PDF file. It includes embedded adjustable page boxes that will help you set the printing size when setting up your print job. The following steps is about how to print PDF on Mac easily.
We have received your inquiry and will respond to you soon.
Please fill in required fields to submit the form.Something wrong, please try again!Step 1: Open and Print
Open the file that you want to print to PDF with PDFelement. Click 'File' > 'Print' or use the Command+P keyboards to open the print command window.
Step 2: Set Printing Options and Save
Set the printing options you prefer. Click the PDF button on the print window and choose Save as PDF from the drop-down menu. Name the PDF file and select a location to save it to.
Videos on How to Print PDF on Mac
Benefits of PDFelement:
- Text, images, and pages can be easily edited, inserted, or deleted within the PDF.
- It's easy to combine two or more PDFs into one file, or split a large file into separate files.
- Passwords and permission restrictions are used to protect PDF documents.
- Fill and edit an existing PDF form, or create a new one with various fields, buttons and boxes.
- Convert PDFs to a wide range of file formats or vice versa.
- It supports macOS10.12, 10.13, 10.14 Mojave and 10.15 Catalina.
We have received your inquiry and will respond to you soon.
Please fill in required fields to submit the form.Something wrong, please try again!#2. Adobe® Acrobat® - Adobe PDF Printer Mac
Adobe® Acrobat® makes it possible to create and print PDFs from any application on Mac. When you install Acrobat, you are also installing a virtual printer known as Adobe PDF. It is important to note that when you print to this printer, it converts your document to an Adobe PDF file on Mac instead of printing sheets of paper. You can do this through the following steps.
- Step 1: Choose 'File' > 'Print'. Choose Adobe PDF in the printer popup menu on your Mac system.
- Step 2: Click on 'Save as Adobe PDF'. A dialog box will open and you'll have to select either Adobe PDF or another PDF reader.
- Step 3: After making your choice, you will be prompted to name the PDF file and select a location to save it to. Type a name for your PDF file and Click 'OK' to save it.
However, Adobe Acrobat XI has now ended all support. This is why it's important to be aware of the best alternatives to Adobe Acrobat.
#3. Mac Computer Built-in PDF Printer
You can use the built-in printing feature on Mac to create PDF files directly, or print webpages, documents, or any type of file as a PDF document without the need for additional software. The process is simple, and in just few steps, you can print to PDF. It works by exporting the file as a PDF on the Mac print service. The following steps outline how to do this.
- Step 1: Open the file you would like to print to PDF.
- Step 2: Click on the file menu, and select 'Print' or alternatively you can use the Command+P shortcut to open the Print dialogue box.
- Step 3: Find the PDF button in the lower left-hand corner and select 'Save as PDF'. Click on 'Save' in the dialog box and save it to your desired location.
#4. PDF Writer for Mac
This program installs a printer drive on Mac, which enables users to create any PDF file by using the 'Print' option within most popular file formats. Note that it does not use ghostsc_x_ript to generate PDF files but it uses the Mac internal PDF capabilities which are designed to create synergy among different PDF tasks.
Advantages:
- It offers a simple way to create PDFs just by printing.
- It supports to merge multiple images in order to create one PDF file.
- It undergoes frequent updates.
Disadvantages:
- The PDF writer for Mac only comes with the print function.
- It is based on CUPS-PDF and the output file size can be quite large.
#5. CUPS-PDF
CUPS-PDF is an open source backend module for CUPS and it is a great tool if you want to print files to PDF format. The CUPS-PDF package for Mac is the standard version in macOS. In any program, you just need to choose the print command, select the PDF button on the dialog box, and then choose the ' Save as PDF' option. It will give you a virtual printer in which it prints a PDF file when a normal print task is sent to it. It is important to note that it is possible to create a desktop printer and use it to create PDF documents as well.
Advantages:
- CUPS-PDF is free and saves time.
- It is valuable for automating your print PDF mac task.
Disadvantages:
- It can be a bit confusing for users trying to save a document as a PDF.
- Navigation is not as easy as with some other printers.
#6. iPubsoft PDF Creator for Mac
It creates PDF files from many image and text document formats, including jpg, tif, ico, gif, bmp, pcx, cur, xpm, tga, and ani etc. It provides plenty of tools for creating quality PDF documents efficiently and conveniently, maintained with the exact format. For instance, it can convert other formats to a PDF document with highly quality, and maintain the same layout and format of the original document, with a customized specific path to save the output file.
Advantages:
- It supports the ability to merge multiple PDF documents into a single PDF document.
- The created PDF document will still have the same format and layout of the original document.
- The features are easy to use.
Disadvantages:
- It does not maintain formatting of excel or word documents.
- It does not support to add encryption to PDF files.
#7. CUTEPDF
CutePDF is one of the most sought after free print to PDF solutions, and has an easy name to remember! It works as a stand-alone interface that can work with ghost script to help you create a PDF file without buying writer software. It has a virtual printer for all print support applications in your computer. To print PDF with CutePDF printer, it is important to first install a PS2PDF converter which is a postsc_x_ript driver that supports to process PDF printing tasks. Printing with the CutePDF involves using the 'Print' button and selecting the destination folder to save the output file.
Advantages:
- There are two versions - the free version and the paid version. However, the free version has almost identical features to the paid version.
- It is fast and has the capability to re-size printed PDF files to a more email friendly size.
Disadvantages:
- To get the password protect feature, you will need to upgrade the program to the paid version.
- It does not have a text editing tool. Therefore, it isn't possible to alter your PDF documents.
Free Pdf Converter For Mac
#8. Bullzip PDF Printer
Bullzip PDF printer has the capability to give you a high quality output every time. It has the most features compared to its competitors. With Bullzip, it is possible to password protect your PDF files, add a watermark and merge multiple documents. The program comes with translation capabilities for variety of languages. It is simple and easy to use, even for beginners, and it is a very valuable tool to have in a corporate settings. To print on Bullzip PDF printer, you will need to choose the Bullzip printer driver, customize the output PDF file and save it.
Free Pdf Writer For Mac
Advantages:
- It has an easy to navigate interface with great capabilities for adding security and display settings via a dialog box.
- It has the ability to encrypt PDF files.
Disadvantages:
- It is not possible to deploy the output search function in the exported files and there's no way users can control the output's file zoom level when opened with Adobe reader.
Free DownloadFree Download or Buy PDFelementBuy PDFelement right now!