Tricky!
The need for a PDF Editor usually means you end up buying a copy of Adobe Acrobat. There are a few paid applications to do the same task. CAD-KAS’s PDF Editor 2.4 is one such application among a few other emerging ones.
The interface is modular; it allows you to add and remove or even move panels around. It is a little cluttered, with the top end of the window taken up by the two toolbars and the tab bar, which are used to do the majority of the tasks—opening, editing, exporting, etc. Although looks aren’t a priority in software such as this, six menu colour schemes have been included as a way to improve the cluttered UI.
One can change pretty much everything in an existing PDF file. Text, images, and even complete pages can be edited and moved about. New additions can be made easily in the same manner. Images in PDFs can be edited using the inbuilt image editor— which looks like MS Paint, but is a lot more advanced in features. A scanner can be used to add new pages. Bookmarks can be set, and existing ones deleted if required.
CAD-KAS PDF Editor allows you to save PDF files in different PDF versions, and also encrypt and protect them from being edited or even viewed if required. One of the missing features is the ability to export a Web page into the PDF format. Exporting to Word files and text files is supported, though.
The way you use the software is a little different from what you’re used to. You need to first select the tool and then select the text or image that you’re trying to alter. Double-clicking doesn’t enable any kind of editing mode. There is no live preview of all the tasks done—on images for example. Users will take a while to get used to all this. The help file has sketchy documentation with the most basic explanations, and contains just a few screenshots.
| RATINGS |
| Features : 4 |
| Performance : 3.5 |
| Ease of use : 3.5 |
| Value for money : 4 |
| Overall : 3.5 |
CAD-KAS PDF Editor skimps on some of the features Acrobat gives you, but it is way cheaper—just $79. Ignore the tiny missing features, and it’s a great tool for anyone who needs to create documentation or distribute important documents.
Web site: www.cadkas.com
Price: $79 (Rs 3,200)