Incompatible format

September 3, 2009 10:25 AM

I'm using Serif PagePlus SE, a free graphic design download, to design postcards. My local print production shop can't open the .ppp files it creates. There are no other "save as" options. Any suggestions?
posted by tizzie to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Mac or PC? If Mac, you should be able to save the file as a .pdf via the "print" options. On PC, you can download something like pdf creator, which installs and acts like a printer but transforms your files into a pdf when you print to it.
posted by baltimoretim at 10:29 AM on September 3

You can download PrimoPDF, which installs like a printer so you can save it as a PDF by going through the Print menu. And it's free.
posted by amethysts at 10:30 AM on September 3

PC, sorry - I should have said that.
posted by tizzie at 10:35 AM on September 3

The inability to save in other formats appears to be the main difference between the free "SE" version and the full-featured "PagePlus 9" version, which is ten dollars.

According to this, anyway.

Might be worth ten bucks.
posted by rokusan at 10:36 AM on September 3

CutePDF will allow you to "print" to a PDF file. It's free.
posted by Mwongozi at 10:41 AM on September 3

Rokusan, that's probably the way to go. I didn't know it was that inexpensive to upgrade.
posted by tizzie at 10:43 AM on September 3

Seconding CutePDF. It's totally awesome. It makes higher quality PDFs from AutoCAD than native Acrobat. Seriously, Acrobat curves would look like someone with delirium tremens had drafted them.

And CutPDF makes great quality PDFs from any application that can print. It's my default printer. Sometimes it doesn't like to print web pages nicely, but I think that has more to do with weirdly formatted or protected web pages than CutePDF.
posted by Xoebe at 1:03 PM on September 3

Thanks, everyone. Just before I spent the $10, I realized that I could "print" to a PDF file already - and that worked.
posted by tizzie at 1:08 PM on September 3