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AfterDawn > Software downloads > Desktop > PDF > PDF24 PDF Creator > Version history

Version history for PDF24 PDF Creator

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Changes for v9.0.1 - v9.1.0

OCR: Option for automatic saving in the same directory
With this new option, the OCR tool is able to automatically save processed files in the directory where the file is located. This option can be very useful when processing many files.
OCR: Option for automatic saving in an output directory
With this new option, the OCR tool is able to automatically save processed files in a directory. This option can be very useful when processing many files.
OCR: Skip documents and pages with text
With this new option, the OCR tool is able to skip files or pages that already contain text. In this way, files are not saved with duplicate text.
OCR: Number, how many files are processed in parallel, is adjustable
This new option allows the user to set how many files should be processed in parallel. In this way, the user can decide how heavily his computer may be used.
OCR: Security prompts for unsaved files
When files are removed or when the application is closed and if there are unsaved files, a confirmation prompt is displayed.
OCR: Menu icon for each file
At the end of each line of a file entry there is a menu icon with further options for the file.
OCR: Show recognized text via the menu icon
The menu icon now contains an option to display the recognized text. This makes it easier to see which text has been recognized.
OCR: Error message if language information cannot be loaded
Language files and language information are downloaded from the Internet due to their size. If this fails, an appropriate message is displayed. Buttons for retrying or canceling are available.
OCR: Integration of a cache, for faster reprocessing
The cache makes a subsequent OCR process for the same file complete faster. This is especially useful if the options are changed later and the OCR process is restarted.
OCR: Faster processing
File processing is much faster with this new version than before. Sometimes files are processed almost twice as fast.
OCR: Tesseract Update to version 4.1.1
The new version of Tesseract fixes problems and brings improvements so that these new features also benefit the user.
OCR: GUI revised
The GUI is now slightly larger so that all new elements can be displayed.
The options area uses a flow layout to allow more options to be used in this area without wasting too much space.
There is a menu icon for each file with additional functions.
Icons in the toolbar were revised.
General: PDF Lib improvements
Further improvements have also been made to the PDF Lib, which is used internally in PDF24 for many tasks.
General: Password Cache to improve decryption of many files
Entered passwords are stored internally in the open program and will be used automatically when further documents are loaded. If several documents have the same password, then the password does not have to be entered again for these files.
Settings: Problem with duplicate entries solved
There is a Reload button in the settings area PDF Printer, Automatic Save, Profiles. Using this button has resulted in duplicate entries in the selection box. This problem is solved.
Creator: Automatic folder display when loading a file via command line
If a file is loaded in the Creator via command line, the folder where the file is located is displayed in the file explorer.
Reader: Fixed problem with date display in file information area
The minute in the date was not correct due to an incorrect formatting specification. This issue has been fixed.
Reader: Fixed problems when loading files with special characters in the name
PDF files with special characters in the name could not be loaded on some systems. There was a problem with the character encoding which caused these files not to be found. This problem has been fixed.

Changes for v9.0.0 - v9.0.1

Big update of language files
We updated every language file of the PDF24 Creator, which took some time because we had to do all the translation tasks of the freelancers. Now we are happy, that this task is done.
Fixed an error when displaying the file list in the Creator
In Creator, restrictions on the number of files in the list on the right side of the app have been fixed. We have seen that more than about 150 files caused problems with the container's scroll area and incorrectly placed file elements. We solved these problems, so now many more files can be added and processed.
Fixed wrong menu names in Creator
There was a wrong menu associated with the save file icon of the creator and this was a bit confusing. The function was correct, but not the name. This is fixed now.
Fixed incorrect file name when adding images to the Creator
The name of the image was lost during the conversion process and this was a bug. We have fixed this and now the Creator receives the file name again and displays the file correctly.
File list sorting method fix in the Creator
There was a minor bug with the sorting algorithm of files in the list of the file explorer in the Creator. This is also fixed now.

Changes for v8.8.2 - v8.9.0

Common: Format options dialog visually improved
The format options dialog is a larger component with dozens of options. Here we have room for improvement. We have optically improved the page tree on the left side and optimized some paddings and margins to make working with this component easier.
Common: User settings key name changes of the assistant and creator
There are some options in the settings related to the PDF printer assistant and the creator. We have changed the names of these settings to the new format we introduced in other components, so that they now use the new format with a prefix followed by a period.
Common: Single instance lock of the PDF24 Updater
We have implemented a single instance lock for the PDF24 Updater to prevent the Updater from opening twice. It does not make sense to have multiple instances of this application open.
Common: More options available in the settings UI
We have added some more options to the preferences interface. You can now also configure a fixed save directory used by the PDF printer assistant (assistant.fixedSaveDir) and you can tell the PDF printer assistant to use the name of the first file in the list when merging to a single PDF (assistant.joinFilesUseFirstName).
Common: Auto rotate pages are now enabled by default when converting PS files to PDF
PS files normally comes from the PDF printer, which we convert internally into the PDF format. Printing applications often adapt the orientation of pages to the standard paper formats, resulting in incorrectly rotated pages. For this reason, we have by default turned on the option to automatically rotate pages during conversion.
Common: MAPI mail interface now creates modeless dialogs
The MAPI mail interface now creates modeless dialogs so that the user is able to work with other windows. The outlook mail interface has already used this mode.
Common: Mail interface selection bug fixed
There was a bug in the mail interface selection code that wrongly switched back to the MAPI interface if the PDF24 mail interface was disabled through the settings.
Common: Reduced wait times of command processor
We could reduce waiting times of the shell command processor, which is responsible for calling other applications like Ghostscript. This should in some cases lead to slightly faster results.
Common: PDF printer auto save command templates
We have extended the PDF printer settings user interface page. We have added a selection box to select PDF printer auto save command templates to make it easier to set up a PDF printer configured in auto save mode.
Common: Option NoReader=1 did not work correctly
With the NoReader registry setting you can control whether the PDF24 Reader is visible in the PDF24 Creator or not. This option did not work correctly in previous versions. This has been fixed.
Common: Fix for a PDF security settings issue in case of an empty owner password
We have found a bug in the code that is responsible for applying the PDF security settings. An empty owner password leads to a small problem.
Common: Update to QPDF 8.4.1
We had opened a ticket at the QPDF project because QPDF did not handle umlauts correctly in file names. This has been improved in QPDF 8.4.1. Internally we now use this version.
Common: Update to Ghostscript 9.27
We had written a bug report to the Ghostscript team because older versions of Ghostscript had problems with some PDF files. The issue was font and color changes during PDF file reprocessing. The new version fixes this.
Common: Optimized PDF password encoding
We have optimized the PDF password encoding when locking or unlocking pdf files to fix potential encoding issues with some readers.
Assistant: Option for fixed save directory
The assistant now understands an option to use a fixed save directory when saving files to disk. This is the "assistant.fixedSaveDir" option that you can also configure via the settings interface.
Assistant: Remembers last save directory
The assistant now remembers the last save directory, but only if the "assistant.fixedSaveDir" option is not used and if no directory is associated with the current file.
Assistant: Special case for files stored in the temporary files directory
If the directory of a file is TEMP, then we do not set this directory as initial folder in the file selection dialog.
Creator: File explorer removed
We do not want to implement such a component anymore because the Windows file explorer is much better. This change is usually not a problem, as there are many good options for adding files to the creator now. Another advantage is the space, which is now available for the actually important part of the app.
Creator: New icons
There are many new icons in the interface and in the menus that beautify the creator and help you to work with the tool.
Creator: Less flickering, faster UI and optimized behavior
We also spent some time tweaking the creator UI. There is now fewer flickering, more responsive elements and a better focus behavior.
Creator: New shortcuts
CTRL+V to add files or images from clipboard.
CTRL+O to open files from file system.
Left button double click into the dark area also opens a file selection dialog to add files.
Creator: New drag & drop beahvior of selected pages
Selected pages can now be dragged and dropped into the Windows Explorer or other applications that accept files. Dragging and dropping pages uses the profile selection dialog with custom option to save the selected pages. This way, it's often faster than going through the full profile options dialog. The profile options dialog can be opened by clicking on the custom profile entry in the profile selection window. There, as before, all options and output formats are available.
Creator: Save icons also uses the profile select dialog now
The save file icons in the creator now also use the profile selection view, making saving files easier and faster now.
Creator: Import from clipboard option in "Add Files" menu
Import from clipboard is now available as option in the "Add Files" menu. THis option is enabled if the clipboard contains supported data.
Creator: File pages dialog container uses context menu from file dialog
You can now also right-click into the pages container of a file to open the context menü of the file.
Creator: Inserting blank pages before/after working again
You can use the context menu of a page element to insert an empty page before or after the page. It was broken, but it's working again.
Creator: Faster merging in certain cases
We have implemented special handling for special cases when merging files, resulting in faster results. Time is money, we know that.
Creator: Better readable font for file names
Normal font for filenames in file elements, making the filename easier to read. Previously, we used a bold font.
Creator: Fix for an artefact at the drag/drop here background image
There was a darker line under the picture, which was a bit confusing. The reason was a bug in the image loader. This is fixed.
Compress: File name suffix option
An option for a file name suffix is now available on the user interface of the PDF Compressor tool. This makes it easier to find compressed PDF files after you save them to disk.
Compress: Remembers settings
The PDF compression tool now saves the settings for the next startup. Now you do not have to change these settings again and again.
Compress: Frame title shows state
The frame title of the user interface now shows the number of items in the list and the number of already processed items. This makes it easier to work with dozens of files.
Compress: Improved processing of hundreds of files
We have improved adding lots of files to the list and we are now better to process all of them. The GUI behaves correctly now, stays responsive, shows the state and processes files asynchronously.
Compress: Fix for wrong Ghostscript command line argument
The Ghostscript command line argument for the AutoRotatePages options was wrong. The new Ghostscript version we use in this version of the PDF24 Creator gave us an error in tests. We have fixed this.
OCR: File name suffix option
An option for a file name suffix is now available on the user interface of the OCR tool. This makes it easier to find processed PDF files after you save them to disk.
OCR: Reset link in the footer
The UI footer now has a reset link that can be used to reset the status of the local OCR engine. This deletes downloaded files and the status in the user's APP data folder. The next OCR process restarts the status and reloads the files. This link can be used by the user if the OCR process reports errors or no longer recognizes text.
OCR: Error parser implemented
We've implemented an error parser into the OCR engine that checks for OCR tool output errors. If an error occurs, the OCR is stopped and errors in the user interface are displayed as a tooltip and via the context menu.
Reader: Productivity tools added
We've added some productivity tools to the Reader's toolbar to improve some workflows. There is now a new drop-down icon that shows all new options. Now you can forward the PDF from the Reader to other applications and systems. The following tools are currently available if enabled:
Send by E-Mail
Send by Fax
Load in Compress
Load in OCR
Load in Creator
Load in Cloud Print
Reader: New shortcuts added
CTRL+A marks the entire text of the most visible page. Then you can copy with CTRL+C and paste with CTRL+V elsewhere.
CTRL-S saves a copy of the PDF file
Reader: Copy text respects security settings of the PDF
The context menu for copying text is not available if the security settings prevent the copying of text. CTRL+C can not be used in this case either.
Reader: Fix for space key not working in form fields
This release includes a fix for non-working spaces in form fields. Spaces can now be used.
Reader: Form field highlight color
This release also initializes the highlight color for form fields, which is responsible for highlighting form fields. Now you can better see all form fields.
Reader: Update to current PDFIUM version
We were a few releases behind the latest PDFIUM version. We have updated this library to be up to date.
Reader: Save file tool initializes file chooser dialog
Save file copy tool now initializes file chooser dialog with the file's directory and name.
Reader: Fix for filled form fields not available when printing
This version also prints filled form fields, which was not the case in earlier versions.
Reader: Option to print as image now available
If you print a PDF and the print result is incorrect, or if you have problems with text or fonts, you can fall back to print as an image. This renders the pages to an image and sends the images to the printer.
DocTool: File sink improvements
We have improved the DocTool's file sink so that the default PDF printer can put files there more easily. This makes it easier for other applications to use this feature for automation.
DocTool: sendByMail handler now supports profile
We've extended DocTool's sendByMail handler so that profiles can now be applied before files are attached to an email. The profile application can be skipped by the special None profile. Now you can also convert files and attach converted files to the mail.
DocTool: Custom profile now available in the apply profile and join files handlers
The apply profile and join files handlers of the DocTool can now handle custom profiles. In this mode, the profile options dialog pops up where you can change settings before applying them to the files.
DocTool: Descending sort mode available
The DocTool now understands the command-line flags "-sort", "-sortAscending" and "-sortDescending". The "-sort" and "-sortAscending" switches instruct the DocTool to sort all files in ascending order by name, and the "-sortDescending" flag results in a descending sort.
DocTool: Lock/password protect PDF files tool added
The DocTool provides the interface to the file tools and there we have added a new tool that you can use to password protect PDF files easily.

