PDF24 Creator

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.

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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 (

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) 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.

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Version 8.0.2
(15.11.2016)
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.

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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.

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Version 8.0.4
(20.12.2016)
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.

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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 this placeholders before the file gets saved. Currently placeholders for time and date are available. You can use this new feature to realize a date or receipt stamp.
We have also improved the watermark function to the effect, that it can 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.

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Version 8.2.1
(05.07.2017)
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.

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Version 8.2.3
(14.09.2017)
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

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Version 8.2.4
(01.11.2017)
Improvement: Delievers Ghostscript now
The

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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

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files where the text could not be marked correctly. Disabling this option has fixed the problem, but with the current Ghostscript 9.22, correct

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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

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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.

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Version 8.3.0
(06.12.2017)
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

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Version 8.4.0
(18.12.2017)
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.

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