How to Make a PDF File

Edited by Ben Jacklin
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Making a PDF file couldn’t be easier than it is with PDFChef by Movavi.

  1. Install PDFChef on your Mac or Windows computer.

  2. Click New to create a new document.

  3. Hit Edit to open the editing mode.

  4. Select Text to add a title and blocks of writing.

  5. Choose Image to add some images if needed.

  6. Click the Save button or press Ctrl + S (Cmd + S on Mac).

By clicking the download button, you're downloading a trial version of the program.*

How to create a PDF with PDFChef by Movavi

Since being created by Adobe®, the PDF file has become one of the most popular file formats for both text and image files. When you consider the fact that PDF files are very common and mainstream, you might be surprised how tough it can be to create, edit and share PDFs. Luckily, the PDFChef by Movavi is designed to make this process much simpler. In this guide, we will explore the easiest ways in which you can create PDFs using the Movavi Editor, which is easy to use, and allows the creation of multi page PDF documents quickly and easily, with loads of editing capabilities to style the document.

As well as creating documents from scratch, you’ll see how this editor includes other useful features like Merge and allows you to combine different images and documents into one PDF file.

Movavi’s PDF editor works just as well on Windows or on Mac, so you can download the version that will work on your operating system and get to work. We also delve into some of the functions you can use on the online PDF editor, PDFChef, which allows you to make changes to your document or even convert it into a new document type ready for editing elsewhere.

How to make PDF files from scratch

Step 1. Install PDFChef

Download PDFChef onto your computer; it will be saved in the Downloads folder by default. Run the downloaded executable and install it by following the on-screen instructions.

Step 2. Create a new file

To create a PDF file from scratch, click Ctrl + N or click New in the tools list. The program will automatically create a blank document.

Choose "New" from the tools list to create a PDF from scratch

Step 3. Add a title

Click Edit on the toolbar to switch to the Edit mode. Choose the Text option from the drop-down. Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document, click the left mouse button, and, in the text box that appears, type the title.

Choose the "Text" option to add a title to the PDF

Step 4. Add your text

Once in the Edit mode, click Text, position the pointer where you want to place the text, and just start typing. Newly inserted text is fully editable – you can change the font, style, and size using the options under Font in the right-hand panel.

Choose the "Text" option to add text to the PDF

Step 5. Insert an image

Click the Image button on the drop-down list. In the dialog box that opens, locate the image you want to import and click Open.

Choose the "Image" option to add an image to the PDF

Resize the inserted image by dragging on the borders of the image. Rotate the image using the context menu. To place the image relative to the text block, hold down the left mouse button and move the image to the desired position.

Step 6. Save your edits

When all your edits are complete, click the Save button (the floppy disk icon) on the toolbar or just press Ctrl + S (Cmd + S for Mac). The dialog box lets you choose where to save the new file and how to name it.

How to create a PDF using the Merge tool

Step 1. Install the software

To assemble multiple images into one PDF file, first, download and install the software on your PC or Mac.

Step 2. Upload source files

Launch the application and choose Merge from the tools list at the bottom of the window.

Choose "Merge" from the tools list to create a PDF from images

In the dialog box that appears, select the files for uploading into the document and click Merge.

Upload images for merging and generating a PDF file

Step 3. Save the new file

To save the new PDF, click the floppy disk icon on the toolbar or use the Ctrl + S (Cmd + S for Mac OS X) keyboard shortcut.

Save the new PDF

If you are looking for an easy way to create PDF files, we recommend this advanced PDF maker from Movavi. It will help you create the PDF documents you need in just a few minutes.

How to create a PDF from various types of files: Word, Excel, JPG, and more

If you don’t need to create a PDF from scratch, you may want to just turn your Word, Excel or other file into a PDF. It’s easy to transform documents into PDFs. Using PDFChef by Movavi, you can easily create a PDF from JPG or from a Word document.

Step 1. Download PDFChef

Download PDFChef from this web page. Double-click the downloaded file to start the software installation.

Step 2. Add files

Run the program and click Convert in the lower-right corner of the program window.

Drag and drop the files you want to turn into PDFs into the workspace – the program will automatically identify the format of the files. The output format will be automatically set as PDF.

Step 3. Turn the files into PDFs

Click Convert, select the target folder, and wait for the program to transform the files into PDFs. When your files are ready, you’ll see a dialog box. The files are automatically saved to the folder you chose. But if you want to open them in the program right away, click Open.

That’s all there is to it! Now you know how to create PDFs from pictures, Microsoft Office files, and other types of media.

How to create a PDF file online

It is also possible to create a PDF file online within your browser, or to edit and alter PDFs. To access the full features of Movavi and make PDF documents from scratch, you need to download our software. However, many features can be used within PDFChef online. If you are looking to simply convert or edit a PDF document within your browser, PDFChef is ideal. You don’t need to download any software to get started. PDFChef allows you to:

  • Combine multiple files into a single PDF document. This is useful if you are creating a booklet, for example.

  • Extract individual pages from a PDF and save them to separate files. This is useful if you need to share or highlight one specific resource from a multi page PDF.

  • Rotate all or multiple pages within a PDF document and save these edited versions. If your PDF is the wrong orientation this is a way to resolve this issue.

  • Reorder PDF pages within your document.

  • Remove or delete individual pages from a PDF. You may want to cut down the document to make it more concise.