Changes for v8.8.1 - v8.8.2

Faster language selection field in the OCR tool
We have over 100 languages available for selection in the OCR tool, which can be selected via the selection box. The list is now long and the loading time of the list was slightly higher than it should be, which was not so easy to use when working fast. We have optimized here. The language selection box is now fast again.
Correction for an un-inserted OCR text layer in previously compressed PDF files
In previously compressed PDF files, we were unable to merge the OCR text layer with the actual PDF. Here we have also optimized to eliminate this problem. OCR is now also possible with PDF files that were previously compressed.
Correction for overlay / underlay for PDF files with compressed PDF objects
Merging a PDF with compressed objects was problematic and we had problems with it. This problem has been solved and we are now able to merge PDF files here as well. This feature is the basis for the paper and overlay feature in the software.
Correction for Overlay / Underlay using the "Repeat Last Page" feature
The problem has crept in one of the last versions. If the option "Repeat last page" was used, the two PDFs were not merged correctly. This problem is now also out of the world.
Correction when sending files to PDF24 cloud services
Sending faxes to the PDF24 fax service and sending files to the PDF24 online converter resulted in an error. We investigated and fixed the problem. Users using these features should upgrade to PDF24 Creator 8.8.2.
Version 8.8.1

Changes for v8.8.0 - v8.8.1

PDF24 PDF printer Windows service optimized
We have optimized the PDF24 PDF printer Windows service. The aim was to make it more robust, as some users have reported problems. Some optimizations have been implemented and we hope that this service will now run even more reliably than before.
OCR: Configuration implemented to use only installed language files
In version 8.8.1 the OCR tool was extended by an option, so that only locally installed language files may be used. This prevents the reloading of language files from the internet. This option is advantageous for companies, because in this way the individual users do not load the same language files into their user profile, but there is a central place with these files. This option has not yet been documented and if you are interested, please submit a request in the PDF24 help area.
OCR: Using the single file save dialog when there is only one file in the list
If only one file was processed in the OCR tool and the result is then saved, then the single file save dialog is used here. This behavior is more user-friendly.
Compress: Using the single file save dialog when there is only one file in the list
If only one file was processed in the PDF compress tool and the result is then saved, then the single file save dialog is also used here. This increases user-friendliness.
OCR: Suffix for file names when saving
When saving files in the OCR tool, a file name suffix can now be added automatically. The suffix can be stored in the settings under the name "ocr.saveFileSuffix". So far there is no option in the settings area, so that you have to insert this value manually in the Windows registry.
OCR: DPI option now available as parameter
On the OCR tool, the DPI option is now visible and can be used to better tune the OCR process. By default, the recommended 300 DPI value is set.
OCR: DPI and profile options are remembered
DPI and profile values of the OCR tool are now saved in the user settings and restored the next time the OCR tool is started.
Compress: Suffix for file names when saving
When saving files in the PDF shrink tool, a file name suffix can now also be added automatically. The suffix can be stored in the settings under the name "compress.saveFileSuffix". So far there is no option in the settings area, so that you have to insert this value manually in the Windows registry.
PDF Merge: Optimized profile selection dialog in file tools
The recently added Skip button in the profile selection dialog has been removed. Instead, a new profile was inserted, which implements the "Merge only" function.
QPDF: Upgrade to version 8.4.0
Improvements of the QPDF version 8.4.0 are partly included in the PDF24 Creator. Necessary adjustments in PDF24 Creator due to changes in QPDF have been implemented.
Security settings are now supported more finely by QPDF. With this we can now also use these with finer granularity.
QPDF: Status output is now visible in the debug console
With these changes the output of QPDF can now be viewed in the debug console. This will help you to find possible problems.
Unlock Tool: Password no longer contained in the command line
Removing passwords uses QPDF. QPDF is started and the password is transferred. This password is no longer passed on the command line, but via a different way, so that the password can no longer be viewed from the command line.
PDF24 Reader: Fixed issues opening protected PDFs
An attempt is now made to use passwords with different encodings to load a password-protected PDF file. This helps when loading PDF files with incorrect password encoding.
Option to keep annotations enabled by default
To ensure that links and other annotations contained in PDF files are not lost during merging, annotations must be retained. This option is now enabled by default.
PDF reduction tool structurally revised
The user interface of the compression tool is now better separated from the actual shrinking process. In this way, some functions behave better.
OCR Tool structurally reworked
The user interface of the OCR tool is now also better separated from the actual processing process. Here, too, some functions behave better in this way.
OCR and compression tool set initial storage folder to input file folder
When saving individual files, the initial folder in the file selection dialog is set to the folder of the input file. This behavior is somewhat more user friendly.
PDF Merge: Solved problem with rotated pages
A problem has been discovered and fixed that occurred when merging PDF files with rotated pages. Here it came partly to a wrong orientation of pages.
Creator: Solved problems loading locked PDFs
A correction for loading certain PDF files that did not pass the unlock step correctly has been added to the Creator.
Improved deletion of temporary files in the creator
Deleting temporary files in Creator sometimes failed. If, for example, a file is still being processed, it cannot be deleted. We have optimized here and adapted processes so that the temporary files are also deleted in these situations.
Solved problems closing the PDF compression tool
Closing the PDF Compression Tool has been improved because some temporary files were not deleted in rare cases and could crash on very rare occasions.
Problems with closing the OCR tool fixed
Fixes a problem with not removing temporary files in the OCR tool when the tool is closed before all files have been processed.
Umlauts in the file name were problematic
QPDF is used to remove passwords from PDF files. The support of umlauts in file names is not yet well supported by QPDF under Windows. In the PDF24 Creator we have made changes to avoid problems in this context.
Fixes a problem when printing large files on the PDF printer
If large files are printed on the PDF printer and the print job is larger than 2 gigabytes, then the assistant was not opened and the large temporary file of the print job remained in the file system and was not deleted. This problem has now been fixed and the print job can now be larger than 2 GB.
OCR: Text layer was not oriented correctly with some PDF files
This version brings a correction for rotated text layers for pages that are already rotated in input files. Here we did not adjust the text layer correctly to the rotation of the source page. This problem has been fixed.

Changes for v8.7.2 - v8.8.0

OCR component added
An OCR component has been finalized and integrated into the PDF24 Creator. This component lets you recognize text in scanned files and images and save the text information in the PDF so that the PDF is searchable and text can be copied. This feature greatly extends the possibilities offered by the PDF24 Creator.
Supports multiple languages that can be loaded on demand to avoid inflating the installer unnecessarily.
Supports the use of profiles to apply further processing after text recognition, e.g. to save as PDF/A.
Multiple files can be processed in parallel.
The status and remaining processing time is displayed.
PDF Reader: Go to page area feature optimized
The X-axis is now also set correctly, so that the jumped area in the window is now always visible.
PDF password removal with timeout
If a password cannot be removed or if the component that removes the passwords no longer responds, the function will abort after a certain time and return an error.
Save profile for the quality level HIGH added
The quality level HIGH lies between GOOD and BEST quality. Now there are 5 standard quality levels.
Better colors when choosing a memory profile
In the GUI component, where you can choose a save profile, the colors of the links have been optimized to make them better readable.
Right click in the header area of the file list of the PDF compress tool has opened an invalid context menu
The context menu applies to file entries in the file list, but is invalid for the header area. This has been improved.
Profile application can be disabled when merging files into a PDF using the file tools
If you only want to merge PDF files without reprocessing, you can now skip the profile application. A corresponding button is now available in the user interface. The file tools can be accessed e.g. via the PDF24 file context menu in Windows Explorer.
Improvements in the PDF Printer assistant
The communication with the PDF compression tool has been improved. If the tool is already open, the new file is processed there and not in a new instance.
A certain status window now displays a correct file name instead of a temporary one.
A memory leak has been fixed, but this was hardly noticed because the application is usually closed after saving a file.
Many minor improvements under the hood
In this version, many minor improvements have been incorporated into components that are not visible from the outside.
Temporary file was not deleted in PDF compression tool in a certain state
There was a case with the PDF compression tool where a temporary file was not deleted. This problem is fixed.
Sporadic crash of the compression tool
Closing the PDF compression tool could crash in certain situations. This was repaired and the problems were solved.

Changes for v8.7.1 - v8.7.2

PDF Reader: Drop support to open PDFs
PDF files can now be dragged into the PDF Reader to open them. This simplifies opening PDFs in certain situations.
PDF Reader: Word selection by double click
You already know this from other PDF readers: Select a word by double-clicking it. This feature is now also available in PDF24 Reader.
PDF Reader: Language selection improved
In the last versions the language selection in the PDF24 Reader was not as we would like it to be and there were occasional problems with the choice of the correct language file. Here we optimized and solved problems.
PDF Reader: Annotations are now visible
Previous versions did not display annotations in PDF. In this version, the annotations are now displayed.
PDF Reader: Improved image scaling for icons
The image scaling mode for toolbar icons and mouse pointers is now BICUBIC. This results in better image quality on different screens.
PDF Reader: Smaller Info-Bar Close Icon
On some screens the close icon of the info bar was a bit too big, which was due to problems with scaling with different DPI levels. This has been improved. The icon is now the same size on all screens.
PDF Reader: Text selection improved
The text selection algorithm has been improved for a better user experience. More and better heuristics are used to improve the text selection compared to before.
PDF Reader: Nicer cursor images
We did not like some cursor pictures yet and now we have more beautiful pictures in use.
PDF Reader: Zoom scroll behavior improved
The zoom scroll behavior has also been improved. For better usability, the X-axis is now scrolled automatically when zooming. This means that manual readjustment is now less necessary.
Updater: Minor enhancements
We have made minor improvements to the Updater to be more selective in the delivery and selection of updates. This gives us more leeway with the update distribution.

Changes for v8.7.0 - v8.7.1

 Info window added to sidebar in PDF Reader
The sidebar in PDF24 Reader has been given an info window that displays general information, security information, document info information, metadata information and fonts for the opened PDF. With it we deliver a feature which is gladly seen and which we also gladly use.
 Sidebar in PDF Reader now uses icons instead of tabs
The sidebar in PDF24 Reader no longer uses tabs, but icons, similar to Adobe Reader. These are more flexible and we can use much more elements in the sidebar than before. A new element has already been mentioned above and more elements will follow here to make the PDF24 Reader even better.
 The openwithprogids registry entry can be disabled by flag
Since version 8.7.0 the PDF24 Creator contains a slim PDF Reader. The installer registers this reader in Windows. For this an openwithprogids entry is added to the file type PDF. This entry can now be suppressed by a flag on the command line. With the EXE installation program this is achieved by the argument /NoAddOpenWithProgIds. For the MSI package you have to use the statement ADDOPENWITHPROGIDS=NO.
 Adobe Reader no longer displays PDF24 signature
Adobe Reader no longer displayed the signature created with PDF24, although it was correct. This version fixes the problem and the signature is visible again.
 Length of font map names reduced
The length of fontmap names must not exceed 100 characters in Ghostscript, otherwise errors will occur. The fontmap generator has been adapted accordingly so that only fonts with a shorter name are included.
 PDF Printer Assistant was not always started in the foreground
The PDF printer assistant was partially not started in the foreground in the last version. We have added another statement to bring the wizard to the foreground.
 Delivery of Ghostscript 9.26
Ghostscript 9.26 is recommended by the Ghostscript creators, because there are security problems in the previous versions, which will be fixed with version 9.26. Since we always pay attention to security, we now deliver this version.

Changes for v8.6.1 - v8.7.0

Feature: PDF24 Reader completed and integrated
We have completed our PDF24 Reader and created a first version. The PDF24 Reader is a component for displaying PDF files. It is a slim and resource-saving PDF reader that can quickly display PDF files. This PDF Reader can be used as a replacement for other software. A PDF Reader was still missing. Now it's here and it is no longer necessary to install additional software to view PDF files. The PDF24 Reader fits seamlessly into PDF24. The PDF24 Reader currently offers the following features:
Open, view, save and print PDF files
Different display modes such as one page, two pages, two pages and cover page
Page preview and page tree
Navigational elements
Zoom in, zoom out and rotate pages
Search in document
Selecting and copying text
Creation of snapshots
Resource-saving and without unnecessary ballast
Feature: Remove PDF password tool added to file tools
The file tools have got a new tool to remove password protection from PDF files. The prerequisite is, of course, that the password is known. So this tool is not there to crack passwords. You can open the file tools via the PDF24 Launcher or via the Windows Explorer file context menu.
Feature: Loading password-protected PDF files
This feature was requested by some users and here it is now. Loading and using password-protected PDF files is supported in various areas with this version. This includes the Creator, the Assistant and the Compression tool. Whenever a password-protected PDF is used, a password entry field appears to remove the PDF protection and to process the PDF further.
Optimization: Many new icons
Many components of the software have received new and uniform icons that look better and more modern. The sub-components include the Launcher, the PDF printer assistant and the file tools.
Optimization: Improved GUI rendering and bug fixes
The component rendering the UI has also been improved. The new component is now faster and behaves better and faster when displaying elements. The difference is noticeable, especially with larger elements such as the Save As profile area.
Optimization: New toolchain in use
Internally we have updated our toolchain and now compile with current compilers. This makes some components faster and the software more fluid in some areas. With the decision to no longer support XP, we were able to take this step.
Optimization: Installer extended
There was also some work on the installer. The PDF24 Reader, which is also registered in Windows, has been integrated to create a link to the PDF file type. The two Print and PrintTo Shell commands for the PDF24 Reader are also created. On the command line, the /NOREADERREG argument can be used to prevent this registration if this is not desired.
There is also a nice and modern PDF icon which is used for the PDF file type if the PDF24 Reader is the standard software for PDF.
Optimization: QPDF component updated to version 8.2.1
The new version of QPDF contains some updates, which are indirectly included in the PDF24 Creator.
Optimization: Compression tool now shrinks PDFs even better
The PDF compression tool is now even better at shrinking PDF files. This makes PDF files even smaller than before. We have also adjusted the compression parameters to get even better and more expectable results. In the UI of the tool we removed the info icons and connected the tooltips directly to the form elements.
Optimization: Many more smaller optimizations
There are a number of other smaller optimizations, which don't all have to be mentioned here. That would make the list very long. Version 8.7.0 is a major update with many minor improvements.
Windows XP support is no longer guaranteed
Many software vendors have already done so, and so have we. Windows XP is no longer supported from version 8.7.0. Users of Windows XP should therefore use a version smaller than 8.7.0. With this change, we are now able to run a bit faster because we no longer have to worry about whether certain elements are present in XP or not.

Changes for v8.6.0 - v8.6.1

BugFix: Ghostscript updated to version 9.25
Some bugs have been fixed in the current Ghostscript version and it is recommended to use the latest Ghostscript version. The PDF24 Creator now uses the current Ghostscript version and delivers it with the installers.

Changes for v8.5.0 - v8.6.0

Feature: Option to disable certificate creation
The software offers the possibility to create a self-signed certificate to sign a PDF. This option can be deactivated. For this you have to set the DWORD value NoSelfSignedCertCreation=1 in the settings in the registry.
You can also set the DWORD value NoCertManagerAccess=1 to hide the links to open the certificate manager.
Feature: Merge function in assistant can use name of first file
The DWORD value AssistantJoinFilesUseFirstName=[1|0] can be used to control whether the wizard should use the name of the first file for the merged file when merging files.
Optimization: More options can be configured in the HKLM area for all users
For further options, the HKLM area can now be used to store configurations centrally for all users. This means that almost all relevant options in the HKLM area are now possible.
Optimization: Some error messages are now more meaningful
Some error messages are now more meaningful and partly contain recommendations to solve the problem.
BugFix: Code page in the debug console fixed
Special characters and umlauts were not displayed correctly. The code page was incorrect. This is now fixed.
BugFix: Fixed scrolling problem in the page extraction interface
Some documents could not be scrolled down far enough so that some pages were not visible. This problem has been solved.

