"Jezebel" wrote in message
...

"John" wrote in message
...
Do I really need all that just to create pdfs from documents?

Yes.

There are freebie versions around, but check their acceptability first if
you are using the PDFs for commercial printing or inclusion in
professional
publications. Some of the freebies create files that don't meet all the
technical requirements.

I agree.

I have found that even some well known programs do not do a good job of
producing PDF from Word.
For serious work, either buy the full Acrobat product, or, if you have the
resources to do so, find some way to assure the quality of some other
free/commercial product.

It will be interesting to see the quality of the PDF engine used in the next
version of Office. might suffice for many/most apps.