Author Topic: So, what pdf reader app is your fav? (Read 72,694 times)

Nod5 · « **Reply #50 on:** September 17, 2015, 09:10 AM »

Since some here are coming around to Sumatra let me do a plug for my sumatra_highlight_helper tool. It is really useful, if you ask me.

jojo99 · « **Reply #51 on:** September 20, 2015, 06:00 AM »

I have been using PDF Xchange Viewer for years. I tried the newly free PDF Xchange Editor a few months back but didn't like it and switched back to the viewer.

dr_andus · « **Reply #52 on:** September 20, 2015, 11:32 AM »

Quote from: jojo99 on September 20, 2015, 06:00 AM

I have been using PDF Xchange Viewer for years. I tried the newly free PDF Xchange Editor a few months back but didn't like it and switched back to the viewer.

I did the same for a while (though with the Pro versions). Editor felt like an unfinished product for quite a while. However, at one point they seem to have reached parity with Viewer, and then I found Editor to be superior, given its additional features.

Out of curiosity, what is it that you don't like in Editor?

urlwolf · « **Reply #53 on:** November 22, 2015, 06:54 PM »

Try okular. Comes with KDE for windows. It has two key features:

It has an overview mode, where you can see 3 pages at once on a big monitor
It removes the white borders around pages.

Anyone has a reader than can provide this?

Curt · « **Reply #54 on:** November 13, 2017, 04:07 PM »

I have been testing the free Foxit Reader for a couple of days and have many good things to say about it, because it also has a free editor included. However, there is a big difference between the Reader and the Editor: the Editor does not handle Unicode! I was "shocked" to see this, but there you go.

The original in Danish:

629x390 pixels

and when the same text merely has been touched & saved by the free Foxit editor:

635x318 pixels

I am disappointed. Foxit will now leave the house.

Deozaan · « **Reply #55 on:** November 13, 2017, 11:39 PM »

I previously posted in this thread saying I was using Foxit. I got sick of it becoming more and more of a bloated mess with each update and switched to Sumatra. That was probably a year ago; I'm still using it and liking it.

I like it because it seems simple and lightweight compared to the alternatives I've tried. But I don't do much with PDFs and I especially don't create/edit them. But for a lightweight PDF reader, I'm pretty happy with Sumatra.

rgdot · « **Reply #56 on:** November 23, 2017, 04:30 AM »

Haven't tried it and no affiliation but found this. Install the free app get a link to get desktop version for free.

Quote

Thanksgiving Giveaway! Tap "Pumpkin" in the App to get PDFelement desktop program for free. Only valid for today (23rd.Nov.)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wondershare.pdfelement

Curt · « **Reply #57 on:** November 23, 2017, 03:46 PM »

^ however, the pumpkin > PdfElement for desktop is merely a 3-months license/trial $:-\$

rgdot · « **Reply #58 on:** November 23, 2017, 04:27 PM »

Even now if you look at their facebook feed the post I saw the deal doesn't mention that, a separate post does (both posts are still up!)

Prize for good business practices goes to ...Wondershare </sarcasm>

Scottmordc · « **Reply #59 on:** December 01, 2017, 02:12 AM »

I prefer to use Abode PDF by default. And I also use WPS - an office software vendor in China who also releases a PDF reader, while WPS users are not required to install it to read a PDF file, WPS office has facilitated a reader in WPS, which is very convenient for most of us. From time to time, I've seen the giveaways for SodaPDF, but never give it a try. I don't quite understand what makes it a paid shareware. I mean, we can find a large number of PDF tools online, who will choose a paid shareware? $:-\$

Curt · « **Reply #60 on:** December 04, 2017, 10:44 AM »

welcome at DC's, Scottmor-dc

After the welcomming, I have to tell you off:

Quote from: Scottmordc on December 01, 2017, 02:12 AM

, we can find a large number of PDF tools online, who will choose a paid shareware? $:-\$

I will chose nothing else, but $hareware, if "free" means adverts.

ayryq · « **Reply #61 on:** December 08, 2017, 05:39 PM »

I use PDF Xchange like many of you. Am I the only one that, every year or so, finds an entry somewhere (Program Files, Registry, Add/remove...) for "Tracker Software" and freaks out a little bit?

mrainey · « **Reply #62 on:** December 09, 2017, 07:22 PM »

I don't do pdf editing, just reading and copy/paste. I use an old version of Foxit Reader (4.0) and love it. Tried Sumatra, but found that I had to make excessive use of the menu to get things done.

Curt · « **Reply #63 on:** December 09, 2017, 11:54 PM »

Manual for Sumatra Pdf Reader

Quote from: Sumatra

Advanced settings
SumatraPDF can be customized by editing settings file.

Command-line arguments
For most complete documentation, read "this" page.

https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/manual.html

Deozaan · « **Reply #64 on:** December 10, 2017, 09:11 AM »

Quote from: mrainey on December 09, 2017, 07:22 PM

I don't do pdf editing, just reading and copy/paste. I use an old version of Foxit Reader (4.0) and love it. Tried Sumatra, but found that I had to make excessive use of the menu to get things done.