Changes for v8.4.2 - v8.5.0

Feature: PDF/A-3 format added
The PDF/A-3 format can now be used in the Save As dialog.
Feature: 256 Bit AES security integrated
This version brings the 256 bit AES security. You can now encrypt your PDF with 256 bit AES and protect it with a password. This makes PDF files even more secure. The 256 bit AES mode can be selected in the PDF Security section.
Feature: File name query in the mail function
A query of the file name for the mail function in the wizard is available again. This makes emailing a file a little easier. There is also an option to disable this function in case someone does not want the new query.
Optimization: Better hint dialog when a file cannot be converted
During the automatic conversion to PDF it can happen that a file cannot be converted. In this case, there is a hint dialog. This is now a little more detailed and contains tips on how you can still convert a file.

Changes for v8.4.1 - v8.4.2

BugFix: Fixed problem with page number position in settings
There was a problem in the page number position display. The position was not displayed correctly. The problem is solved in this version.
BugFix: Solved problem with the option to open PDFs in Creator
Print jobs were always opened in the Creator if the app was open, even if the corresponding option was not activated. This problem is now fixed and the option in the settings is now implemented correctly.
BugFix: Update mode setting was written to the HKCU area
The update mode setting is written correctly into the HKLM area of the registry again. An error in the logic had led to it, then this got into the HKCU path. You can only change the update mode if you are running the settings as admin.
Improvement: Usage of Ghostscript 9.2.3
This version includes the current Ghostscript 9.2.3. Improvements in this version also benefit the user.
Improvement: Tray Icon behavior optimized
Double click on the PDF24 tray icon opens the PDF24 Launcher. Right click on the icon opens the context menu.

Changes for v8.4.0 - v8.4.1

BugFix: Fixed an error when determining file names via the printer interface
File names could occasionally not be determined if the PDF printer had to cope with hundreds of print jobs in a short time. We have analyzed and fixed a problem here, so that the file name should now also be correctly determined in such an application case.
Optimization: File size limitation for the Online PDF Converter interface
So that very large files are not accidentally transferred to the Online PDF Converter, we have implemented a limitation of the size here. The limit is usually not noticeable, but serves as a protection to give very large files.
BugFix: Some other minor fixes
Fixed an issue with user overriding PDF printer parameters. There was a fix in the context menu in the Creator. PDF24 Windows Service has been corrected to improve startup behavior.

Changes for v8.3.0 - v8.4.0

Optimization: Messages in PDF printer Windows Service improved
The PDF24 PDF printer Windows Service has been improved. In the event of an error, this should help to find errors better. The messages are now better displayed in the Windows Event Viewer.
BugFix: Wizard is not started when the mail feature is disabled
If the mail feature was disabled in the settings, the wizard could not start anymore. This problem is fixed.
Optimization: Under Windows XP, the option 'Current user' is selected by default in the settings
Under Windows XP, there is still the older permission management and there, an admin always has the elevated rights in an application. In newer Windows versions you have to start explicitly with elevated privileges. We use this distinction to make a default selection between 'All Users' and 'Current User'. Since this is not possible under Windows XP, 'Current user' is always selected here by default.
Feature: Configurable memory profiles for all users
Save As profiles can now be stored for all users in the HKLM area of the registry. These profiles are then available to all users. A user cannot change such a profile. The cross-user profile location is located under the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\PDFPrint\Profiles\fo registry path.
Be careful when copying user profiles. The 'pdf-ownerPass' and 'pdf-userPass' properties are encrypted in the user profile, so that only the user can see the passwords. With profiles in the HKLM area we cannot reverse this encryption and therefore the passwords must be stored unencrypted there.
Feature: CropBox/TrimBox can be used
Version 8.4.0 comes with a Crop function. This allows you to set the CropBox and/or TrimBox in the PDF document. In the Save As dialog you can define the corresponding parameters in the crop section independent of the paper format. It is now possible to add crop for the print shop with this new feature. The distances to the paper format edges are configured. X mm are removed from the edges of the current paper format and stored as CropBox/TrimBox in the PDF.

Changes for v8.2.4 - v8.3.0

Optimization: PDF24 Windows Service error behavior configured
The PDF24 Windows Service is now better configured. The error behavior options are used to restart the service when problems occur. This migration is intended to fix problems experienced by some users who have reported problems with a broken PDF printer. The changeover is intended to ensure error-free operation.
Feature: Screen Capture function can be disabled
Some companies would like to disable the Screen Capture feature, but this has not been possible before. Now you can deactivate this function. To do this, the DWORD option NoScreenCapture=1 must be set in the registry or the corresponding option must be deactivated in the settings on the Features page.
Feature: Sort function in the assistant and file tools
In the icon bar above the file list in the assistant and file tools there is now also an icon for sorting the files in the list. This function is useful in certain cases.
Feature: Elements of the FileNameErasements can be separated by : and |
Normally, a line entry was used to enter the elements of the FileNameErasements. It was possible to enter a text per line, which is removed from the determined file name via the printer interface, in order to remove texts transmitted by the printing program as a prefix or suffix.
The settings are in the registry and the input of lines can lead to problems, because some configuration tools do not support this. In order to solve this problem, the input can now be done using the separator : and also |. These separators are now also supported in this version.
Optimization: UI Design Updates
In the UI design there were some optimizations in this version to adapt the buttons, check boxes and radio buttons to the Windows design. We think that users will find this better.
Optimization: Save button in profile dialog now shows successful saving
When saving profiles in the Save As dialog box, there was no feedback of a successful saving when using the Save button. Here we have optimized something. The button changes the color to green for a short moment. This then gives the user the feedback that the storage has taken place.
Feature: Default profiles can be selected in Save As dialog
Until now, it was not possible to select standard profiles in Save As dialog and load them. This version brings this feature and the default profiles can be selected next to the user profiles.
Feature: User profiles are now supported in server mode when saving automatically
If it is not possible to save in the user context during server operation, the user profile cannot be loaded from the registry of the user. We have made improvements here. User profiles are now possible if they are specified in the settings area of the software. The settings pane loads the user profile when it is saved and stores it in the printer configuration so that the profile can be used when it is automatically saved in server mode. If you change the user profile in the user, you have to reopen the settings as an admin and save the printer configuration so that the changes take effect.
Feature: Option to block overwriting of PDF printer settings
In the PDF printer options there is now a parameter to prevent the user from overwriting the PDF printer settings. This option is only visible if the settings pane has been opened as administrator. If this option is set, a user cannot overwrite the PDF printer settings. A corresponding message is displayed to the user.
Feature: Language can be stored centrally in the HKLM area
A language can now also be stored centrally in the program configuration in the HKLM area. This is possible with the new settings area. This language is then used as the default language. This avoids the determination of the user's language based on the user profile.
Feature: Auto Save option to save under a specific user
The configuration for automatic saving to a PDF printer now also allows you to specify a user for automatic saving. This is useful if only a special user has the necessary rights to save. If you use this option, the pdf24.exe has to run under this special user, so that the PDF24 printer service can forward print jobs to this user.
Optimization: UI design updates in the settings interface
There were some updates in the preferences interface to improve the design. The Apply button is now also visualized to show the user that the settings have been applied successfully.
BugFix: Layout Engine bug fixed
The Layout Engine had an error in a calculation, which led to distortion of the interface under certain circumstances, especially when modifying the windows in size. The problem is fixed. Some of the user interfaces are now even more fluid.
Feature: Add Profile and Reload Profile buttons in the settings on the Auto Save page
In addition to the profile selection box, there are now also new buttons with which you can create a new profile and reload the profiles in the selection list. In this way, you have quick access to the profiles and can create new ones and use a newly created profile.
Feature: Settings can now be made for all users or only for the current user
In the settings interface, there is a new selection box at the bottom of the page, which allows you to control who should use the settings. 'All users' and 'Current user' are available for selection. This way you can set settings for all users or only for the current user. The 'All Users' option is only available if the current user has opened the settings as administrator. In the title of the window you can see whether the settings are open as admin. The word ADMIN is added to the window title.
Feature: New features page in the settings area
In the settings area there is a new page where you can activate and deactivate features of the software. With this page you now have a central place to quickly and easily activate or deactivate certain features. Previously, this could only be done via various settings in the registry.
Feature: Mail function can be switched off via the settings
In the settings in the Features area you can now also switch off the mail function completely. For example, if a company does not want this option, then there is now an option.
Feature: Option to delete erroneous print jobs
In the Features pane, you can also enable an option to have faulty print jobs removed by the PDF24 Windows Printer Service to prevent them from blocking other print jobs. Sometimes it may occur that a print job is incorrect and blocks other print jobs. If you do not want to worry about faulty print jobs, you can use this option to remove them.
Feature: Delayed bring an application to the foreground as an option
Delayed bring an application to the foreground can be disabled in the Features section of the Preferences. The delay ensures that an application comes to the foreground after a certain time after new files arrive, so that the user recognizes the new files and knows which application has received the files. If you don't want this feature, you can now disable it.
Optimization: Updates in many language files

Changes for v8.2.3 - v8.2.4

Improvement: Delievers Ghostscript now
The PDF24 Creator now ships Ghostscript 9.22 with the PDF24 Creator. The new version of Ghostscript fixes many bugs. Changes in Ghostscript often also affect the PDF24 Creator, because Ghostscript is used for many operations.
Improvement: Keep annotations Option is now disabled by default
This behavior corresponds to the behavior of older versions. Ghostscript 9.21, which was shipped with PDF24 Creator 8.2.3, has generated PDF files where the text could not be marked correctly. Disabling this option has fixed the problem, but with the current Ghostscript 9.22, correct PDF files are now generated when the option is enabled.
BugFix: Layout engine had problems with bottom margins in relation to DPI scaling
If the DPI scaling in Windows was set to > 100%, then in some interfaces the bottom borders of some elements were not calculated correctly. This problem is fixed.
Improvement: PDF24 Windows service no longer available after major Windows update
In case of major Windows updates, the PDF24 Windows service is apparently removed. Windows apparently deactivates some services and resets the setting of services when a major Windows update is installed.
In the case of PDF24, this caused the PDF printer to stop working and the service could not be started because it was no longer available. The message, that the service is not active, is now a bit smarter. If the service is no longer available, then an attempt will be made to reinstall the service instead of just restarting it.

Changes for v8.2.2 - v8.2.3

BugFix: PDF/A2 documents could not be created
In the last version, PDF/A2 documents could not be created. There was a problem with an onfiguration here. This version fixes this issue.
Improvement: PDF24 Windows service message box now in foreground
If the PDF24 Windows service is required but is not started, a message pops up. Partially, this message has appeared in the background, so that it was not noticed. This should now be corrected.
Improvement: Language file updates

Changes for v8.2.1 - v8.2.2

BugFix: Ghostscript TEMPDIR issue fixed
This version fixes an issue with the TEMPDIR environment variable, which is used in Ghostscript. Some applications set this variable during the installation and this can lead to problems in Ghostscript. We can deal with it now.
Improvement: Option to keep annotations
There is a new option in the save as dialog under the PDF output filter to keep annotations or to merge them with the content. You can now control whether to keep them or not. If this option is not checked, then the annotations will be merged down into the content. This flattens the PDF.
Improvement: DPI issue in rename job dialog fixed
The GUI interface to rename a job in the creator did not scale on high DPI screens. We have fixed this issue and the interface scales now correctly.
Improvement: Focus behavior in save as GUI interface improved
Some input fields have lost the focus in some specific circumstances if you have moved the mouse around. This was sometimes annoying. This version brings the improvement in the behavior.
Improvement: Windows file explorer context menu extension sorts files by default
Files could be unsorted in the GUI interface of the Windows explorer file context menu extension if you have opened it on multiple files. We have improved that and the interface now sorts the files automatically so that you e.g. can join the files in the right order directly without to change the file positions.
Improvement: Window placement improvement on Creator restarts
The creator now stores the current placement of the GUI interface in the users profile so that this placement can be restored during a restart of the app. If you work with multiple monitors and if you close the Creator on a specific screen and if you reopen the creator, then the GUI interface opens on the screen where you have closed it.
Improvement: Notification on stopped PDF24 Windows service and available print jobs
If the PDF24 Windows service is stopped and if you then print on the PDF printer, the print job will hang in the printer queue and can not be delivered. The PDF24 backend now checks that and gives you a notification that this required service is stopped. There is also a button in the message which you can use to restart the service. Some users disable this service and wonder why the PDF printer is no longer working.

Changes for v8.2.0 - v8.2.1

Improvement: Print job name of print tool changed
The print tool in the assistant and the creator now uses the name of the printed file as print job name in Windows.
Improvement: Use the online converter if no PDF printer is installed
The DocTool now asks to use the online PDF converter in case that there is no PDF printer installed on your computer which can be used to convert to PDF.
Improvement: Scanner import tool can be disabled
The scanner import tool can now be disabled via the NoTwainImport (DWORD) option in the settings.
Improvement: Message if the PDF24 Windows service is not running
A message is now shown if the PDF24 Windows service is not started and if there is a pending print job in the printer queue of the PDF printer. The message says that this service is required and there is a button in the message to start the service.
BugFix: Cloud print error in assistant
The cloud print tool in the assistant resulted in an error and the tool could not be used. This is fixed.
BugFix: Rendering of buttons improved
Buttons were not rendered correctly if the Windows DPI scaling was used. We have fixed this issue and buttons looks good now on systems with standard 96 DPI and higher values.

Changes for v8.1.4 - v8.2.0

Feature: Windows DPI scaling are now supported
The PDF24 Creator now supports the Windows DPI scaling. All users with high DPI screen, which also use the Windows DPI scaling, will recognize the new clear interface.
This modification was the largest change in this version. We have overworked every graphical user interface to make it DPI aware and to look good on normal as well as on high DPI displays. We have also made some additional improvements which we have seen while we have overworked the components.
Feature: Toggle button in the page extract dialog
The new toggle button is on the top right of the GUI. You can use the new button to toggle the current selection of the pages. This eases the work with this tool.
Feature: Not usable elements are better visualized
There are some elements in the assistant, the compression tool and in the file tool GUI that can't be used depending on the current state of the component. These elements could simply not be clicked in previous version, but they were not displayed differently. We have optimised here and we now work with an opacity to make them a bit transparent. You can now easily see which elements can be used and which not.
Feature: File tools can be invoked from the launcher
The launcher has a new button that you can use to open the file tools. A lot of users do not know these tools because these tools are hidden in the Windows explorer file context menu.
Feature: Automatic image compression option
The PDF output filter has a new option to automatically select the image compression. This new option produces sometimes better results and smaller PDF files.
Improvement: A lot of new icons
We use a lot of new icons in different components that can also be used on high DPI screens. You will find new icons in the creator, the PDF preview and in the launcher.
Improvement: Output filter dialog optimized
We have made some changes in the output filter dialog. The left menu e.g. highlights the current selection so that you can better see what you have selected.
Improvement: Larger buffer to select more files at once
We now use a larger buffer for the file selection dialog so that you can select more files at once. Some users reported that older versions where a bit to limited here.
Improvement: Page extract component produces smaller PDF files
The page extract utility now creates smaller PDF files, especially when the files contain images. We archived this due to an better image compression.
BugFix: File icons issue fixed
The file tools (Windows explorer context menu -> PDF24) shows icons for selected files. Sometimes these icons was not visible or a generic icon was used. We have fixed this issue.
BugFix: Simple page element view in the creator was broken
The simple page element view did not layout the page elements correctly, so that insert bars did not work correctly and that rotated page elements caused overlappings. We have fixed this.
BugFix: Interchanged labels at the watermark options
The mode labels (above or below the content) was interchanged in the German language file. This is fixed.
BugFix: Tooltip issue fixed when the window is in background
Older versions had a problem with tooltips when the application window was in background. Some tooltips were shown when the mouse was hovered above the elements even if the window was in background of another window.

