Sonic Print Driver PDF Creation

The Sonic Print Driver method of PDF creation can be accessed in three ways. The first method is for a user to right-click on a file and then select the “Create PDF file with SonicPDF”. The second method is to select any “print” option and then to choose Sonic PDF as the print driver. Finally, for Microsoft Word or Excel, the user can select the “Create PDF” button or the “Create PDF File…” File menu option on the application interface to launch the print driver:

Right Click Method:

Print Method:

Sonic Button or File Menu Option on MS Word and Excel Interface:

After commencing the PDF creation process using the Sonic Print Driver – launched by one of the methods described above – the user can then proceed in the PDF creation process as described in the print driver section of “Tutorial…”

If the user wishes to change the default settings of the print driver, they should select the “Sonic Driver Options” available through the Sonic PDF folder accessed through the “Start” menu at the bottom left-hand corner of the Windows operating system interface.

The user will then be presented with the following options dialog:

“Auto Launch PDF Reader After Create PDF” – this option will launch Adobe’s standard PDF reader program, which is freely available from the Internet and installed on most computers, after the creation of a PDF using the Sonic Print Driver. The default for this option is selected. By deselecting this option, the PDF file will be created but not launched. In most cases, unless the default is changed, the file will be saved to the “My Documents” folder.

“Prompt Save Creation As Dialog” – this option will launch the “Create Adobe PDF File As…” dialog after the PDF creation process has been initiated using the Sonic Print Driver method. It is recommended that you leave the default setting selected, as it allows the user to confirm the file name and location of newly created PDF documents.

“Use Default File Name” – this option uses the file name of the source file being converted into a PDF document as the default for the new PDF file. For most people, this is the simplest system to track the creation of newly created PDF files. This is the default and recommended setting for the Sonic Print Driver.

“Replace Last File Name” – this option uses the file name of the last created PDF document as the default for the current PDF document being created. In certain instances, users may wish this to be the default.

“Always Create Secure PDF” – this option is for users that wish to always create Secure PDF documents. By selecting this option, the Sonic Security Wizard will always launch whenever a document is converted into PDF using the Sonic Print Driver method of PDF creation. The default for this item is to be deselected – users can always add security, on a case-by-case basis, by selecting the “Options” button on the “Create Adobe PDF File As…” dialog.

Advanced Options

Clicking on the “Advanced” button will launch the “Driver Options” dialog with advanced PDF settings, including topics such as compression, security, etc.

The “General” and “Security” tabs of the Driver Options dialog allow the user to enter the standard information to describe the PDF file and add security to a PDF file. However, in most cases it is best to leave these fields blank and to enter them on a case-by-case basis. Some fields, however, such as “Author” might never change, so it would make sense to enter them in the applicable entry box.

Note: Any changes made in the Driver Options dialog will apply to all PDF documents created using the Sonic Print Driver method. As such, only global changes, intended to apply to every PDF created using the print driver, should be made to this Driver Options dialog. It is possible to access the same options, on a case-by-case basis, by selecting the “Options” button of the “Create Adobe PDF File As…” dialog.

Output Tab – The Output Tab contains more detailed options for settings contained on the Print Driver Options dialog – specifically with regard to the treatment of the newly created, “Output” PDF files:

This dialog allows the user to specify the location for the default Output Folder. This folder can be changed by clicking on the “…” button. If a user wishes to skip the “Prompt Save Creation As Dialog” option – they should first determine the Output Folder destination before deselecting the “Prompt Save Creation As Dialog”.

When a PDF file is created and a file with the same name already exists, the user has options for the treatment of such files. They can automatically overwrite any similarly named files, they can request a prompt asking for confirmation when such a situation arises, or they can, by default, add a trailing number to the name of the file.

The user may also change the defaults for the remaining tabs: Fonts/Colors; Display; Watermark; Word/Excel; Page Setup; and Compression. Descriptions of these items may be found under the “View Menu – Options for Creation…” segment of the Section E of this Help file.