  • Convert a huge number of files to and from PDF, including JPG, PNG, Excel, Word, PPT and HTML files.

If you are looking to convert files to (and from) PDF, PDFChef allows you to do exactly that. PDF files may not be suitable for opening with some of the forms of software you want to use, so a conversion is really useful, and it can be done online. If you’ve created a document in Word or Excel and you want to turn it into a PDF, you can do so for free online using PDFChef’s converter function.

How to make a PDF with PDFChef by Movavi

Step 1. Create a new document on your computer

You can use Word, Pages, or pretty much any other word processing software in order to create a new file that you can then turn into a PDF using PDFChef online.

Step 2. Visit PDFChef by Movavi

Visit PDFChef and choose which option you need to turn your document into a PDF. You can convert Word documents or PPT documents into a PDF online using Movavi’s online tool.

Online PDF converter

Step 3. Choose your file extension

For example, if you want to convert a Word file into a PDF, select the Word to PDF option on PDFChef.

Step 4. Upload the file

Choose the file you wish to upload to PDFChef from your computer, you can click and drag into the uploader or click Choose File and search your computer using a dialog box. The tool will then start to convert the file to the required extension.

Step 5. Download the file

It’s as simple as that. Click Download File and the new file will be saved in the "Downloads" folder of your computer by default. Here, you can rename or move the file if required.

Step 6. Edit the files if needed

If you need to edit the PDF file, you can also use PDFChef to do this. The simple online tools allow you to combine multiple PDFs into one document, extract pages to save as a separate file, rotate the pages of a PDF, reorder the pages in the document, remove one or more pages from the PDF.

The upload process is the same as creating a new PDF, from here, you can follow simple on-screen instructions to delete or edit the required pages.

Once you upload a multi page PDF, PDFChef will bring up a window showing you each of the pages. You can click one of the pages, and select editing tools including Rotate Left, Rotate Right, Delete, and even Add Files if you want to add additional pages. This allows you access to a full PDF editing suite right within your browser, for free. When you are done, simply press Save and Download to generate your new version of the document.

How to create a PDF for free with Microsoft Word

If you are a Windows user, you can make a PDF using Microsoft Word. If you are starting from scratch and creating your document within Word, it is easy to save it as this file format, allowing you to share it with any other user with Adobe® Acrobat® or Adobe® Reader® software. Microsoft Word is free software that comes included with the Microsoft operating system. The following steps allow you to create your PDF in Word without using third-party software.

Step 1. Create your document in the normal way

You don’t need to do anything specific when starting your text document to tell the software you are making a PDF. Fill your document with images and text as you ordinarily would.

Step 2. Save as PDF

Click the Office button and hover to the Save As button. You should select PDF or XPS. From here, you will be able to choose PDF in the Save As Type drop-down list of file extensions.

Step 3. Open file

Open the file after publishing your new PDF. You will be able to do this if you have any form of PDF reader such as Adobe® Reader®. The next option is choosing between Standard or Minimum size. Minimum gives a lower file size, whereas Standard gives more quality for printing and sharing. On the Options tab you can set the right print options for you.

Step 4. Publish the PDF

Click Publish in the reader to finalize the PDF creation. You will be able to select a destination folder where the PDF will be published. If you find that you need to make any changes in the future, you won’t be able to do this in the PDF reader, as this is just for displaying the PDF itself. Instead, you can go back to the original Word document to make these alterations.

After these steps, you are free to share your PDF, attach it to emails, upload it, and save it wherever you need to.

How to create a PDF on Mac

If you are a Mac user, you won’t find Microsoft Word installed on your machine by default, but there are still ways to create a PDF on a Mac. Some Mac users find it hard to get their hands on good software, as a lot is made for Windows only. Luckily, PDFChef by Movavi has a Mac version which is just as simple as intuitive. If you are making a PDF document from scratch on Mac, this is one way you can avoid having to open numerous pieces of software in order to create the PDF.

Learn more about PDFChef for Mac

If you need to create the document from scratch on a Mac without using Movavi, there are some steps you can follow below.

Step 1. Create or open your document

If you want to make a document from scratch then you can use a piece of software such as Pages on your Mac. This is similar to Microsoft word. When you finish, go to File and then Save As. You can save as a .PDF file. If you already have a document in a format you wish to save as a PDF then don’t worry about Step 1. You can follow the rest of the steps.

Step 2. Open document in Preview

Preview is like Mac’s version of Adobe® Reader®. It comes free with your Mac. It can open many kinds of files including PDFs and virtually every type of image file. If Preview is not the automatic program to open the document, you can right-click on the document and select Open With, and then Preview.

Step 3. Print as PDF

Within Preview, click on File in the main menu, and then Print. You’re not printing the document on a printer, but this is the same menu that allows you to create your PDF. Click the PDF pop-up menu and then Save as PDF.

From here, a window will open allowing you to create file Title, Author, Subject and even add Keywords to the document. This makes it easier to search your PDF using the Mac Spotlight feature.

You can also optionally set a password. If you need to do this, click Security Options and then add a password. This means when you send the document to someone, you will need them to enter the password to access it. Most of the time, you won’t need this extra layer of security.

Step 4. Press Print

Pressing print will create the PDF, saved in the folder you have specified. Your document should now be ready to share and distribute as required.

PDFChef by Movavi

Everything you need from PDF software!

* The trial version of PDFChef by Movavi has the following restrictions: 7-day trial period, watermark on the output PDF.

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