Changes for v8.1.3 - v8.1.4

BugFix: Bug fixed regarding the Windows Font support from version 8.1.3
The PDF24 Creator 8.1.3 supports Windows fonts better than older versions. We have analysed this new feature again because we got some bug reports from users and we have fixed some problems.
If you have problems with your PDF24 Creator 8.1.3 and if you can not create PDF files or if you see blank pages, then you should update to version 8.1.4. This version should fix these problems.

Changes for v8.1.0 - v8.1.3

Improvement: Windows Font support improved
The PDF24 Creator 8.1.3 improves the support for installed Windows fonts. The installer scans available fonts and saves that information, so that these fonts can be found later.
If you have problems with Windows fonts or if some fonts get replaced with others, then you should try this version. The chance is high that this version fixes your font issues.
Version 8.1.2
(05.04.2017)
BugFix: Windows XP support was broken
A change in version 8.1.1 led to a broken windows support. A component could not be used on Windows XP so that some parts of the program could not be used. We have fixed that problem in version 8.1.2 and all users who have this problem should update to version 8.1.2.
BugFix: Profile selection layout in profile selection interface was wrong
Some shell tools (right-click on a file or folder -> PDF24) use a profile selection box to select an output profile. The layout of this box was wrong. User profiles were layouted vertically and wasted space. We have fixed the layout and user profiles can now fill the entire row before they break to the next line.
Version 8.1.1
(31.03.2017)
BugFix: Bugs regarding tooltips fixed
We have fixed some bugs regarding tooltips in the user interfaces. A window could loose the focus due to the tooltips handler which lead to unwanted flickering in the window. These problems are fixed.
BugFix: Usage of Ghostscript 9.21
This version installs and uses the current Ghostscript 9.21. That fixes some problems at loading and saving PDF files. Users reported that PDF files sometimes could not be created or that PDF files only contains one page with an error. These errors could occur when files pathes or Windows user profile names contain umlauts or other special characters.
If you have these kind of problems, then you should update to this version. We recommend an update because umlauts and other special characters are often existing and the error probability is not low.
BugFix: Issues with app calls on the command line fixed
We had some problems with white spaces in file pathes which could lead to problems on the command line and wrong application calls. We have fixed some places in the code where these problems could occur. Problems could be that some files could not be loaded or processed.

Changes for v8.0.4 - v8.1.0

Feature: Page numbering feature added
Page numbers can now be added to PDF files automatically. We have continuously developed this feature in the past and now it is ready for use. The Save-As dialog contains a new sections where you can configure the page numbering options. These settings can also be stored into an output filter profile. The page numbering feature is extremely helpful, when you merge or join multiple files and if the final file shall have page numbers.
Feature: Watermark/Stamp texts with placeholders
Watermark and stamp texts can now have some placeholder. The PDF24 Creator replaces these placeholders before the file gets saved. Currently, placeholders for time and date are available. You can use this new feature to realize e.g. a date or receipt stamp.
We have also improved the watermark function to the effect, that it can also be used together with the new page numbering feature of this version.
Improvement: Language files and core functions
Under the hood, we have optimized and improved some core parts to make them better and more secure. We have also updated the language files and we have done some foundation works for future versions.

Changes for v8.0.2 - v8.0.4

BugFix: PDF printer was not always usable under Windows XP
The PDF printer was not always usable under Windows XP. Some users have reported problems with Windows XP. We did not notice this kind of problem at first. We have used a fresh system to analyze this issue. The bug is now fixed and the PDF printer from version 8.0.4 can now be used under Windows XP again.
Improvement: Info text "Not started as Admin" on the PDF printer settings page
In the PDF printer settings section, it is relevant whether or not the settings have been started as a user with extended admin rights. If you start the settings without admin rights and if you change the settings on the PDF printer page, then the changes apply only to the current user. If, on the other hand, the settings are started as admin, the changes in this area apply to all users. This distinction must be taken into account when configuring a PDF printer.
Some users have reported that auto save mode did not work with shared PDF printers. Since version 8, a Windows service is used for the PDF printer handler. This service usually runs under the special user LocalSystem. If a print job arrives via a shared PDF printer, then there is no user context in this case. If the PDF printer is configured for a specific user only, then these settings can not be used because the reference to this user is not available. The PDF24 Windows Service can therefore only use the settings created for all users.
It is strictly necessary to configure a PDF printer as admin if you share that printer. In the settings area, there is now an information text, so that this distinction is pointed out. You can also directly start the settings as admin via a link in the information text.
Version 8.0.3
(15.12.2016)
BugFix: Loading of PDF files with small errors
The loading of PDF files with small errors was broken in version 8.x. We have investigated this issue and we have found the bug. This version fixes this, so that version 8.0.3 can load PDF files with small recoverable errors again.
Improvement: A lot of language files updated
About half of the over 30 language files are now up to date and all texts of these files are translated. The other half contains some untranslated texts. If the application finds an untranslated text, then the corresponding English text will be used instead. We update language files on a rolling basis and we bring new language files with new versions.
Improvement: Issue with file extensions fixed
We have overworked some code parts where it comes to replacing file name extensions. The problem is to find out whether the file name has an extension or not. This version looks for registered extensions in the system and if an extension is registered then the application replaces the old extension with the new one. If the extension is not registred, then the new extension is simply appended.
BugFix: File Explorer Drag & Drop Bug of folders fixed
If you wanted to move a folder by dragging and dropping them to the new place, then it could happen that the application moved the wrong folder, the folder below or above, depending on the move direction and where the name was clicked. We have fixed this bug.

Changes for v7.9.0 - v8.0.2

Improvement: Optimizes terminal server features
The PDF24 Creator 8.0.2 mainly optimizes features, which are relevant for the usage on terminal servers and multi-user environments. The optimizations also fixes some potential bugs in these features.
Version 8.0.1
(08.11.2016)
BugFix: PDF printer could not be used with Word
The PDF printer could not be used together with Word, but with other software. The PDF printer was available in the list and could be selected, but after selection, the list view was curiously empty. I think other Microsoft products have the same behavior. We have fixed this issue. If you use the PDF24 Creator 8.0.0 then you should update to the new version 8.0.1.
Version 8.0.0
(07.11.2016)
Feature: Option to overwrite existing files added to the auto save feature
The auto save feature could not overwrite existing files. If a file with the same name was already available, then a new unique name was generated under which the file was saved. Sometimes, overwriting existing files is desired and therefore we have added an option by which you can control that behavior. The option can be changed in the settings pages of a PDF printer.
Feature: New function in the PDF24 tray icon
Version 8 brings back some functions of the tray icon which were present in some older versions of the software. You can right-click the tray icon to open the context menu and then you can see all the functions of that icon.
Feature: Uses Ghostscript 9.19
The new PDF24 Creator installs and uses the latest Ghostscript 9.19 and the changes of this Ghostscript version are automatically part of this PDF24 Creator version.
Feature: Information shown when an image is copied to the windows clipboard
The screen capture function can copy captured screen images to the windows clipboard. When you use this feature you will now get an information box after the image is available in the clipboard.
Feature: Online PDF tools accessible from the launcher
The PDF24 Online PDF Tools (https://tools.pdf24.org) are now accessible from the PDF24 launcher. We have added a new tile in the app. The user can now get faster to the tools. You can disable this new tile via the DWORD value NoOnlinePdfTools=1 in the config.
Feature: Tooltip of a page element in the Creator shows the source file of the page
When you assemble a new document, which means when you drag images from one file to an other one, then you could not see from what file a specific page comes. The new PDF24 Creator shows that information in the tooltip of the page element.
Feature: Progress bar improved
The new progress bar has the ability to visualize a new state which is used if an operation takes longer than expected. The new mode is used after a specific time limit exceeds. The user then can see, that the operation takes longer than expected.
Feature: File icons added to the file tool
The file list of the file tool (file context menu -> PDF24) now shows file icons. This makes the tool friendlier and users can better distinguish between the files.
Feature: File operations of the file tool can be canceled
File operations of the file tool (file context menu -> PDF24) can be canceled by hitting the cancel button. The cancel button stops the whole operation and not only the current action. If an operation is consisted of a lot of actions, then you could click a lot of times until you would get the whole process terminated. The new behavior is better and easier to understand which makes the tool more attractive.
Feature: Batch processing of the file tool optimized
The batch processing mode of the file tool has been optimized so that it is now easier to use this tool. The operation window is now shared between the particular actions. Opening and closing new operation windows is no longer necessary. The benefit is a smoother process without the annoying opening and closing of windows. This makes it possible that the process can run in the background and you could do other tasks in the meantime. All the changes makes the tool ready for batch processing of multiple files.
Feature: Fax profile can be selected
There is now a fax profile which you can use if you want to save a PDF file with the quality of faxes. If you need a PDF files for faxing then you can use the fax profile which generates a PDF with a quality level of faxes. The new fax profile can be enabled/disabled by the config key NoFaxProfile (DWORD) [0, 1].
Feature: Delete print jobs with errors
Under a Windows system with multiple users it can be possible that a print job of one user can block print jobs of other users. If that happens, only an admin can unblock the printer by deleting the blocking job. This new PDF24 Creator can do this automatically. The config key DeleteJobsWithError (DWORD) [0, 1] can be used to enable and disable this feature. The feature is currently disabled by default. If you need that feature you can set DeleteJobsWithError=1 and then print jobs with errors will be deleted so that no print job can block others.
Feature: Save automatically under a specific user
You can now configure a PDF printer to automatically save files using a specific user. This can be done via the key AutoSaveUser (REG_SZ) of a PDF printer configuration. If you need to use this feature (e.g. because only this specific user has the necessary access rights) then you have to do the following:
Add a printer or use the default PDF printer and enable the auto save feature
Add the key AutoSaveUser to the config of the PDF printer in the windows registry and set the user name under which to save the printed files
Start a session under this user
Start the pdf24.exe in this user session
Print jobs of this PDF printer will then be send to this specific user where the PDF files gets saved.
Feature: pdf24.exe as a Windows service
The pdf24.exe can now run as a Windows service which has some nice advantages. Running as a Windows services fixes some multi-user issues from older versions. This Windows service is then the server for all PDF printers. All print jobs are handled by this service and gets redirected to the user where the GUI application opens. This fixes several issues. If e.g. a user has stopped his pdf24.exe process then the service can restart the pdf24.exe for the user so that the user can get his print job. This was not possible in older versions and if a user had stopped his pdf24.exe then the print job could not be redirected to the user which resulted in a print job stalling in the printer queue.
If you still need the old behavior, then you can switch back by setting ServerPerUser (DWORD) [0, 1] in the application config. The PDF24 service can then be stopped.
Feature: Cloud Print feature added
The assistant contains a new tile to print a document in the cloud. When you click on this tile, then the document will be transmitted to the PDF24 cloud print service app where you can print the file using a cloud print provider. This function can be disabled by the config key NoCloudPrint (DWORD) [0, 1]. Simply set NoCloudPrint=1 and the new tile is no longer available.
Improvement: A lot of core PDF functions optimized
Version 8.0 optimizes a lot of core PDF functions and fixes some potential bugs and deadlocks. Merging, splitting and assembling of PDF files should now run a lot faster.
Improvement: Creator loads files faster
The new Creator loads files a lot faster than older versions. We could eliminate the pre-loading step which gives the main performance boost. When you switch to version 8 you will notice that files now loads really quick and you will see the preview a lot faster. This helps you to work a bit faster with the Creator.
Improvement: File preview in the file explorer of the creator accelerated
The preview mode of the file explorer in the creator now loads preview images faster. Older versions could also have some special issues with the generation of the images and this version fixes that.
Improvement: PDF/A and PDF security can't be used together
The PDF/A standard can't have security enabled. The PDF24 Creator handles that and does not apply security settings when PDF/A is selected as the PDF version.
Improvement: Installer shows better status texts
We have added some more status texts to the installer so that you can now ollow the installation better.
Improvement: Time estimation of some operations optimized
We have optimized the time estimation of some operations in the application. The progress bar of these operations should now be more realistic. If an operation takes longer than expected, then the progress bar switches over to the new special mode to visualize an unknown end time.
Improvement: Faster print function
We could also accelerate the print function due to parallel processing of tasks. The print function is now often twice as fast.
Improvement: Faster merging of files
We have optimized the merge function and we could accelerate the process a bit. Merging of files should now be a bit faster.
Improvement: Improved calling Ghostscript and the Doctool process
The operating system limits the command line to a number of characters. When you process a lot of files, then this limitation could cause an unexpected result. We have optimized that and now you can process as many files as you like. You can now e.g. use the file tool (file context menu -> PDF24) with hundreds of files to batch process them. Windows explorer limits the number of selectable files to 100. If you would like to process more files with the file tool, simply copy all files into a folder and open the file tool on that folder. All files in that folder will then be used in the file tool.
Improvement: Optimized printer job file name determination
There where some issues with the file name determination under multi user environments. Sometimes a file name of a print job could not be determined if more than one user was logged in to the system. We have investigated the reason and we found the problem. The bug is now fixed and version 8 should provide the right name of the print job.
Improvement: Flickering in the file tool removed
The file list of the file tool could flicker a bit when the GUI was used. We could find the reason and we have fixed that.
Improvement: Language files updated
Language files are now up to date, but there are still some language keys which are not translated. We will update the language files with newer versions after we have finished our translation tasks.
Improvement: Operation window optimized
The operation window could run into a deadlock under some special circumstances. This problem is fixed.
Improvement: DocTool command line is now case insensitive
Case insensitiveness eases the usage of the doctool and that's the reason for this change.
Improvement: Online converter requests are no longer limited to one file
Online converter requests can now contain more than one file. The latest version of the online converter can process multiple files per request and this version of the PDF24 Creator uses this feature to submit more than one file if required. You no longer need to submit every single file, in order to get your files converted to PDF online.
BugFix: Tool-tip issue of hidden tiles in the launcher fixed
Tooltips of hidden function in the launcher came up when the user moved the mouse in the window. If you had e.g. disabled the fax function (NoFax=1) then the tile of this function was no longer present in the window but the tool-tip was still be shown when you moved the mouse above the actual position of the tile. This was a bug in our layout engine and we have fixed that.
BugFix: Profile selection did not show anything if the last used profile was deleted
Normally, the last used output profile is selected in the profile selection list view on the next start of the application. If the last used profile is no longer available then no profile was selected. We have optimized that behavior and now we select an other profile instead.
BugFix: Output profile PSD 150 DPI was broken
The 150 DPI option of the PSD output filter was broken. The problem is fixed now.
BugFix: PDF passwords can now contain umlauts
PDF passwords with umlauts were not encoded correctly so that a secured PDF file could not be opened with the same password. This version fixes this bugs and you can now use umlauts in your passwords.
BugFix: Fixes an issue regarding file icons
We have fixed an issue regarding file icons. Sometimes file icons could not be shown in the GUI. We have overworked relevant code parts and we could fix that issue. If you have problems with invisible file icons, then update to version 8.

