PDF creation methods by file type

Refer to the following lists to determine the methods available for the different types of files.

These methods can be used for documents and images in almost all file formats.

Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing From File.
Adobe PDF printer: Within most applications, in the Print dialog box.
Drag and drop: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).

Requires a scanner and a hard copy of the document.

Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing From Scanner. Or, for previously scanned paper documents, by choosing From File.
Document menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing Scan To PDF.

PDFMaker: Within the authoring application, in the PDF toolbar and on the Adobe PDF menu.
Adobe PDF printer: Within the authoring application, in the Print dialog box.
Drag and drop: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).

PDFMaker (Windows only): Within Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, by clicking Acrobat PDFMaker toolbar buttons or choosing commands in the Adobe PDF menu (Outlook) or the Actions menu (Lotus Notes).
Adobe PDF printer: Within the email application, in the Print dialog box. Creates a PDF (not a PDF package).

Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing From Web Page.
PDFMaker: Within Internet Explorer or when editing in a web-authoring application that supports PDFMaker, such as Word; in the Acrobat PDFMaker toolbar and on the Adobe PDF menu.
Adobe PDF printer: Within Internet Explorer or when editing in a web-authoring application that supports PDFMaker, such as Word; in the Print dialog box.
Drag and drop: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder, dragging the HTML file.
Context menu (HTML files): On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking the HTML file).

Adobe PDF printer: Within the authoring application, in the Print dialog box.
Export: Within InDesign or GoLive, on the File menu. (In InDesign, using the file type menu in the Export dialog box; in GoLive, using the HTML As Adobe PDF command on the Export submenu.)
Save As: Within Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, on the File menu and using the file type menu in the Save As dialog box.
Drag and drop: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).

Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing From File.
PDFMaker: Within AutoCAD, in the Acrobat PDFMaker toolbar or on the Adobe PDF menu.
Adobe PDF printer: Within AutoCAD, in the Print dialog box.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).

Drag and drop: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder, by dragging to the Acrobat Distiller icon or into the Acrobat Distiller window.
Double-clicking: (PostScript files only) On the desktop, or in Windows Explorer or the Finder.
Open command: Within Acrobat Distiller, on the File menu.
Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat, by choosing From File.
PDFMaker: Within the authoring application or Internet Explorer, in the Acrobat PDFMaker toolbar or on the Adobe PDF menu.
Adobe PDF printer: Within the authoring application, in the Print dialog box.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).

Note: Requires Acrobat 3D. Acrobat Professional and Acrobat Standard cannot convert 3D files to PDF.

Create PDF menu: Within Acrobat 3D, by choosing From 3D Capture.
Adobe PDF printer: Within the authoring application, in the Print dialog box.
Context menu: On the desktop, in Windows Explorer, or in the Finder (by right-clicking/Control-clicking).