PDFCreator 6.3.1

PDFCreator by pdfforge

PDFCreator is a Windows application from pdfforge that installs as a virtual printer, allowing any program with a print function to produce PDF files. It can also create PDF/A files, and it is offered in a free edition and several commercial editions for desktops, terminal servers and servers. The product is open source, and its code may be modified and redistributed under the terms of its license.

Editions

• Free: A virtual printer for personal use that creates, merges and converts PDF files on Windows, with easy setup and customization options.
• Professional: Includes all free features plus advanced encryption, user tokens, custom scripts and priority email support. It is ad-free and offers group policy, which lets administrators preset settings centrally.
• Terminal Server: Designed for Windows Server environments with RDS and suitable for installation on Citrix servers. It includes the full Professional feature set.
• Server: Built for high-volume, server-side conversion. It uses multiple threads for simultaneous file conversion, and administrators configure settings through a shared printer.

The Professional, Terminal Server and Server editions are available with a 30-day trial. Licensed users download either a standard setup file or an MSI package.

Core features

• Virtual printer conversion: Installs as a system printer, so applications without native PDF export can still produce PDF files.
• Merge and rearrange: Combines multiple documents into a single PDF and allows pages to be reordered.
• Security: Applies password protection, sets user restrictions such as printing, editing and copying permissions, and creates digitally signed PDFs.
• PDF/A archiving: Produces PDF/A files intended for long-term preservation.
• Auto-save and actions: Saves output automatically to predefined folders. Actions can add cover pages, upload files via FTP, email files or run custom scripts.
• Profiles and user tokens: Saved profiles store conversion presets, and user tokens autofill values such as file names and target directories.
• Scripting and integration: Custom scripts written in C# can modify print jobs, and a COM interface is available in the Professional edition.

Practical applications

Because it works through the print function, PDFCreator can be used with most desktop applications, from office suites to image viewers. Profiles, user tokens and auto-save reduce manual steps for repetitive tasks such as invoice generation, archiving and batch conversion. The product is positioned for regulated sectors, including insurance, healthcare, banking and manufacturing, where batch processing of documents and PDF/A archiving are common requirements.

Deployment and administration

Commercial editions are distributed as MSI packages, which suit managed rollouts. Group policy support allows administrators to standardize settings across users. The Terminal Server edition targets Citrix and RDS environments in which several users need PDF output on shared servers.

Platform support

PDFCreator Professional runs on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7 SP1. PDFCreator Terminal Server and Server run on Windows Server 12, Windows Server 16 and Windows Server 22.

Limitations

• Windows only: The product is designed for Windows desktop and server platforms only.
• Commercial-only features: Group policy, advanced encryption, user tokens, custom scripts, COM integration and priority support are available only in the commercial editions.