Changes for v7.8.0 - v7.9.0

Feature: CTRL+V support within the Assistant and compression tool
The Assistant and the compression tool now supports CTRL+V to add files. Drag & drop support was already available in older version and CTRL+V is now a second option.
Feature: Compression tool now accepts all file types
The compression tool now accepts all file types and not only PDF. Everything what can be converted to a PDF file can be compressed with that tool. If a file is not a PDF file then the compression tool converts the file first and compresses afterwards. Users do no longer need to do that manually.
Feature: Compression tool added to the assistant
We have added the compression tool to the assistant so that you can send the printed PDF file directly the the compression tool to tune the size of the PDF file.
Feature: A file can be dropped to the PDF24 Launcher
A file can now be dropped to the PDF24 Launcher. The Launcher then sends the file to the Creator where you can do something with the file.
Feature: Config option EmailInterface can be used in the HKLM config section
The config key EmailInterface can now be globally set in the application config section under the registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PDFPrint and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PDFPrint respectively. It's a bit easier for companies to set the option there instead of setting it for every user separately.
Feature: Extended the printer installer tool
We have extended the PDF printer installer application. We have added two new commands to install a driver only and to set a config of an existing PDF printer. We have also added a fax config profile which is now used for the fax printer which should improve fax results.
Improvement: New Windows Explorer context menu extension
We have implemented a new shell file context menu extension. We no longer use the cascading file context menu. When you open the context menu in your Windows Explorer you will see the PDF24 menu entry. When you hit that menu entry then a special PDF24 GUI opens where you can select a tool to run. This new mechanism is better for the PDF24 Creator. We are now a bit more flexible, we do not fall under the Windows limitations and extensions are easier to add.
Improvement: PDF printer description improved
We have improved the PDF printer description to fix custom paper size and orientation issues. We have also added new paper formats.
Improvement: Improved loading of multiple files within the creator
We have overworked the multiple file loading feature in the creator. The creator no longer pops up after each file loaded. Only the last loaded file brings the creator to the foreground so that you know when the last file is finished. The creator can now work in the background and you can do other things in the meantime.
Improvement: Author no longer automatically added to a PDF
When you save a file with the Save As dialog you can set document information like author, title and keywords. The document information section can be enabled and disabled. If this section was disabled, the created PDF file often contained an automatically generated author field based on the windows user name. We have modified that behavior and we no longer use that automatically generated author information.
Improvement: Auto rotate pages option are made more intelligent
The auto rotate pages option of the Save As dialog is no longer always enabled by default when you save a PDF file with the Creator. This option was enabled by default in earlier versions, but in some situations it's better to disable that. A lot of users forgot to disable that option after they have applied a custom rotation and so they got a final PDF file with an automatically applied rotation which could be wrong. We have optimized related parts and we now disable that option automatically when the user uses a custom rotation.
Improvement: The continue button of the Save As dialog now has the initial focus
The initial focus of the Save As dialog is now on the continue button so that you can hit the enter button to continue if you do not want to make changes in that dialog. A lot of users informed us that this would be a nice improvement for a future version for those who want to work a bit faster here.
BugFix: Files in the compression tool can no longer be added twice
A file already in the list of the compression tool can no longer be added again. You could do that in earlier versions but that was rather disadvantageous than beneficial.
BugFix: Fixed the debug console
Since our compiler changes the debug console could no longer handle line feeds correctly. The debug console could not be used with that bug. We have analysed related parts and we have fixed that issue and now the console prints out correctly.
BugFix: Fixed an app crash when printing a range of pages
Printing a range of pages could cause an app crash due to a logik bug in the page selection code. We have fixed that problem. Printing of the whole document and printing of selected pages worked as expected without errors.

Changes for v7.7.0 - v7.8.0

Improvement: PDF Printer settings page improved
Settings of the PDF Printer page are now automatically applied when you change the current PDF printer or when you add a new one.
Feature: Variable $printerName added to the auto save feature
The new variable $printerName can be used in the auto save configuration. This variable will be replaced with the PDF printer name on which was printed.
Feature: PDF24 Mail Interface added
We have added the new PDF24 mail interface which you can use as alternative to the other ones. The other interfaces requires a locally installed mail application such as Outlook to send mails. A lot of users do not use such an email client. That's the reason why we have added the PDF24 Mail interface. This is a online service which can be used to send mails with PDF24.
Feature: Enable/Disable components via a HKLM
You can now enable/disable components via the registry settings under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PDFPrint or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PDFPrint.
Feature: NoUserOverride Flag added
The flag NoUserOverride can optionally be used in the printer service settings to prevent users from overriding the configuration of a PDF printer.
BugFix: Fixed Load on Creator option
You can select the application which opens when you print on the PDF printer. There is an option for the Creator. Sometimes the assistant opened instead of the creator because of a bug in the tool selection function. We have fixed that issue.

Changes for v7.6.4 - v7.7.0

Feature: Support for multiple PDF printers
We have added support for multiple PDF printers. The changes of the software were a bit larger but now the feature is available. The installer installs you one PDF printer. More PDF printers can be added via the PDF Printer settings page. There you can find a PDF printer manager where you can manage and configure your PDF printers.
Improvement: Several minor improvements and fixes
This version brings some minor improvements and fixes. The following have also been changed:
Drag & Drop into the bottom bar of the Creator could crash the application
Fixed windows size issues of two GUI dialogs
PDF Printer installer tool extended and improved
GUI rendering engine extended so that the new PDF printer manager could be implemented
Improvements and adjustments of the installer

Changes for v7.6.3 - v7.6.4

BugFix: Subject was not set in the Outlook OLE email interface
The new Outlook OLE email interface did not set the subject of the new mail object. The older MAPI interface does that. We have changed that, so that the subject is now the same as in the MAPI interface.
BugFix: Fixed issues regarding showing/activating the GUI's
We have fixed some issues with the GUI's. The Creator e.g. lost the maximized state at startup or when a new document was available. Sometimes the GUI's did not get activated when a new PDF was printed on the PDF printer, especially when the application was minimized. We have fixed several issues here.
BugFix: Click on the tray icon always opened the Launcher
A right click on PDF24 tray icon opens the context menu of that icon. If you clicked elsewhere on the screen to close the context menu, the PDF24 Launcher always opened. That was a bug and we have fixed that behavior.
BugFix: Fixed issues of the print feature
We have optimized the print feature of the Assistant and the Creator. The new version is a bit faster (sometimes twice as fast), shows a better status and fixes an issue with the "Print multiple copies" options.

Changes for v7.6.2 - v7.6.3

BugFix: Print action of the Assistant did not applied the selected profile
The print action of the assistant did not applied the selected profile, so that e.g. the digital paper has not been combined with the actual file. The problem is fixed.
BugFix: Click on the embedded image could crash the application
A click on the embedded image of the application windows could crash the application. We have fixed that so that a click on the image now behaves correctly.
Improvement: Language file updates
We got some new translated texts and we have update the corresponding language files. Five language files more are now up to date.

Changes for v7.6.1 - v7.6.2

Improvement: Screen Capture (user defined area) optimized
We have optimized the user defined area mode of the screen capture feature again. We have seen some more places where the tool wasn't that robust.
BugFix: GUI engine issue fixed
There was another small bug in the GUI engine which we have fixed in this version. The TAB key can normally be used to move the focus between the input fields but the bug caused an application crash instead.

Changes for v7.5.0 - v7.6.1

BugFix: GUI issue of the Creator fixed
The Creator has a small bar at the bottom of the application window which was sometimes not visible so that you got odd GUI effects. We have fixed that problem in version 7.6.1.
Version 7.6.0
(28.01.2016)
Feature: Outlook OLE Email Interface as an alternative added
This version brings the new email interface Outlook OLE as an alternative. The new interface requires an installed MS Outlook on your computer. Older versions can only use MAPI as interface but MAPI has some issues when Outlook is the mail software. New Outlook Emails created via MAPI does not add signatures automatically. That's bad for users because they have to do that manually. The new Outlook OLE interface fixes that problem. You can switch to the new interface by changing the corresponding option in the settings. The new interface does not work if Outlook is not installed.
Improvement: Screen Capture feature optimized
We have tuned the Screen Capture feature a bit because users reported some odd effects with the new GUI. Sometimes the GUI was visible after the Start button has been hit. This version fixes that. We have also slightly extended the GUI.
BugFix: Window size issue fixed
In some cased the GUI engine had a problem to calculate the correct windows size. The size was sometimes some pixes to high which resulted in odd rendering effects. We have fixed that problem.
BugFix: Fixes issues with PDF-A and PDF-X generation
We have overworked the generation of PDF-X and PDF-A files which was incorrect in the last versions. Files generated with last versions did not pass all validation checks. We have overworked the relevant parts so that this version generate better files. You have to pay some attention with respect to the color model. You can select the model when you save a PDF file. When you want to generate a PDF-A file then you have to choose an ICC profile. The intended color model of that profile must match the selected model in the Save As dialog. Example: If you select an ICC profile which requires CMYK then you also have to select the CMYK color model in the dialog in order to generated correct PDF-A files.

Changes for v7.4.1 - v7.5.0

Feature: New Launcher added
The Launcher is now a central element in the PDF24 Creator. The launcher is a small tool where you can see all the available tool of the PDF24 Creator (Creator, Assistant, Compression Tool, ...) and where you can open it. The PDF24 Creator contains several tools and now you have a tool which list all them and where you can open these tools.
Older setups installed you some icons in your windows so that you could open the PDF24 tools. This new version does not install these old icon shortcuts because we now have the new launcher. Now, the installer only installs you one icon shortcut which opens the launcher where you can open a specific tool.
Extension: GUI engine extended and improved
We have extended and optimized the GUI engine so that we can now do some more things with that engine. We have improved speed, fixed some layout bugs and added new features. You can now also use the TAB key to move the focus between input text fields. The overall speed of the new GUI should be better.
Extension: Paper size ArchE1 added to the PDF printer
We have extended the PDF printer description so that you now can now also choose the paper format ArchE1.
Extension: Drag & Drop of files into the Assistant
You can now drag & drop files into the file list of the assistant. You can drag & drop every file which can be converted to PDF. The file will be converted to PDF if the file isn't already a PDF file and shown in the list so that you can perform actions on that file.
Extension: Added more languages to the installer
We have added Ukrainian, Slovenian and Norwegian to the installer.
Improvement: Screen Capture feature overworked and improved
We have improved and extended the screen capture feature which is build in. We have added a GUI for that feature which helps to take screen captures. The GUI opens when you click on the screen capture button within the new Launcher. There you can select a mode and a target and you can start taking a screen capture.
The user defined area mode now supports multiple screens. You can select an area on each available screen which is connected to your computer. You can now also cancel the user defined area mode by hitting the ESCAPE key. We have also optimized the visualization of that mode. When you enter, you will notice the new light white transparent overlay on your screen. When you select a rectangle with your mouse, then we redraw that selected area without that overlay so that you can easily see what you have selected.
Improvement: Tray icon improved
We have also overworked the tray icon because the new features of this version made some of the functions located in the tray icon redundant. When you right click on the tray icon you can open the context menu of that icon. You can no longer do that with a left click. We have stripped-down that menu and we have removed all elements except the open and close one. A double click on that icon now opens the new launcher mentioned above.
Improvement: Highlight color in the file list of the assistant changed
The color is no longer the odd blue one because that does not fit into the design. We have changed that to a light gray. This is now also consistent with the PDF compression tool.
Improvement: Image export improved
When you export a document as an image file format, then the exporter creates a new directory where the pages gets stored. Each file in that directory represents a single page of the exported document. When the document itself only contains a single page, then you will now get a slightly different behavior. In this single page case the application now uses a second step which removes that directory and which saves the single file under the name of that directory, directly as image file. That is what most users desired.
Improvement: Assistant or Creator PDF printer targets
We have improved the PDF printer behavior in case of selecting the right tool for the printed file. If the assistant or creator is the foreground window than the printed file will be opened there. If both tools are open and none of them is the foreground window than we choose the tool depending on your settings. If only one tool is open, then we load the file there.
Improvement: Language file updates and corrections
We have updated and extended all language files. Some parts of the language files are still untranslated. If you like the PDF24 Creator and if you have some spare time then you could support this project by translating some text elements. There are some easy to read language files in language folder of the software which you can open with a text editor. Send us your translations so that we can update our files.
Bugfix: Application goes into background
A user has reported a bug that his application goes into background when he prints on the PDF printer. We have analysed that and we have fixed the relevant part which causes that. Now that should no longer happen.
Bugfix: Fixed a bug in the dialog of the join files feature
You can join you files by the PDF24 context menu option. This join feature lets you select the output file. When the output directory contains the name PDF, then the dialog behaved wrongly. We have overworked this part so that the behavior should now be correct.
Bugfix: Compression tool could rotate pages
The PDF file compression tool sometimes rotated pages in a PDF file. That behavior is wrong because this tool should not affect page rotation. It should only compress PDF files. We have fixed that is this version. The orientation of pages should be kept as is.

