Nearly everyone that opens a PDF file will use Adobe’s Acrobat Reader. But have you ever wondered if there are any good alternatives to the widely used program? Here at PCToolbox we think we’ve found the ideal alternative in the Free Foxit PDF Reader (Download here).
The program involves a short and easy download/installation process. Once installed you can then get cracking.
Foxit’s has the usual features that Acrobat has…but of course the designers have put their own mark on the software by introducing new features. The actual interface (see right) of the program is simplistic with icons available to make the reader easy to use. You of course also have the option to use features through the usual menu/right-click routes.
A great feature is the annotation tool. This enables the reader to add comments and annotations to the pdf as they go along. It allows you to draw graphics, highlight text, type text and make notes. You can then either save the annotations or print a copy of with the comments included.
When you open the reader there is also a welcome screen (see right). This makes usage extremely easy.
One of my favourite features is the ability to use tabs (see below). I don’t know about you but if I’m using a PDF I don’t usually have just one open, I normally have several. Foxit have taken the idea of Tabs from the typical Internet Browser and applied it to PDF. So you can have several PDF’s open but in just one window! This means it’s considerably easier to move between files so the experience you have when using the software is much more pleasant.
Finally there’s the text converter. This ingeniously enables you to convert an entire PDF file into a simple text document. I think you’ll agree with me when I say that this feature can could definitely be a time saver!
I am tremendously impressed by Foxit and I really do think if people give it a try they’ll make it their first choice PDF Reader!