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Cute PDF

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:18 am
by zabaki
I always feel a bit bad about making new topics.

I have the theory that there is always someone who has had the problem that I have - so when i can't find anything on the forum, then i know its because I just didn't look hard enough D; But in the hopes that I am the first to ask this question, then here we go:

We have a clerk Pc which MLS is installed on and used to report tithing and what not. (don't know if you call that the administrative pc or what)

But - here is what we want - We want to be able to save home teaching sheets (showing which members you have to visit) as PDF files which we can send to each of the home teachers.

I know that other church PC use Cute PDF. I know that Cute PDF comes along with Desktop 5.5 and is pre-installed on some church PC's.

But when I asked the finans sec. today, he said we had to pay some $50 to get it and install it.

So - here is the question(s):
- Is Cute PDF authorized by the Church on their PC's?
- How do we get it? (is it ok to download it from their web site? or get it from Desktop 5.5 DVD or how?
- Do we have to pay for something which is free
- Is it ok'ed even though it is freeware.
- any other advice or something i need to know?


Thanks

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:56 am
by Mikerowaved
zabaki wrote:So - here is the question(s):
- Is Cute PDF authorized by the Church on their PC's?
Yes.
zabaki wrote:- How do we get it? (is it ok to download it from their web site? or get it from Desktop 5.5 DVD or how?
If you don't have it already installed (see below), you can download it from their website HERE. (Depending on your level of access through the church firewall, you may need to download it with a home PC and install it using a flash drive.)
zabaki wrote:- Do we have to pay for something which is free
CutePDF Pro is $49.95 and has additional features not included in the free version. For most things, the free version works perfectly fine.
zabaki wrote:- Is it ok'ed even though it is freeware.
Yes. The EULA for the free version allows for either home or corporate use without restriction.
zabaki wrote:- any other advice or something i need to know?
To see if it is already installed, go to Start --> Settings --> Printers and Faxes and look for the CutePDF printer.

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:03 am
by aebrown
zabaki wrote: So - here is the question(s):
- Is Cute PDF authorized by the Church on their PC's?
- How do we get it? (is it ok to download it from their web site? or get it from Desktop 5.5 DVD or how?
- Do we have to pay for something which is free
- Is it ok'ed even though it is freeware.
- any other advice or something i need to know?
Yes, CutePDF is authorized for stake and ward administrative computers and it is free. You definitely should not be paying for it.

On mls.lds.org (password required, which the stake technology specialist and stake clerk should have) there is a section called "Additional Local Unit Software" which says:
Each of the following is a free software package. Any or all of these may be downloaded and then installed on the local unit computer. Each link either connects directly to the official website for that program, or it will allow you to directly download the installer for that program. Please refer to the manufacturer's individual website for the download and use information, and instructions.
Among the items listed is CutePDFâ„¢ Writer. The link I copied directly from mls.lds.org, and it goes straight to the CutePDF site, where you can download the software for free. Even though it is authorized and free, you should coordinate this with the stake technology specialist.

P.S. Don't worry about starting new topics -- if you look for an answer and can't find it, you can always feel free to start a new thread to ask your question.

P.P.S. OK, so I'm a bit slow this morning and Mikerowaved beat me to it. But hopefully some of my information was helpful, too!

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 10:06 am
by lajackson
Mikerowaved wrote:. . . you can download it from their website HERE.
Be sure to download both the Free Converter (GPLGS8.15; 5.01 MB) and the actual CutePDF Free Download (Ver. 2.8; 3.36 MB).

You can put these two files on a flash drive, then copy them to the admin computer desktop. The install goes better if you run the Converter.exe first (the Free Converter) and then CuteWriter.exe (the actual CutePDF program).

After they are installed, you may remove the two installation files from the desktop.

And, as Alan said, you should coordinate this with your stake technology specialist first, but it is authorized software and very handy to have. It is so handy, in fact, that I use it at home all the time, as well.

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:04 pm
by nbflint
lajackson wrote:Be sure to download both the Free Converter (GPLGS8.15; 5.01 MB) and the actual CutePDF Free Download (Ver. 2.8; 3.36 MB).

I use CutePDF (free version) quite a bit but have never downloaded the Free Converter. Does it add additional functionality? What is the purpose?

Thanks!

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:33 pm
by Mikerowaved
nimebe wrote:I use CutePDF (free version) quite a bit but have never downloaded the Free Converter. Does it add additional functionality? What is the purpose?

Thanks!
CutePDF relies on Ghostscript as the "engine" to convert pictures and documents to the PDF format. If during the installation process of CutePDF some form of Ghostscript is NOT already installed, it will ask permission to download the Open Source version it offers on it's website and automatically install it for you. (You might not have remembered doing this step, as it works pretty smoothly.) Since not all church admin computers have unrestricted access to the Internet, this is one of the reasons lajackson wisely recommended putting BOTH downloads on a flash drive and installing Ghostscript first.

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:42 pm
by mkmurray
nimebe wrote:I use CutePDF (free version) quite a bit but have never downloaded the Free Converter. Does it add additional functionality? What is the purpose?

Thanks!
I think this is what lajackson is talking about...

But I do know that CutePDF requires another framework to do it's job. See this line in the Installation Requirements:
  • Requires PS2PDF converter such as Ghostscript (recommended).
    You can get the free GPL Ghostscript 8.15 here.
I remember this prerequisite being installed at the same time. In fact, I think the CutePDF installer might have gone and downloaded it for me during install.

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:54 pm
by jdlessley
nimebe wrote:I use CutePDF (free version) quite a bit but have never downloaded the Free Converter. Does it add additional functionality? What is the purpose?
Essentially the converter is a PostScript to PDF converter. This extends the PDF printing capabilities for the PostScript language. More information about all the added capabilities is available at the Ghostscript page. You can read about the CutePDF Writer at their web page.