PowerPoint Tips Blog

Helping you with presenting, PowerPoint, and speaking

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Tips
  • E-Store
  • Training
  • About
  • Affiliates
  • Advertise
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Delivery / From PowerPoint to PDF

From PowerPoint to PDF

November 17, 2010 by Ellen Finkelstein 5 Comments

READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<

Why would you convert a PowerPoint file to PDF?

The most common reason is for security. (See the end of this tip for other ways to protect your presentation.) For example, you may want to send your slides to a colleague or potential customer for review, but not allow changes.

Note that people with Adobe Acrobat can make changes to PDF files. They can delete pages and add hyperlinks, for example. Moreover, there are PDF to PowerPoint conversion programs available, so PDF format is not entirely safe.

Another reason is to let people who don’t have PowerPoint view the presentation. True, there’s a PowerPoint viewer, but people may not have it or want to install it. Almost everyone has the Adobe Reader to view PDF files.

When you convert a PowerPoint file to PDF format, you lose all animation. Basically, you’re turning your slides into pictures.

How to convert a PowerPoint file to PDF format

There are a number of options that you can use. Here are a few:

  1. PowerPoint 2010 and later let you create a PDF from within PowerPoint. Just choose File>Save & Send or Publish or Export>Create PDF/XPS Document. Then click the Create PDF/XPS button.
  2. Adobe Distiller. Adobe’s Distiller program works like a printer driver and it comes with Adobe Acrobat. You choose File> Print and choose Adobe PDF as the printer. Distiller uses its current settings. You can open Distiller directly to change those settings. Watch the video below.
  3. A free PDF creator (such as PDF995 or PrimoPDF). These PDF creators are printer drivers and work like Adobe Distiller, although you won’t have as many settings.
  4. Prep4PDF: Steve Rindberg’s Prep4PDF software works with your PDF creation software, but keeps hyperlinks, action buttons, and more.
 For more information on protecting a presentation from changes, see my blog post, Protect a PowerPoint file from changes.

Share1
Tweet
Share
+11
Shares 2
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<

Related posts:

  1. Create an electronic PowerPoint handout with a PDF driver
  2. Protect a PowerPoint file from changes
  3. Export all presentation text
  4. Compress your PowerPoint (and other) files for easy emailing and handling

Filed Under: Delivery, Resources Tagged With: convert powerpoint pdf, powerpoint pdf, powerpoint pdf conversion

5
Leave a Reply

avatar
This comment form is under antispam protection
5 Comment threads
0 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
4 Comment authors
Ramon CadoganTinaTim JamesMatt Gambino Recent comment authors
avatar
This comment form is under antispam protection
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Matt Gambino
Guest
Matt Gambino

Hi,

You might also want to convert to PDF in the event you are using a non-traditional or non-TrueType font in your presentation, as a non-standard font would most likely not be installed on another user’s machine. I also find this useful if I submit a deck to slideshare.net, and I am using non-traditional fonts.

Thanks – Matt Gambino

Vote Up0Vote Down 
12 years ago
Tim James
Guest
Tim James

Great Article. On occasion, i have lost my original PowerPoint and have only been left with the PDF i created. A product; PDF Converter from Nuance not only converts Powerpoint (and any other document to PDF) but will actually convert PDF’s back to their original format. Sometimes useful if your original PPT has corrupted or been lost.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
12 years ago
trackback
Create an electronic PowerPoint handout with a PDF driver « PowerPoint Tips Blog

[…] From PowerPoint to PDF […]

Vote Up0Vote Down 
12 years ago
Tina
Guest
Tina

If you feel the PDF files is not so convenient to use. you could convert the PDF to ebooks by yourself with the help of the tool of flip book maker.It create flash page turning flip books from PDF, and converts your PDF files to online magazines, e-newspaper, online catalogs, digital booklets, and other publications for online sharing.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
11 years ago
Ramon Cadogan
Guest
Ramon Cadogan

Excellent website. A lot of helpful information here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you to your effort!|

Vote Up0Vote Down 
7 years ago
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

Free Video Training!

13 Techniques that Will Make Designing Your Slides EASY!

And get the PowerPoint Tips Newsletter with tips and resources for presenters. Plus 5 bonus tips!

BirdSend Email Marketing Tool
4-up-ads PresenterMedia PoweredTemplate High-Persuasion Secrets Power Pointers Quarter Hour


Recent Posts

Recent Posts

  • How do you format your slide titles?
  • Using PowerPoint’s cartoon people
  • Which version of PowerPoint should you buy?
  • Add a customizable, live web feed with Cameo
  • Get a designer look with abstract images to create backgrounds for slides and shapes

Connect with me!

Connect with me! Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Ellen Finkelstein, Inc. · Fairfield, IA · Tel: 515-989-1832

Privacy, Refund, and Other Legal Stuff

wpDiscuz
x
x