CNET Editors' review
PDF files are a common format for most businesses today. However, altering and creating fresh PDFs remains a mystery for many people. PDFill PDF Tools hopes to make this process simpler with a number of options, but the busy interface may overwhelm less experienced users.
This freeware program has a cluttered interface that will take some studying and experimentation to master. However, all the elements serve a purpose, and many will look familiar to those who have used a word-processing program. The screen looks very much like Microsoft Word's display, with a ruler running down the side and familiar buttons for saving, creating, printing, and fonts along the top. Along the left side are a string of icons with tools for creating PDF-specific tools like check boxes, drop-down menus, radio buttons, and more. The right side of the screen features icons that help give PDFs a professional sheen, by sizing and balancing the page with various tools. Along the bottom are still more buttons; these allow users to do everything from drawing text boxes, highlighting text, or even adding videos.
PDFill allows users to alter existing PDFs or create documents from scratch. One of its most unique aspects is the helpful hints. When our test PDF opened, it contained no fillable fields and offered to show us how to create them. Boxes pop up regularly throughout and offer other helpful hints.
The only negative is PDFill's crowded interface. With all four sides covered in buttons, it can get overwhelming. However, with a little practice we think that anyone can create and alter PDFs using this excellent download.
Publisher's Description
From PlotSoft:
Free PDF Tools to Merge, Split, Reorder, Encrypt, Decrypt, Rotate, Crop, Reformat, Header, Footer, Watermark, Images to PDF, PDF to Images, Form Fields Delete/Flatten/List, PostScript to PDF, PDF Information, Scan to PDF, and Create Transparent Image.
Merge two or more PDF files into a single PDF file; Extract or Reorder pages from a PDF file into a new file;Encrypt or Decrypt PDF documents with 40 or 128 bit Encryption;Rotate pages by 90, 180, and 270 degree;Crop a page to modify its layout of Print or View by specifying its margins;Put multiple pages into one page to save paper and inks when printing hard copies with note lines for handout;Add Headers and Footers to present information, such as date, time, page numbers, or the title of the document, in the top or bottom margins of a document;Add stamp using a formatted text in your international language;Add Stamp using image file (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf);Convert images (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf) into a PDF file with layout options;Convert PDF pages into images (png, jpg, bmp and tiff) with DPI options;Delete, Flatten or List the PDF Form Fields inside a PDF file; Convert Postscript file into PDF;Add information (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Created, Creator, Producer and Version) to the PDF document;Scan your Paper Form or Photo into images (PNG, JPG, BMP, TIF and GIF) or PDF;Create a transparent image with options to adjust one Color and the left Colors' transparency.
What's new in this version: Version 9.0 has a lot of bugs fixed; supports Big PDF, more free options, and supports 32 and 64 bit.
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All versions:
3.6 starsout of 128 votes
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Current version:
3.5 starsout of 17 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"LIES, NOT FREE"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
Wasted my time downloading this turd
Cons
After you get your pages extracted, it does the mafia thing and says, PAY ME or I PUT TATTOO ON YOU. It puts a damn water mark on ever extracted page.
Summary
NEVER does it say that it's NOT FREE and that it puts watermarks on all your extracted PDFs.
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"It's lying. It doesn't convert any PDFs to Images."
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
nothing nothing nothing
Cons
It doesn't convert PDFs to images, it only opens the folder but the images are not there... I've tried for so many times with so many PDF files, it doesn't work at all.. I should give this piece of junk 0 star. half is one too many.
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"Yeahhh... but it's not free, is it"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
? not going to try it after reading the above reviews
Cons
It costs $20 on the PDF Fill website
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"Works great!"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
Quickly and simply pulls pages you need out of large documents and converts pdf to jpeg and vice versa. That's all I've used it for so far, but I'm keeping it.
Cons
None found so far.
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"For Cropping - Poor Product"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
It does at least produce a pdf that looks like it's been cropped (and it's free).
Cons
Very difficult to use, requires trial and error.
Doesn't actually crop the pdf - open in a vector image program and the rest of the pdf is still visible.Summary
I only wanted this for cropping pdfs, so this is a review of that feature only.
It's very difficult to use - there is no graphic interface where you select the secion you want to crop, instead there are four boxes where you type in the distance from the margin you want the crop box to be. So you have to guess, and apply trial and error to get it right.
I was cropping a pdf so I could open in a vector editor, as uncropped it was too large. But when you open it, it's only the visible area that has been cropped, the rest of the pdf is still visible outside. -
"Very good considering the price"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
Very impressed with the quality of docs it produces from scanned papers.
Cons
Too many options perhaps - a little confusing ?
Summary
I recommend it
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"Quick and Easy PDF Splitter"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
Only used it to split PDFS, quick and easy!
Cons
none so far
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"Cannot opt out of the toolbar that does something"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
Works OK, does the job.
Cons
Installs without permission and without an opt-out option a browser toolbar that imposes a heavy and continuous load on the CPU, and it is difficult to get rid of. What is it doing while loading the CPU?
Summary
I would not have loaded this application if I knew about the toolbar.
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".........................."
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
............................
Cons
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Summary
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"it is one of my favorite tools"
Version: PDFill Free PDF Tools 9.0
Pros
it has all the features I need
Cons
would like the option to write over old file
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