Changes for v7.4.0 - v7.4.1

BugFix: A document could be shown in a wrong user session in a multi-user environment
If an user had closed his pdf24.exe and printed on the PDF printer then the printout could be shown in an other user session. That was wrong. We have fixed that in version 7.4.1. Now, if a printout can not be shown in the right user context, the printout remains in the windows printer queue until the file can be printed or until the user removes that document there.
BugFix: Missing quotations marks at the autostart entry
There where no quotations marks at the pdf24.exe autostart entry. We where told that this is required. We have added these ones.

Changes for v7.3.1 - v7.4.0

Feature: New tool to compress PDF files
The main change of this version is the new PDF compression tool. This tool can be used to compress existing PDF files by manipulating some parameters which reduces the size of PDF files. The tool is very easy to use. Just open it, add PDF files, modify the default settings if you like and have a look at the resulting size. If the new size is acceptable, save the compressed PDF files. You can also open the compressed file to ensure that the quality of the compressed file is good enough.
Improvement: Operating window optimized
We have optimized the operating window because we have seen some problems under certain conditions. The window could block an operation and could not be closed in that state. We have overworked the relevant parts so that the problem should be fixed.
Improvement: Optimized determination of printer job file names
If the name of a print job is very cryptic or if the name represents an URL it's a bad decision to choose that name as a file name because the name can also contain some bad characters. The file chooser dialogs warns the user in that case. We have optimized a bit here. We replace bad characters and use alternative names if the name is very long.
Improvement: Tooltips improved
The software uses tooltips to explain the tools. Tooltips in old versions where a bit limited. We have improved that parts so that tooltips can now also be multi-line and displays at better positions. Now we can show better and longer texts which helps to understand that tool better. The new compression tool uses the new tooltips.

Changes for v7.3.0 - v7.3.1

Uses again the older Ghostscript 9.14
This version installs and uses the slightly older Ghostscript 9.14 instead of the latest version 9.16. We have seen some problems with Ghostscript 9.16 so that we decided to switch back. Problems with Ghostscript 9.16 are the following: Unable to load files with umlauts. Unable to process some PDF files with minor errors whereas Ghostscript 9.14 can process them.

Changes for v7.2.0 - v7.3.0

Extension: F2 key to change the name of a document in the creator
You can now change the name of a document by pressing the F2 key when you have selected a document in the document list. You can select a document by clicking on it. The F2 key opens a form where you can enter a new name.
Extension: Auto generation of owner password
To apply PDF security settings an owner password is required which you had to enter in the form. You now can apply security settings without to enter this password. The PDF24 Creator generates a random one for you when you leave the password blank.
BugFix: Change of PDF printer tool
The PDF printer tool could sometimes not be changed via the preference pages of the application. This was a bug and we have fixed that. Users who had errors should now be able to change the tool.
BugFix: First try to fix the "Error writing to output file" error
Some users could not save PDF files. They got the error "Error writing to output file". We do not know the exact reason why that happens but we have an idea what could cause that error. This version tries to fix that bug.
BugFix: Not removed temporary files
Sometimes the creator where unable to delete some temporary files which where used by the application. We have found two new places where that could happen and we have implemented a fix for that.
Improvement: New logic to load files into the creator
This version brings a new logic to load files into the creator. Some users have reported that they had font and character issues when they merge files. We have found a solution for that with the new file loading mechanism. The new procedure is a little bit slower than the old one but not too slow and fixes the mentioned bugs.
If you feel bad with the new procedure you can reactivate the old behavior by pressing the CTRL key while loading a file or you can change the registry DWORD value CreatorDirectPDFLoad to 1 within the user settings of the app.
Improvement: PDF security now possible together with file enclosures
Automatically appending and/or prepending a file to the actual one could not be combined with PDF security options. The generated PDF file had no security settings applied. This is now possible.

Changes for v7.1.0 - v7.2.0

Extension: Print function added to the Assistant
The Assistant has got a new function. You can now print a document directly from the Assistant on a printer available in your system. That is a cool thing, e.g. to use the PDF printer as print preview. Print on the PDF printer if you need a preview. The Assistant opens. There you can open a preview by clicking on the corresponding button. If all is fine then print on a physical printer directly from the Assistant.
Improvement: PDF print feature optimized
Version 7.2 brings an optimized PDF print function. The function has been revised and optimized.
Extension: Open output profiles from the Assistant
There is a new link in the footer of the Assistant. A click on that link opens the output profile view where you can manage your profiles.
BugFix: Fixed default page rotation settings
The setting value to rotate pages automatically based on the text of the document is normally activated by default. This was not the case in the last versions. We have fixed that so that pages will be rotated automatically if you do not choose an other option.
Extension: Output profiles extended and bugs fixed
RGB is the default color model if you do not choose another one.
The JPEG compression is now the default one for color and gray scale images. PDF files should now be a little bit smaller in size than PDF files produced with older versions. You can change the compression method and the JPEG compression quality when you save as PDF.
We have also added a new section to the PDF filter. You can now convert the colors of a file by choosing one of the color convert options of the corresponding select field. You can, for instance, convert colors to gray-scale.
We have also fixed a bug in version 7.1.0 regarding the color model and color conversion. Version 7.1.0 could produce PDF files which could not be opened.
The PDF filter areas has been reorganized to improve the usability.
Extension: GUI Layout Engine extended
We had some issues with keyboard events which where not passed correctly to parent components. That was the case why the console of the Assistant could not always be opened by the F12 key.
Extension: Overlay-Feature added
Version 7.2 brings the new overlay feature. In addition to the paper feature you can select an overlay PDF file. The content of that file is combined with the content of the actual file so that the content of the overlay file is on top of the content of the actual one. That is the opposite compared to the paper feature. You can use that feature to brand a file, to add a complex watermark or as alternative to the digital paper when the content of the actual file hides the content of the paper.
Extension: Updated the language files

Changes for v7.0.7 - v7.1.0

Improvement: Better PDF printer configuration
The installer of version 7.1.0 uses a better PDF printer configuration. TrueType fonts are now downloaded as softfonts by default. This fixes a lot of bugs related to font problems such as font substitution or character issues. User who had problems with fonts should try this version.
Extension: New user configuration options
The user configuration now has the option keys NoOnlineConverter, NoShellContextMenuExtension, NoShellFileContextMenuExtension, NoShellDirectoryContextMenuExtension, NoShellBackgroundContextMenuExtension, NoEmbeddedBrowser. All of these options are of type DWORD. A value of 1 disables the corresponding feature whereas a value of 0 leaves that feature enabled. Al of these options can be manipulated via the settings of the software.
Extension: Some extension in the settings interface
There are two new sections in the interface. The first one is the Explorer context menu section. Here you can enable/disable all or some of the Explorer context menu extension features. The second section can be used to control the features of the application where you currently can enable/disable the PDF24 Online Converter as fall-back tool. The interface itself can now new resized, minimized and maximized. We have also optimized the left pane of the windows.
Extension: The setup now installs the latest Ghostscript 9.16
Extension: Updates of language files. Please send us translation of the new texts.

Changes for v7.0.6 - v7.0.7

BugFix: Issue with pinned directories under Windows 10 solved
Opening a pinned folder under windows 10 mysteriously started the PDF24 DocTool application. Version 7.0.7 brings a workaround which fixes this behavior. We currently do not know why Windows 10 is doing that. We hope that we will get some more information about that new behavior in order to implement a better solution.
Extension: -profile flag for the join operation of the DocTool
We have added a profile flag (-profile PROFILE_ID) for the join operation of the DocTool to apply that profile after having joined the input files.

Changes for v7.0.5 - v7.0.6

BugFix: Page-Extract-Dialog could not be opened via tools menu
The page extract dialog could not be opened via the tools menu of the creator. We have fixed that issue.
Extension: DocTool command line documentation
We have added a documentation of the command line of the DocTool. Calling the DocTool without command line arguments prints the documentation on the screen.
BugFix: Multi-Page-Tiff output broken
Multi-Page-Tiff files could not be generated with the corresponding output filter of the Save As dialog. We have fixed that too.

Changes for v7.0.2 - v7.0.3

BugFix: Preview of the assistant broken if a PDF password is inside a profile
When you select a profile which contains a PDF password and when you click on the preview button then the preview opens without showing anything. We have fixed that problem.
BugFix: Profile with PDF password without using the Save As dialog wrongly applied
When you use a profile which contains a PDF password to save the actual file without the Save As dialog then the password inside the profile was wrongly applied and you could not open the PDF file with the password you have entered. The PDF24 Creator encrypts the password and stores it inside the registry. Without the Save As dialog we forgot to decrypt the password before applying it to the PDF file so that you could not open the file with your password. That problem is fixed.

Changes for v6.9.1 - v6.9.2

Sometimes the default printer was not changed back after having changed temporarily to convert a file to PDF. This version fixes that and resets the printer as default which where the default printer before. Another problem was the conversion of Excel files when the PDF24 PDF printer was not the default printer. In that case the conversion failed. That's also fixed.

Changes for v6.9.0 - v6.9.1

BugFix: Fixes application crashes in version 6.9.0
Some users reported us application crashes in version 6.9.0. We investigated the problem and found a part which caused the crashes. Version 6.9.1 brings a fix for this issue.

Changes for v6.8.0 - v6.9.0

Improvement: Optimized auto save feature
We have improved the file save method of the auto save feature. In previous versions a created file could be overwritten with the next auto saved file if the next file was produced to fast. We now have a better file locking mechanism so that we can make a file name unique if there is already a file with the same file name.
Improvement: Better support for converting MS Office files to PDF
We have optimized the auto conversion of MS Office files so that these files can now be better converted to PDF. These files are now handled in a special way.
Feature: Support for the backspace key within the file explorer list
We have added support for the backspace key within the file explorer list to change to the parent folder of the currently opened one.
Improvement: Improved label editing within the file list
We also improved label editing within the file list view of the file explorer when a link is to be edited.
Improvement: Improved the file explorer list in point of speed
The file list is now virtual and a lot of faster then the list of previous versions. If you open a folder with only a few elements than you will not notice the faster list but if you open a folder with some thousand elements then the speed difference is very large. In previous versions you could wait some seconds until the list was ready and now this will only took some milliseconds. Some companies have really large folders and waiting is really annoying.
Improvement: Improved the file explorer tree
The file explorer tree no longer shows the current folder of the file list view because this reduced the file explorer speed in some cases. You can still navigate by the directory tree to open folders and the list shows the currently opened folder of the tree but in the other way this is no longer the case. This greatly improves the speed and the behavior is now more like the Windows explorer. Furthermore we have optimized some other points to make the tree faster.
Improvement: Optimized the start condition of a Drag & Drop operation in the explorer tree
Sometimes the Drag & Drop operation was initiated to fast which was not necessary. We have optimized that part to get a better behavior.
Feature: Added an input field for the currently opened folder
We have added an input field which shows the currently opened folder. The path of that input field can be edited by the user to change the path by hitting the enter key.
Improvement: Updated some language file.

Changes for v6.7.0 - v6.8.0

BugFix: Fixed an auto save issue
Added the auto save command quote fix. Some commands could bot be executed because of a quote character problem.
Improvement: Improved double clicks within the file explorer
Optimized the double click behavior in the explorer list. Older versions also started a drag & drop operation which was not necessary. We have optimized that a little bit to distinguish better between the beginning of a drag & drop operation and a double click.
Improvement: Optimized Drag & Drop
Drag & Drop optimized, especially when dragging files from the PDF24 Creator and dropping them into the Windows Explorer or other applications.
Improvement: Optimized Ghostscript calls
The app now uses absolute paths to call Ghostscript because an installed Ghostscript into the system32 folder would run this Ghostscript instead of the PDF24 delivered version.
BugFix: Fixed an unsynchronized access issue
Fixed a potential app crash issue caused by an unsynchronized access of the file icons and file thumbnails within the explorer list of the creator.
BugFix: Fixed a PDF lib issue
Fixed a bug in the PDF lib. Some special PDF files could not be opened in earlier versions.

Changes for v6.6.0 - v6.7.0

Feature: PDF24 Creator can use the PDF24 Online PDF Converter
The DocTool can now use the PDF24 Online PDF Converter if necessary. If there is no local application which can print a file on the PDF printer in order to convert the file to PDF, then the user will be asked to convert the file online with the PDF24 Online PDF Converter. If he agrees, then the DocTool sends the file to the service to get it converted to PDF.
BugFix: UrlLib issue fixed
Fixed an issue with the UrlLib, which could create wrong URLs.
Improvement: Language file fixes and updates
Improvement: Optimized auto save feature
You can now use placeholders when specifying the folder, where to save to file. Available are date and time placeholders like %Y, %m, %d, %H, %M, %S as well as environment placeholders like %USERNAME%, %USERPROFILE%, ....

Changes for v6.5.0 - v6.6.0

Improvement: Control of default printer optimized
The DocTool sometimes have to change the users default printer to the PDF24 PDF printer in order to convert a file to a PDF. This change is reverted after the conversion is finished. We have optimized this part of the code within the DocTool.
Improvement: Mutex Locks optimized
The DocTool uses mutex locks to synchronize DocTool executions. We have optimized here so that these locks will be used only when really necessary.
Feature: DocTool now has a shell print command
The DocTool can now be used to execute a shell print command on a file to print the file on a printer.
Feature: DocTool can create PDF files from clipboard content
This is a cool feature. You can use the DocTool to e.g. create a PDF file from an image which is in the clipboard. If the clipboard contains a file reference then this file will be converted to PDF.
Feature: DocTool can do file uploads
The DocTool can now be used to upload files to internet services.
Improvement: Converting files with the PDF printer optimized
We have optimized how we access the PDF printer to convert files to PDF. In previous version the message "Could maybe not be converted" where shown relatively often because we did not know whether the conversion is possible or not. Here comes the optimization. We have optimized that so that we now better know whether a conversion is possible or not.
Improvement: Special handling for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files no longer required
There was a special handling for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to convert these files to PDF. This is as of now no longer required because of the optimization above. If a print command is available for a specific file type then this file can be converted to PDF.
Improvement: Drag and Drop file import order optimized
The file import order now exactly matches the order of the submitted files via the drag & drop action. Older versions could break that order which was bad in some cases where the order is crucial.

Changes for v6.4.1 - v6.5.0

BugFix: Fixed a bug in the PDF lib
There was a bug in the PDF lib which caused an application crash when reading some special PDF files. We have fixed that one.
BugFix: Image of the progress window did not scale
The progress windows was optimized for 96 DPI. Higher DPI settings caused a gap at the right side of the window which was a little bit ugly. We have fixed that issue and now the progress windows is DPI aware.
Improvement: Moved a settings area
We have moved the block PDF Printer Tool from the general element to the PDF Printer element because this block is more related to this section.
Feature: Progress window can be disabled in auto save feature
The progress window could be annoying when saving a lot of documents automatically. The window can be disabled in the settings in the auto save section.
BugFix: Language files fixed
There was a wrong key element in all language files so that there was a not replaced placeholder in the save as dialog. We have corrected that.

