PDF or Portable Document Format, is a file format which was developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing programs to make it possible for sending formatted documents and to have them appear on the recipient’s monitor or printer with a convenient view. In other words, it was developed for ease of document sharing on the Internet and to simplify printing of documents.
In this post I will provide you with an overview of some free PDF Readers which you can use to view PDF documents and to perform other tasks such as bookmarking pages, downloading and reading e-books, for getting web mail integration features and much more.
Adobe Reader X
Adobe Reader X (formerly known as Acrobat Reader) is perhaps the most commonly used PDF reader. It has been developed by Adobe systems, which is the same company which developed the PDF format itself. This makes Adobe Reader X a good option for viewing PDF files.
Features:
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Enhanced commenting tools
You can make notes and share your feedback with others by marking up PDF documents using the Sticky Notes and Highlighter tools.
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Industry-leading security
The security of Protected Mode in Adobe Reader, helps safeguard your computer software and data from malicious codes.
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High-quality PDF viewing on mobile devices
It allows you to Open PDF documents emailed as attachments, located on the web, or stored on a local drive of a computer, as well as your mobile device. It’s robust rendering enables accurate, high-quality viewing on any screen size.
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Zoom and scroll
It uses advanced multi-touch gestures to zoom in and out and to scroll up, down, left, and right on your mobile device.
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Reflow view
It allows you to View PDF content that is custom-fit to the screen width of your mobile device, hence eliminating the need for left-right scrolling.
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Accelerometer support
You can take advantage of this feature to automatically reorients a PDF in landscape or portrait view depending on the position of your mobile device.
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Online services
Directly access online services at Acrobat.com from within Reader X. Perform common tasks such as creating PDF files, securely sharing and storing documents, and screen-sharing.
Adobe Reader X works on
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Mac
- Android
- Sun Solaris
- Linux Based operating System
Download Adobe Reader X
Foxit Reader
The Foxit Reader is a feature rich PDF viewer which allows you to open, view, and print PDF files. Unlike other free PDF readers, Foxit Reader also includes easy to use collaboration features like the ability to add annotations, fill out forms, and to add text to a PDF document.
Features:
- Fast
It renders PDF files quickly and uses very little memory, which is especially important with today’s handheld devices, such as mobile phones.
- Lightweight
Foxit Reader has a small footprint which allows it to start up instantly.
- Secure
It is packed full of convenient and easy to use viewing, editing and printing features that make document collaboration simple. Foxit Reader’s secure platform insures worry free operation against malicious virus and provides a secure and reliable digital signature verification platform for exchanging electronics documents without putting users at risk from falsified documents.
Foxit reader works on
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows CE
- Pocket PC
- SmartPhones
Koobits
KooBits can open popular e-book formats such as PDF, EPUB, XML, HTML, KBJ, and much more. You can personalize your e-book with the Highlight and Stamp to mark important sections or use the Extraction tool to copy content and piecing them. Additionally, you can register an account with Koobits, and get a free e-book delivered to your Drop Box account every day.
Features
- Open most ebook formats
KooBits can open popular ebook formats such as PDF, EPUB, XML, HTML, KBJ, and more. Download now to enjoy an all-new e-book experience.
- Shelve your e-books
A collective shelf for your e-books is provided to read, organize, and manage all your ebooks in one place.
- Annotate and extract content
You can personalize your ebook with the Highlight and Stamp to mark important sections or use the Extraction tool to copy content and piecing them however you like in the scrapbook.
- Get free ebooks
Users can register an account with Koobits and tell the developers about what books you like, to get a free ebook delivered to your Drop Box every day. Each book is only available free for that day so make sure that you grab it quickly.
Koobits works on
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
Sumatra PDF
Sumatra PDF is a free PDF, XPS, DjVu, CBZ and CBR reader for Windows.
Features:
- Portable
Available in portable form.
- Opens PDF and Comic Formats
It open PDF, XPS, DjVu, and comic book formats such as CBZ and CBR.
- Quick Start up
Sumatra PDF is lightweight and starts up very fast.
- Simplified Interface
Simplicity of the user interface.
Sumatara PDF works on
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
Free PDF Reader
Gnostice Free PDF Reader is a free, fast, and portable application for viewing, printing and converting PDF documents. Free PDF Reader is powered by Gnostice PDFOne for the Java platform, which is a PDF component suite for Java developers.
Features:
- Multi-page viewing
- Supports most of the popular font types and image formats
- Displays ordinary and flattened form fields
- Renders all types of shape elements
- Includes page fit, zoom, and rotation options
- Provides advanced PDF printing options
- Has an icon-based navigation toolbar
- Can export PDF pages to popular image formats
- Has an integrated bookmark panel
- Is fast and light-weight
- Is portable – carry it in your flash drive
Free PDF Reader is compatible with
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Mac (OS X)
- Linux based operating system
Important Requirement: JRE 1.42 or later must be installed on any of the above mentioned operating system to run Free PDF Reader, since it is a Java based program.
I hope you liked my review regarding the above mentioned PDF Readers. You can send in your requests for guides and comparison posts which you might want to read and I will try to fulfill your request at the earliest. Which PDF Reader do you use? Feel free to leave your comments below.
