The PDF format, although controversial, is one of the most popular document formats available, especially for people that want to share their files intact. The Aloaha PDF Suite will let you turn anything into PDF easily. The free version of the product has very few limitations.
Installation & Requirements
During the installation, the service and its printer driver will be created. No desktop shortcuts will be created and the program will run in the system tray. The supported operating systems are Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and 8x.
Interface
As with similar programs we have reviewed in the past, Aloaha PDF Suite is a virtual printing service, which means that instead of printing your files, the program will instead turn them into PDF documents. Using it is very simple. The application creates a virtual printing driver thaqt is compatible with pretty much any application that supports printing. Go to a program’s printing page and the document will be sent to Aloaha instead.
The key here is configuring the files. The service always runs in the background and you can configure the settings through the system tray icon. There are tons of things at play here, although most people will probably not need them. The free version provides support for most of the features but some are only unlocked in the paid, professional versions. One of those is the PDF reader so you will need a third-party one in order to view your PDF files after you have previewed them using this one.
That is not to say the program is inconvenient, far from it. Turning documents into PDFs with Aloaha is a fast and simple procedure that anyone can use. You might be a bit confused at first if you have not used a similar application before but Aloaha tries its best to make the process as smooth as possible. People that just want to turn things into the PDF format will have no issues since converting them usually takes a few seconds. You can also choose actions before the conversion like sending the final PDF via e-mail to other people and of course physically printing the file.
On the other hand, people that demand more out of their PDF converting suite will find everything they want here. Seamless integration with any program, remote file transfers, digital signatures, attachments and more can be configured via the program’s settings, found in the system tray icon as well. Thankfully, everything is very easy to understand since the application will inform you about the details of every step and will use simple terms for everything.
Pros
-Caters to various audiences without sacrificing anything
-Very easy to use
-Can use it with any application that allows you to print files
-Extra utilities like e-mail integration
Cons
-Can be a bit confusing at first
Conclusion
Aloaha PDF Suite is a brilliant application that allows anyone to quickly turn any document into a PDF. The extra utilities are an added bonus in an already robust main program so they are very welcome indeed.
