You do not have to pay much money, if any, to be able to format and transmit your work using PDF files. The software for working with PDF files is readily available for little or no investment if you know what to look for. The PDF (portable document formatting) format is one of the most common file types for uploading forms, reports, and historical documents to the internet. The PDF format is also the most common file type used for creation and transmittal of information products such as e-books. PDF files can be customized to include several security features. They can be formatted so that copying and printing are not allowed, so that the file cannot be modified, or even so that access is not possible, unless the recipient has the necessary log-in information. This is one of the best features of PDF files — securing your intellectual property such as e-books can make it much more difficult for other people to take or use your work without properly compensating you for it.

Adobe, the creator of the PDF format, offers a free service hosted on their server that allows you to convert files from your computer into PDF documents. With Adobe, you can make five PDF files for free. After that, you have to pay a fee for access to the software. This is the case with many “free” PDF software distributors — they will let you make a limited number of PDF docucments before you have to start paying for them.

One truly free resource for creating PDF files can be found at OpenOffice.org. Open Office offers a full suite of computer office products that are available for free use by anyone for any purpose. Their software includes a word processing program, a spreadsheet program, a graphic presentation program and other applications that effectively duplicate the services of some well known and very high priced software products. Best of all, Open Office programs let you convert documents to PDF format, including setting security preferences and passwords, with a few simple steps. Open Office is definitely worth checking into.