For basic messages, Presto's internal styles will go a long way to helping you format messages in a pleasant and personalized way. However, not everything translates well to a Presto Style. There are certain things you may need to send in its original form.

For these cases, Presto has recently added support for PDF files to the Presto service. Attach the PDF to an e-mail, and it should print out exactly as it appears when you open it in your PDF reader. Need to send over a PDF rebate form you downloaded from a store? Easy right? Need to send over little Jimmy's school book report in its original form. Easy... but only if you know how to turn Jimmy's Word document into a PDF.

What is a PDF you ask? For the less computer savvy, "PDF" is an acronym for "Portable Document Format" and also the three letter file extension that identifies it - "myfile.pdf" for example. To keep it simple, PDF files are basically a digital version of printed documents. This allows documents to be sent electronically, viewed on a computer, and be easily printed. If you want a long read on the many technical aspects of the format, you can start with this entry from the Wikipedia.

If you've been on the Internet in the last decade, you've definitely encountered one of these files. In fact, you probably have several of these files on your computer right now - anything from a digital version of a user guide for your toaster to a brochure for a product you're interested in.

It's pretty easy to tell if you're looking at a PDF file because you need a special program in order to view them. For most of us, that means we've installed a free program called "Adobe Acrobat Reader." Adobe is the creator of the PDF format, and has offered this free software to view these files for some time.

Adobe Acrobat Reader may allow you to view PDF files, but it does not allow you to create them. Adobe's software that allows you to both view and create is called "Adobe Acrobat," but this isn't free software.

Fortunately, there are several free alternatives to creating PDF files on your own computer. I've tried several of them (and they all worked well for the most part), but eventually stuck with one called "PrimoPDF," which I found to be simple to install and use. If you follow me through this guide, you too will be able to create your own PDF files in no time.

Making Your Own PDF Files

For starters this guide will cover how to make PDF files for those running the Microsoft® Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows XP®, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista® operating systems. If you're running a version of Windows prior to Windows 2000 or an Apple computer running OS-X you'll need to look for alternative software.

First, download/save the PrimoPDF Free Edition installation program from the PrimoPDF website to your computer. Just remember where you saved it. Also, download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader if you haven't already.

Next, navigate to the download location and double click the program icon to begin installation. Follow the wizard and install the program to your computer. If it asks you to restart, do so.

With the program installed you're ready to begin making your own PDF documents from virtually any application. There's no program you need to open to do this other than the item you wish to turn into a PDF. It may seem strange, but PrimoPDF acts like a digital printer in your computer, so you can "print" virtually anything to a PDF file.

For this example, we'll use a Word document, since this will be a common use case.

Open or create the word document.

When ready to create your PDF file, go to the printing options that your progam provides. In this case, File --> Print. Your default printer will show as the printer name the document will be sent to. However, you should have a dropdown box to select alternative printing devices. In that list, select "PrimoPDF" as your printer and hit OK.

In a few moments, you'll be presented with a box to configure your PDF document. The important thing here to note are the "PDF Settings" and "Save As:" areas.

• PDF Settings: Since you'll be sending your PDF to print, you'll want to make sure the "Print" setting is checked for the best output. You can use the "Screen" option in a pinch if you end up with PDF files that are too large to send via e-mail.


• Save As: Click the little box next to the "Save As" area and you'll be able to specify a new filename for the PDF file and tell the computer where you'd like it saved.

If you want to learn more about the other options available, you can read the PrimoPDF manual here.

Once you've gotten all your settings checked, click the OK button.

If you didn't change any of the advanced options, your default PDF reader will open and show your PDF file. Viola! You're now ready to e-mail that file as an attachment to print out on your loved one's Presto Printing Mailbox.

Can't get PrimoPDF to work for you? No problem! There are several free alternatives out there for you to try and most work in a similar way. Take your time and you'll definitely find one that works for you.