Changes for v6.4.0 - v6.4.1

BugFix: TWAIN Import Bug fixed
We have fixed a TWAIN import bug in version 6.4.1. Some users reported issues with that feature. Sometimes it worked with no problems and on other PC's or other drivers it was broken. We have investigated the issue and we have rewritten some code parts with the hope that this should solve the problem. If you have problems with the TWAIN import part please report your problem in our support forum.
BugFix: Files were not signed in version 6.4.0
The build process was broken so that the files and the setup itself were not signed with the Geek certificate. We have fixed that.
Improvement: TEMP directory detection improved
Some users reported that PDF files could not be created. One problem was die TEMP directory bug so that temp files could not be created. We have optimized the part which determines the TEMP directory and that should solve the problem of some users.
BugFix: Drag & Drop Bar fix added
When dragging and dropping pages of documents a vertical bar is drawn which indicates the insert position. Sometimes this bar were drawn with an invalid height so that some areas were overdrawn. This is now fixed.
BugFix: PDF color model fixes added
Users can select the color model when saving a PDF file. We have fixed some parts here so that the selected color model should now be correctly applied to the document. If you now save a PDF and if you select the gray color model than the final PDF file will be gray-scaled.

Changes for v6.3.2 - v6.4.0

Improvement: Ghostscript 9.14 is now shipped with this release
Improvement: Language file updates
Affected language files: German, Italian, French, Lithuanian, Czech
Improvement: Setup translation updates of several languages
BugFix: Fixed a minor bug in the PDF24 PDF lib
The bug could cause an application crash when the user loads a special PDF file.
- See more at: http://en.pdf24.org/pdf-creator-changelog.html#sthash.IvM3LsPY.dpuf

Changes for v6.2.0 - v6.3.0

Improvement: Overwriting files in auto save mode
The PDF printer auto save feature now does not overwrite existing files any longer. Now, if a file exists, a suffix is appended to the file name under which the file will be saved.
Update: Update of language files
The following files has been updated: English, Polish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Czech, Spanish, Italian
Improvement: Moved file name erasement options
The file name erasement options are now part of the PDF printer page.
Improvement: Supported placeholders added to the form
Supported placeholders in the settings pages are now visible in the GUI.
Improvement: Scrollbar issues fixed
Sometimes scrollbars where shown where they wouldn't be necessary. We have optimized some GUI parts so that now scrollbars are only visible if they are really necessary.
Improvement: Focus change between areas optimized
Now, some windows gains the focus when the mouse moves into this windows. This improves usability in some dialogs where user can scroll so that no click is needed any longer to get the focus which activates scrolling for that window.
Improvement: ADMIN suffix in settings dialog title
The settings window now has the title suffix ADMIN when the settings dialog is opened with full administrator rights to change special settings.
Feature: Custom command in automatic save mode
We have added a custom command feature to the PDF printer auto save mode. The feature can be enabled and configured in the PDF Printer pages of the application settings.
Feature: ShellPrint command added to the pdf24-docTool.exe
Now there is a shell print feature in the pdf24-docTool.exe. The command pdf24-docTool.exe -shellPrint -printerName FILE can be used to print out a file on a printer using the shell print windows feature. The can be used together with the auto save feature of the PDF printer to print out a file on another printer.
Feature: ALT key to break auto save mode
Now you can use the ALT key to break the auto save mode of the PDF printer. If auto save is enabled and if you print on the PDF printer, the printed file is then normally saved to a file. You can temporarily break this by keeping pressed the ALT key when sending a file to the PDF printer. This opens the PDF24 assistant or the PDF24 Creator where you can handle the file as if you don't had activated the auto save mode.
BugFix: Custom profile in auto save settings page
We have also improved the custom profile selection in the auto save settings page. The custom profile was not shown as selected after having been selected.
Feature: Custom profile when saving automatically
When the custom profile option in the auto save setting page is selected then the format option dialog will be opened after printing a document on the PDF printer. There you can make custom settings which will be used when saving the file.

Changes for v6.1.0 - v6.2.0

BugFix: Added a TWAIN fix
Added a Twain fix which could cause an application crash in some circumstances
BugFix: Preview generation could cause application crash
The PDF24 Creator could crash if the user drags & drop pages from one document to another while the preview generation of the documents is still in progress.
Improvement: Faster preview generation
The preview generation in the PDF24 creator is now more parallel. This is faster on CPU's with multiple cores.
Improvement: Custom page size section of the PDF printer driver optimized
Optimized the PDF printer driver in terms of custom page sizes. Sometimes the wrong page size was used.
Improvement: ParseDSCComments is now enabled
This parses the DSC comments and add that information to the target document.
Update: Updated all language files
We have updated all language files and added some new elements too, which are currently not fully translated. We update the files on a rolling basis as soon as we get translations from the translators.

Changes for v6.0.1 - v6.1.0

Improvement: Skip button on Create PDF24 Account setup page
This button skips the create PDF24 account page to not create a PDF24 account.
Improvement: Default file name for the auto save feature
The default file name for the auto save feature is %Y-%m-%d %H-%M-%S ${fileName}. This is a time stamp and the name of the file, if the name is available.
Improvement: PDF24 Tray menu can be opened with left mouse button
You could only use the right mouse button to open the PDF24 tray menu, but the left mouse button is also good for opening the tray menu and so we added the additional handler for the left mouse button.
Improvement: Settings module optimized
Changes in settings now better takes effect in running modules so that no application restart is necessary for a lot of changes. For instance now you can change the auto save feature without to restart the pdf24.exe backend module.
Improvement: Layout orientation (horizontal/vertical) is now saved in profile
Now the setting is in profile so that a application restarts don't change the layout.
Improvement: File extension handling via printer interface is now more intelligent
Known file extension are removed from the name which was determined from the printer interface. This is mostly OK and now you don't have the original extension in the name.
Improvement: Updated translation files
The language files Czech, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, PortugueseBrazilian, Swedish where updated. Here is thank you to the translators who sends us updates.
Feature: Send To entry for the PDF24 Creator
The setup adds a Send To entry for the PDF24 Creator. Now you can easily send files to the Creator which then will be converted to PDF.

Changes for v5.7.0 - v6.0.1

BugFix: Fixes a bug when saving without GUI
Version 6.0.0
BugFix: Reworking of digital paper feature
Integration of digital paper into the document was erroneous if the PDF files was of a newer standard (1.5 and above). We have solved that issue in this version.
BugFix: Extra page when adding watermarks
An extra page was added to the document when the watermark feature was used. This bug is solved.
Improvement: Renaming of PDF24 Editor to PDF24 Creator
The PDF24 Creator itself is consisted of the PDF printer and a tool called PDF24 Editor, which can be used to compose/edit files page-based. Users also expected that they can also use this tool to edit the content of PDF pages, but that is not possible. The tool can do something with whole pages but the content of pages can not be manipulated. That is the reason for the renaming and we think the name Creator better reflects the possibilities of that tool.
Improvement: Ghostscript 9.10 is now used
This version now uses the latest Ghostscript 9.10.
Feature: Screen Capture to clipboard
A lot of users desired the Screen Capture to clipboard functionality as option besides the Screen Capture to PDF feature. The new feature is now part of the software and is accessible through the PDF24 tray icon. A new menu group was added to the tray icon which contains the new tools.
Improvement: Changed a license part for the good of the user
There was a license part which stated that some parts of the software will be disabled after 6 month usage without update. This part is now no longer part of the license terms. Nothing is disabled after 6 month usage. Now, the user will only see an update information if an update is available and recommended for installation.
Feature: Default save folder = source folder of loaded file
This little change eases the usage of the PDF24 creator because the folder of the loaded file is often used to save the new file after doing some modifications.
Improvement: "Target could not be found" issue fixed
The warning was shown in the PDF24 Creator if a shortcut could not be resolved. Now this warning will not be shown if the PDF24 Creator opens.
BugFix: Fixed the page from .. to feature when saving files
The page from ... to fields where sometimes not recognized. This version contains fixes in the corresponding parts so that the problem should be solved.
Improvement: Fixed some GUI issues
Some GUI elements where not displayed correctly, especially when the default DPI settings was changed. Some GUI parts of the application scaled in a wrong manner so that it was not possible to work with that parts. We have optimized the parts so that the program can also be used on screens with higher DPI values.
Improvement: Save as Dialog cut on screens with resolution of 1280 x 1024
We have overworked the GUI of the Save As dialog so that a screen with 1280 x 1024 Pixel should no longer be a problem.
Feature: New output filter TEXT added
The new filter can save as text, currently in the encodings UTF8 and UCS2.
Improvement: Restructuring of the settings
We have added some new options to the settings pages which could not be integrated into the old structure. Therefore we have changed a little here.
Feature: Open PDF file after storing it
Now, there is also the feature to automatically open a saved PDF file. This eases the work flow PDF printer -> Assistent -> Save -> Open
Improvement: Extended language files
We have extended all language files and made them up to date so that all files have all keys. Some files are currently not fully translated. This will be done by translators and we will add the missing parts as soon as we get it.
BugFix: Resetting the default printer
Resetting the default printer was not executed in some parts so that the PDF24 printer was left the default one. We have fixed that for the known parts.
Feature: Auto-Save feature added
Files can now be saved automatically without GUI interaction. The feature can be controlled by the settings. You can define the folder where to save, a file name pattern and a profile which shall be applied when saving. If that feature is enabled and if you print on the PDF printer then the printed document will be saved automatically into the defined folder. You can also define whether the folder should be opened after the file was saved.
Improvement: Optimized the print feature
The PDF24 Creator has a print feature by which the current selection can be printed. Sometimes the print quality was bad especially when printing high resolution documents. We have improved that part so that the quality is better and can also be better controlled by the DPI setting in the printer property pages.
Improvement: Umlauts and other characters are now usable when saving to PDF
Older releases had some issues with umlauts and other characters outside the ASCII range. Issues where related to the following subsections of the PDF output filter: Watermark text, PDF meta data such as title, author and keywords, PDF/X and PDF/A settings and PDF

Changes for v5.6.0 - v5.7.0

Feature: Faster loading of PDF files in PDF24 Editor
Loading PDF files with the PDF24 Editor is now faster then in older version. Try it out, the difference is really noticeable.
Improvement: Prints ENV information when the debug console opens
This information is often necessary when analysing user problems. That's the main reason why we have added this feature.
Feature: PDF printer driver overworked
Now there are a lot more predefined paper sizes the user can select.
BugFix: PDF-X color bug fixed.
Sometimes colors got converted when the file was saved as PDFX.
New language files Slovenian and Ukrainian

Changes for v5.5.1 - v5.6.0

BugFix: Fixed an issue with the file name of the email as feature
After clicking on the send as email button an input form pops up where the user has to enter a file name for the file of the email attachment. There was a character encoding bug which caused unreadable names when attached to the email. We have fixed that.
Feature: Email subject line is filled with the file name
The email subject line is automatically filled with the documents file name so that the user does not need to enter the name into the subject line. This feature was often wanted to speed up the process.
BugFix: Fixed an issue with the PDF info meta information
The PDF info meta information could be set when the source document already had an information block. We have changed the code parts so that the information can also be overwritten when already available.
Improvement: Optimized language file parts for the assistant
We have optimized the assistant/* parts so that the key are more correct with the respect to the intention inside the assistants GUI. Furthermore we have optimized the order of the buttons.
Improvement: More room for button text
We have removed the icon of the button which was equal to all buttons. Now there is more place for the text which we already use for the languages German and English.
BugFix: PDFX issue fixed
The application could crash when the user has chosen the PDFX output format so that the save process failed. We have fixed that.
Updated language files

Changes for v5.4.0 - v5.5.1

BugFix: DPI values in Save As dialog were not applied in save process
DPI value changes in Save As dialog were not applied in save process. This was a bug. Only the default quality profile values were used. Changes of the DPI values had no effect on PDF file size or image quality.
BugFix: Some fixes regarding periods in file names
Determination of file names from the printer interface had a little bug, because the method behind that feature has removed the file extension, which was the cause for a file name issue. If there where periods in filenames such as my.document.docx then the PDF creation process has used the name my.pdf as save file name. We have overworked related parts of the creator and hopefully we have found all places.
Language file Portuguese updated
Version 5.5.0
(30.05.2013)
Improvement: Optimized image quality in created PDF files
The image quality was sometimes poor in a created PDF files regardless which PDF quality was chosen. The user could sometimes also not influence the image quality with other options. We have improved some parts within the PDF creation process so that the image quality is significantly better and can be better controlled with the PDF quality options.
Improvement: Some minor improvements and fixes
We have improved and fixed some parts of the PDF creator which could cause problems in some cases.
Improvement: Fax option optimized
We have invested a lot of time to optimized the fax option and the fax service which is used to transmit the faxes. We try to make that part as easy as possible.
Some language files updated

Changes for v5.3.0 - v5.4.0

Improvement: Added new languages to the installer
The PDF24 Creator itself has several language files which can be used. The installer, on the other hand, had only a few languages which could be used during the installation phase. The new available languages are: Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Greek, Hebrew
Improvement: Language file Greek added
Improvement: Ghostscript 9.07 is now installed
All improvement of the new version of Ghostscript are therefore available. The new Ghostscript option -dFastWebView is used by the creator.
Improvement: Opening of folders in the integrated file explorer of the editor optimized
The file explorer of the pdf24 editor now automatically opens the containing folder when the first file is loaded. This is a very cool features because this folder is most of the time the folder to work with so that you can do something in that folder again and again without to open it manually. Especially useful when opening a file via the "Open with" dialog.
Improvement: Saving the last profile in assistant
The selected profile is saved as last used profile when the assistant closes and not only when the pdf save operation was executed. This behavior is the more expected one.
Improvement: Added fontmap creation to the setup
The installer now create the fontmap which Ghostscript uses. The map is created based on the fonts in the windows font folder.

Changes for v5.2.0 - v5.3.0

BugFix: TWAIN (Scanner) bugs fixed
Importing from scanner or camera could be very hard because the used driver had some bugs. Some users reported GUI issues and other problems in this part. We have overworked the corresponding part of the PDF24 Creator to provide a more reliable component and we hope that all that issues are now a thing of the past.
Furthermore importing multiple pages at once should now also be possible.
Feature: Loading files by command line when the PDF24 Editor is opened
Only one instance of the PDF24 Editor can be opened at a time. If you tried to load some files by command line when the PDF24 Editor was already opened then nothing happened. This version provides that feature. If the Editor is open and if you want to load files by command line then the files are loaded in the already opened instance.
Improvement: Optimized the installer to fix an PDF creation issue
If you already had an old version installed and if you installed an update or a new version then it could occur that you couldn't create PDF files any longer. The problem was old files, virtualized by the Windows UAC. The installer now detects such a case and installs the PDF24 Creator so that PDF creation is possible.

Changes for v5.1.0 - v5.2.0

BugFix: Font issue fixed when merging PDF files
Merging PDF files together could cause character problems in the final document. Some text have used the wrong font and therefore some letters could not be displayed correctly. This problem is fixed.
Change: Font settings in PDF output filter removed
The font settings are now controlled fully by the PDF24 Creator to ensure that the final PDF file does not contain font problems.
Improvement: Optimized some internal processing parameters
To optimize the PDF output we have optimized some internal processing parameters. Now the output of some PDF files are better.
BugFix: Not removed temporary files
The Drag & Drop feature of the PDF24 Editor has not removed some temporary files after the application was closed. This bug is fixed.
Language file update for Japanese
New language file Hebrew

Changes for v5.0.0 - v5.1.0

Improvement: Optimized the internal preview concerning speed and usability
The internal preview has been accelerated dramatically. Zooming into documents could be very slow in the old version. That was annoying and so we decided to overwork this tool. The new preview is much better in zooming in and out and does not slow down. Furthermore we could improve the usability in zooming in and out using the CTRL key and the mouse wheel. We try to keep the current point of the document in the view so that the document does not jump when you scroll.
BugFix: Fixed another TWAIN issue
We found another weakness in the implementation of the TWAIN import module which sometimes causes problems in some device drivers.
Improvement: Improved PDF output quality again
We could improve the PDF output quality of high quality PDF files again by optimizing some internal parameters of the generator. The predefined PDF quality levels are now more precise so that you will get better graded results. The PDF file size is now directly dependent on the chosen quality level.
Improvement: New language file and updated existing ones
We have updated nearly all language of which we got updates since the last release. The new language file Turkish is now part of the setup.

Changes for v4.9.0 - v5.0.0

BugFix: Fixed an Word 2010 related conversion issue
There could be a problem in automatic conversion of Word files with Word 2010. The problem could be solved with a delay in the conversion process.
Feature: Language file for Portugal added
We already had an Portuguese language file, but the old file was targetet for Brasilia. The new file is for the Portuguese. We have renamed the old file in PortugueseBrazilian.
Improvement: Language file updates
We have updated all language files and added some new parts which, partially, still needs to be translated. As soon as we get the missing parts we will add it to the PDF24 Creator.
BugFix: Fixed scanner (TWAIN) issues
There where some problems in some scanner GUI dialogs of the TWAIN interface. Sometimes some elements could not be selected and others closed automatically after it was opened. The new version fixes these issues.
Feature: Load last profile in Save As dialog automatically
Now you save some time when you save a lot files with the same profile. You now do not need to select this profile manually, because the last profile is loaded automatically. If the last loaded profile is the right profile for save then you can click on Continue to proceed.
Improvement: Overriding files improved
Overriding files can be erroneous if the files is opened or locked by the system. The problem was that PDF24 does not have noticed you if file writing fails. We have implemented a new behaivior of this. If a file could not be written, then PDF24 tries with a different (very equal) name. If that fails to then you get an error message.
Improvement: Improved image quality in Image To PDF feature
Sometimes the image quality in the PDF file of converted images to PDF was very poor, especially for high quality images. This version brings significant improvements in image conversion process.
Improvement: Improved image quality in saving to PDF process
This process had weak spots in image quality too, even though if a high quality was selected. We have overworked some parts in this process and we could highly increase the quality of the result.
Improvement: Optimized quality of internal preview
So that the user gets a good idea of the result, we have improved the preview in terms of quality. The preview provides sharper and more accurate results.
Feature: Integrated new option when saving to PDF
The JPEG quality was added as an new option to the Save As dialog. You can fine tune the new option to get customized quality results and therefore customized compression rates.
Improvement: Buttons rearranged in PDF24 Assistant
Improvement: Optimized the background in the GUI of the PDF24 Assistant
Removed the default quality part from the settings. Is no longer necessary.
Improvement: Save As dialog optimized to ease the usage.
Improvement: Save as PDF process optimized to control the quality with the parameters a little better.
Improvement: Mail As PDF
Mail As PDF button send the mail with a PDF files by default. The Save As dialog isn't shown by default any longer.
Improvement: Element Customize... added to the profile selection in PDF24 Assistant
Choosing the new element modifies the behaivior of some buttons in the GUI. The Save As dialog is used to customize some parameters and the output which is then used as input for the process of the particular button.
Improvement: Load multiple files with the PDF24 Editor on command line
Now you can specify more than one document on the command line of the PDF24 Editor. The PDF24 Editor loads all specified files one after another.
BugFix: PDF file filter issue fixed
Th PDF file filter in the explorer list of the PDF24 Editor now supports uppercase file extensions.
Improvement: Hidden and system files are never displayed in the file list of the PDF24 Editor.
BugFix: Missing file extension when saving a file in PDF24 Assistant
Entering some special file names caused the PDF24 Assistant to remove the file extension from the file name so that the saved file had no extension.
Update mode is not automatic by default
Improvement: Added new Ghostscript version to the setup
We now deliver a new Ghostscript version with the PDF24 setup. The new version brings a lot improvements under the hood of the PDF24 Creator.
Improvement: Optimized internal processing parameters
We could increase the PDF output quality by improving some internal processing parameters.
Improvement: Improved message boxes in PDF24 Assistant
Improvement: Image to PDF tool determines image DPI which is then used in the PDF file
Improvement: PDF/X and PDF/A settings pages in Save As dialog combined with the PDF page
This version combines the PDF/X, PDF/A and PDF pages to one page. Now you can use all options of the PDF page for creating PDF/X and PDF/A files. This could not be realized in an older version. The PDF standard selection element now contains new entries for the PDF/X and PDF/A standards. Selecting one of these activates related form elements.
Feature: PDF/A-1 and PDF/A-2 Standard added
Improvement: A lot of minor improvements in the Save As dialog formular
BugFix: Fixed an issue when using some special characters in PDF informations
BugFix: Fixed a potential time computation problem in update process

Changes for v4.8.0 - v4.9.0

BugFix: The PDF24 Editor crashed in the following case
Deleting the last page of a document and dragging and dropping the new last one into a new document crashed the PDF24 Editor. This bug is fixed.
BugFix: Fixed problems in importing from scanner or camera
Importing from scanner, camera or other devices that supports the TWAIN interface was often error-prone. We have overworked some related components and fixed some bugs so that importing should now work better.

Changes for v4.7.0 - v4.8.0

BugFix: Fixed a bug in fax tool
If the user double clicks on the fax icon then the fax window pops up and loads a fax with an empty document. This was a bug, introduced in one of the previous versions. Double clicking on the fax icon now opens the fax file load page where the user can choose a file which can then be send as a fax.
Enhancement: Optimized loading of PDF files
Saving merged PDF files could result in errors for special input files. We have optimized the loading process of files so that merging and saving should now work fine for all files.
Enhancement: Extended the send as email feature
We have extended the send as email feature in the PDF24 Assistant and PDF24 Editor. This new feature makes it possible to email not only as a PDF file. All output filters can now be used. This makes it possible to send the file as PDF, as images or any other output format which the PDF24 Creator supports.
Enhancement: Extended the fax tool
Added file type check on fax tool start. The fax tool accepts a PDF file as command line argument which is loaded as a fax. If the user starts the app with no file or with a file which is not a PDF file then the fax tools pen the file choose page where the user has to choose a PDF file which can then be send as a fax.
Language file update of some language files

Changes for v4.6.0 - v4.7.0

Fix: Fixed a special name bug
Sending a document attached to an email directly from the PDF24 Editor changed the name of the corresponding document to a cryptic one. This was a bug which is now fixed.
Fix: PDF24 Editor window appeared behind other windows
The PDF24 Editor window could appear behind all other windows when you print to the virtual printer and the Editor is set as default target. This problem is fixed.
Enhancement: Font replacement in settings dialog
The font in the settings dialog of the PDF24 Creator has been replaced with a better readable one. Now the dialog looks more modern.
Feature: Close assistant after sending the document via email
There was already an setting to close the assistant automatically when the file was saved. This feature is now also available for the email function of the assistant. You can configure the assistant so that the assistant closes after you have sent the document via email.
Enhancement: PDF password obfuscation
Passwords in Save as Dialog are now obfuscated by "*" characters so nobody can read them. This was a potentially risk in prior versions because the password was visible in the input field.
Enhancement: Save as PDF with digital paper and security enabled
Digital paper and security can now be used together when saving a PDF file.
Feature: Format options and profiles can now be opened via a menu entry
In older version you could only add profiles when you have saved a document via the save as dialog. Now we have added a menu entry in the PDF24 Editor's main menu where you can open the format options and where you can manage your output profiles.
Feature: Refresh option in folder tree of the PDF24 Editor
We have added a refresh option to the explorer tree in the PDF24 Editor so that the user can refresh the tree manually if something have changed what the application do not track automatically.
Enhancement: Password encryption in output profiles
When you specify a password in your profiles, the text was visible in the registry. This was a potential risk. Now passwords are saved encrypted in the profiles which are stored in the windows registry.
Feature: Names of network drives are now displayed
The names of connected network drives where not visible in older versions. Names are important to identify a drive fastly and therefore we have added the names of network drives to the explorer tree of the PDF24 Editor.
Feature: Better cursor when opening a folder
This version now uses better cursors when opening folders in the explorer of the editor. Especially when operating on network drives it could take a little longer to get results. In the waiting time a wait cursor is shown so that the user knows that the application is busy. The application switches back to a normal cursor, after the operation is finished.
Feature: Dropping files to the favourites folder
Dropping files to the favourites folder in the explorer of the editor now creates only shortcuts to the dropped files. No files will be moved or copied any longer. Now the favourites folder is a special folder with shortcuts to often used files.
Enhancement: File icon query improved
The module which is responsible for querying file icons has been improved in many cases. Especially the risk of potential deadlocks has been better taken into account.
Fix: Fixed an icon bug in the file list of the explorer of the PDF24 Editor
The bug was responsible that in some cases wrong file icons was presented to the user. This part has been overworked and the bug is fixed.
Enhancement: Many core module enhanced
We have overworked many core modules of the software with the result of a better API and many minor improvements and minor fixes.
Enhancement: Shortcut resolution improved
We have improved the explorer inside the editor to handle shortcuts properly. Shortcuts too files and directories are now handled correctly within the file list and the folder tree.
Enhancement: Icon creation of shortcuts improved
Furthermore we have improved the creation of image icons of shortcuts. Shortcuts are resolved and an icon of the linked file is determined.
Enhancement: Improved selection and deselection of documents
We have slightly improved the selection and deselection of documents in the document list of the editor. Now it is more Windows Explorer like selection and deselection which is more intuitive.
Feature: Drag & Drop of documents to move them
Now it is possible to drag & drop documents inside the document list of the editor to move them up and down. This makes working with documents easier.
Fix: Drag & Drop memory leakage fix
There was a memory leakage in some circumstances when dragging and dropping documents in the PDF24 Editor. The responsible parts have been overworked so that the bug is fixed.
Feature: Drag & Drop documents combined with output filters
We have extended the drag & Drop support of documents in the PDF24 Editor. If you drop documents you can now choose an output filter which is used to create the resulting file which is then dropped to the target. This way you can drop documents to create PDF files, images or any other file format which the output filter accepts. Furthermore you can configure the output filter so that the dropped result is what you need. Additionally you can now drag & drop multiple files at once. This extension is a quite cool new feature which eases working with the PDF24 Editor and which makes dropping of files very powerful.
Enhancement: Error handling when opening PDF files
We have added an error handling when opening PDF files in the PDF24 Editor. If a PDF file can not be opened directly we try to recreate the file and we try to open the recreated one. This often helps to load PDF file with small errors.
Enhancement: Image to PDF quality improved
We have increased the default image quality in image to PDF conversion. Now, images inside PDF files have a better default quality. We have also added customizable config values to the image to PDF tool. This options are currently not available in the settings pages of the application.
Enhancement: PDF processing improved
We have optimized some internal processing parameters to produce better PDF file results.

Changes for v4.5.0 - v4.6.0

PDF API improved
This release brings improvements of the PDF API. Improvements affected the reading of PDF files which is now more robust. We have added a reading feature for some PDF files which contains some invalid offsets for special data objects. Furthermore wee have added another feature so that some PDF files with special incorrectnesses can be read. The result is that the PDF24 Creator can open and read more PDF files.
Dutch language file added

Changes for v4.4.3 - v4.5.0

Viewer in PDF24 Editor now opens maximized
Double-clicking on a page of a document in the PDF24 Editor opens a viewer of the document. This viewer now opens maximized and no longer in a small window.
Font in Save As dialog replaced with a better readable one
Older versions uses the font Times New Roman in the Save As Dialog UI. This font looks a little outmoded. This font was replaced with Verdana. Now, the options in the Save As Dialog are better readable.
Standard profiles modified
Automatic page rotation is now used in all default profiles. This wasn't the case in older versions. Automatic page rotation were not used in in the good and best profile which was a little confusing. Now the automatic page rotation options are consistent.
Fax Upload improved
A new retry upload feature was added to the fax tool. Sometimes fax file transmission results in an error. A reason can be a bad internet connection. If the transmission results in an error a retry button and an information message is displayed. Clicking on the retry button restarts the fax file transmission.
Saving a file in PDF24 Editor updates the UI element with the new name
Saving a file in PDF24 editor under a new name did not updated the UI name element of that file. This version fixes this issue.
New language file: Serbian

Changes for v4.4.2 - v4.4.3

Drag & Drop Bug in PDF24 Editor fixed
The Drag & Drop support in the file list of the file explorer in the PDF24 Editor could cause problems under some circumstances, which can result in a data loss. The bug is fixed. We recommend to update to the new version.

Changes for v4.4.1 - v4.4.2

Fixed a critical bug in PDF lib
This bug is one of the reasons why the PDF24 Editor could not open some PDF files. Opening such PDF files crashes the application. This bug is fixed.
Fixed a critical bug when dropping files into the PDF24 Editor
Dropping files from some applications could cause an unresponsive PDF24 Editor. Outlook was one of these applications. This problem ist fixed.
New language file version: Portuguese

Version history for PDF24 PDF Creator

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