Please Recommend Best Free PDF Creator (Not Nitro/Primo)

I'm after recommendations for a free PDF creator for my desktop pc. I have been happily using Nitro Primo to create PDFs, but it seems to have stopped working on my pc. For some reason, the print function won't work any more. I used to hit 'print', and Primo would open with a small window on my screen then create a PDF, but it stopped appearing. It even stopped being listed on 'Devices and Printers'. I don't have any printers attached to this pc.

System restore didn't work, nor did uninstalling Primo and re-installing the new Nitro Pro. Still refused to create PDFs.

So, I have given up on Nitro, and have started looking for another free PDF creator. Hopefully something not too complicated and the same type as Nitro that acts as a print driver. Thanks for any advice.

Edit - I have just tried re-installing the original Primo PDF creator and during install it said ' unable to install printer' - so it looks like there is something wrong with my pc that stops the printer element installing or working.

I have Cute PDF. I'm very satisfied with it. It's been several years since I downloaded it, so I have no idea what may be happening with any newer versions.

As for why you are unable to reinstall Primo, perhaps a recently-installed Windows update is interfering with it.

uninstall your programs and run sfc /scannow (w/reboot ). re-install and check.

(if no joy try Foxit)

Thanks to both for your answers. I think I have found the problem. I tried Jim Phelps' suggestion and tried to install Cute PDF. Like Primo PDF it failed to install because of the problem, but unlike Primo, it actually told me what the problem is.

Cute's installer came up with a pop up that told me to "Please start the print spooler service". Apparently it loads files to memory for later printing. As the PDF creators act as a print driver, the spooler is obviously not being started is making it impossible to save files to the printing memory.

So, I clicked CONTROL PANEL> ADMIN. TOOLS> SERVICES, and tried to re-start Print spooler, but says unable to re-start and error message 1068.

As I don't know what to do, I think I will start a new thread. Thanks to you both again.

EDIT - HAVE STARTED NEW THREAD IN DRIVERS -
Can't Re-start Print Spooler Service - Error 1068

Hi woodbine, go to Programs and Features and follow as in my image.

Hi Roderunner. Apologies for late reply. I have done as you said, and image is below. Not experienced enough myself to interpret the info in image. Many thanks for your help.

HI woodbine, if you look at both images where it says 'Print and Document Services' mine has a tick yours has a Blue box that needs to be clicked/ticked. reboot after you have done it then try to print.

woodbine said:

Cute's installer came up with a pop up that told me to "Please start the print spooler service". Apparently it loads files to memory for later printing.

Click to expand...

The print spooler is just the manager of the print jobs. It is used by all printer drivers as the normal way to send a print job. Its purpose is not to delay print jobs for later, but rather to make sure that they get printed.

The only reason it would be loading files for later printing is because it is unable to print them when it sends the print job. But the point is always to print them right away.

Roderunner said:

HI woodbine, if you look at both images where it says 'Print and Document Services' mine has a tick yours has a Blue box that needs to be clicked/ticked. reboot after you have done it then try to print.

Click to expand...

Tried clicking on that blue box, and it just goes blank. Presumably just one single left click? Whatever I try, it won't check like yours.

mrjimphelps said:

The print spooler is just the manager of the print jobs. It is used by all printer drivers as the normal way to send a print job. Its purpose is not to delay print jobs for later, but rather to make sure that they get printed.

The only reason it would be loading files for later printing is because it is unable to print them when it sends the print job. But the point is always to print them right away.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation, MrPhelps. Looks like I misunderstood print spooler's function. Will get the hang of these things one day.

PDFCreator is an excellent virtual printer similar to Cute PDF (only better, in my not so humble opinion). It tkaes out put that normally goes to a printer and uses it to create the PDF. I use it mostly for online receipts that would have to be printed rather than downloaded.

For outright creation of most of my PDFs, I use LibreOffice Writer. It has a feature that allows a document to be exported directly to a PDF. There is even a feature that will embed the original Writer document in the PDF that makes future editing of the PDF easy to do within Writer.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald. Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into them. However, I'm not sure I will be using any PDF creator any time soon, as I'm beginning to feel that the problem(s) my pc has may be unsolvable.

Hope I'm wrong.

LibreOffice? Open Office?