If all you're doing is reading and copy/paste, what kind of menu options are you going for?

tomos · « **Reply #65 on:** December 10, 2017, 12:44 PM »

Possibly vaguely related:

I tried PDFXchange a couple of years ago, and found no shortcuts for getting various views of a page. Adobe Reader isn't super in that direction, but does have

Ctrl+1 for page width
Ctrl+3 for content width (margins removed from view)
Alt+LeftArrow for previous 'view'
and still mainly supports mouse zoom: Ctrl+Spacebar[+Alt] Click and drag for zooming in and out

It no longer uses Ctrl+0 to show full page (edit// I may be wrong there but pretty sure they had that as the full-page view shortcut)

But, certainly in the past, none of the aternatives gave much keyboard support for view/zoom-level

ayryq · « **Reply #66 on:** December 10, 2017, 01:13 PM »

Quote from: tomos on December 10, 2017, 12:44 PM

Possibly vaguely related:

I tried PDFXchange a couple of years ago, and found no shortcuts for getting various views of a page. Adobe Reader isn't super in that direction, but does have
Ctrl+1 for page width
Ctrl+3 for content width (margins removed from view)
Alt+LeftArrow for previous 'view'
and still mainly supports mouse zoom: Ctrl+Spacebar[+Alt] Click and drag for zooming in and out
It no longer uses Ctrl+0 to show full page (edit// I may be wrong there but pretty sure they had that as the full-page view shortcut)

But, certainly in the past, none of the aternatives gave much keyboard support for view/zoom-level

PDF Xchange (viewer v2.5) has similar shortcuts
Ctrl-0 Actual Size
Ctrl-1 Fit Page
Ctrl-2 Fit Width
~~Alt-Right/Left next/previous view~~ This is documented but doesn't work for me.

Additionally PDF-XChange allows custom keyboard shortcuts for every command in the program via the "Customize Toolbars" window including e.g. zoom levels

tomos · « **Reply #67 on:** December 10, 2017, 02:08 PM »

^ good to know, thanks ayryq
(wasn't the case last time I tried it, but not sure how long ago that was...)

mrainey · « **Reply #68 on:** December 10, 2017, 09:24 PM »

Quote

If all you're doing is reading and copy/paste, what kind of menu options are you going for?

The Foxit toolbar is pleasant to use and easy to customize. It gives me one-click access to the following commands, with no searching required. I use these commands frequently when reading, copying from, or printing pdf files.

Open File (Sumatra has on toolbar)

Text View Toggle

Text Select Toggle

Print File (Sumatra has on toolbar)

Text Rotate

Text Zoom (Sumatra has on toolbar)

I like the way Foxit works and looks. Version 4.0 seems to be free of unwanted addons. It's also quite fast. Sumatra feels archaic and I can't think of a reason why I'd want to use it.

Curt · « **Reply #69 on:** September 11, 2018, 10:07 PM »

Quote from: mrainey on December 10, 2017, 09:24 PM

Sumatra feels archaic and I can't think of a reason why I'd want to use it.

Yes, Sumatra is ugly and outdated and clumsy and stupid

Q: eh... how would you know, Curt, are you not using Tracker anymore?
A: No, now I am using Sumatra as my pdf reader.

How does one make the software author listen (and obey)? The Sumatra tabs having the same colour but not displaying the full document title, is STUPID! I am comparing document versions, but how am I supposed to be certain which version is which? It annoys me several times a week.

So why am I using Sumatra, then? It is very fast and very stable and has so far displayed all my pdf files without any problem. But it really cannot do anything, other than read, so now I am also using several other programs to handle my pdf files:

Nitro Pro, FlexiPdf 2017, PDF24, Debenu PDF Tools 2, Pdf Link Editor, Pdf Shaper Premium, Pdf To X, Weeny Free PDF Extractor, PDF picture Extractor, and various e-book managers and e-book readers are complementing Sumatra. Also, a very important PDF "CREATOR" to me is https://www.printfriendly.com/
------
re-Edited:
I don't understand Debenu PDF Tools' asking price for version 3. It could maybe be $50, absolutely not the current $500. Upgrade pricing from my version 2 begins at $42, but with almost no update period. I guess one has to actually read the "please note"...

Installed November 1'st 2017:
[attachthumb=#]

IainB · « **Reply #70 on:** September 12, 2018, 05:36 PM »

I still prefer to use $FREE PDF-XChange Viewer v2.5.322.9 (2018-07-03). It does annotations, notes, highlights and other editing, AND it does OCR.
PDF-XChange Viewer has apparently been "replaced" by PDF-XChange Editor (the free version doesn't have OCR functionality), but PDF-XChange Viewer seems to continue to be updated, so it is not obsolete.
The latest version of PDF-XChange Viewer can be downloaded from: https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer