Are any of you guys scanning any documents, then saving them as PDF files ? If so, is there a particular sofware package that you are using ? I have a bunch of old GM technical manuals and bulletins I would like to scan and put on cd's as pdf files.

Any thoughts ?

Bill I have been using a program that came with my HP printer called HP Solution Center and it scans pictures , Docs, anything and you can do a lot with it after you scan it.

Also when you scan papers you can make them a searchable PDF file.
I sure you can find something free on the net to the same for your needs.

Bill, it depends how much you have to scan and what you plan on doing with it after.

I use Acrobat 8 Professional at work.

First you can scan directly into a PDF. It will make the document searchable through an OCR tool and you can assemble the multiple scans into one document. You can also add other files to the document if you wish. So if you had your own picture of a part your could incorporate that into the scanned document.

It will also let you add meta data to the PDF document

I am not sure what Acrobat 8 costs, I am guessing 400.

If you have just a few pages then it is not like worth the investment.

You can get a a free fully functional 30 day trial of acrobat at http://www.adobe.com/downloads/

Does anyone have the Fisher Body Manual for a 72 in a PDF or electronic format they can send me? :hurray:

Bill ,you might have a look at what Foxit has.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

Almost all scanning software comes with the drivers you need to save as a PDF.

Have a scanner yet? If not look for one that provides that with the scanner. If you do, look at their site and see what driver updates are available.

Vista and Mac have a PDF print option allowing you to "print" (save) the document as a PDF. There might be a driver available from your printer mfgr for free.

why does everyone love pdf files so much? why is it better than, say, an HTML file?
over the years of having dialup internet access and relatively slow PC, i have learned to hate them. even back in '98 when my old Dell was top of the line and had nothing else installed on it, PDF files would drag it down to a crawl.

why does everyone love pdf files so much? .

Derrik,
I dont particularly "like" pdf files, but my intentions are to get these manuals on some type of digital format, and then try to sell copies, sending them by e-mail. The pdf format seems to work well for this purpose, unless someone more in the know can come up with a different suggestion ? My other concern is with some type of copy protection, maybe so the pdf file can only be printed once ?

Bill - PDF files can be printed as many times as the person in possession of the file wish to print it. The PDF file can also be distributed many times. The copy write for the documents I would assume is held by GM. If you are re-selling their material you need their permission

If it is your original material, unfortunately there is little you can do to protect your copy write, however you should have a copy write notice as a footer on each page.

I think you can download Adobe or Acrobat for free and it will convert to PDF, but the free software wont let you modify any pdf file.
It's what you use to download an application or a form that needs to be filled out.
You can download and print but you can't fill in the form and print.
Squido:confused: