Someone please explain how to print to pdf

English Applications
1

I am running Suse 11 wtih KDE. I just want to be able to print a simple document or webpage to pdf format for file keeping. I would like to do this in the simplest manner possible such as file > print > print to pdf. Can someone please explain how to do this? Thanks

2

My experience is the capability to do this is dependant on two things:
a. your desktop, and
b. the application you are using.

In the case of kde-3.5.5 (openSUSE-10.2) or kde-3.5.7 (openSUSE-10.3) or kde-3.5.9 (openSUSE-11.0) if instead of printing directly to the printer or to lpr (like some applications do) you instead print to kprinter, then you are given the option to select PDF. Since many applications run on multiple desktops (ie kde, gnome, xfce, … etc … ) it does not make sence for the application developer to have the default print setting going to kprinter (which is kde specific). Hence kde users have to edit their applications printer configuration themselves to point the print jobs to kprinter, and thus in subsequent print efforts making it easy to print to pdf.

I can’t provide any advice for gnome, as I am not familiar with gnome.

3

KDE applications (Konqueror, Kpdf…) can print to pdf by default via the kprinter print dialogue. But I don’t have any idea how to “install” a pdf printer that is available for all aplications. I failed in Yast and in the cups webinterface. And when I point my print jobs to /opt/kde3/bin/kprinter it always tells me “nothing to print”.
malcolmlewis: thanks for the link. I’ll try this.

4

Hi
Have a look at this howto;
Printing to PDF
HOWTO

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.0 x86 Kernel 2.6.25.18-0.1-default
up 1 day 6:50, 1 user, load average: 0.27, 0.27, 0.51
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 177.80

5

If you can open your document in OpenOffice, you can “Save-As” a PDF (from the File menu), either the entire doc or a “Selection.”