Concatenating PDF files with the free PrimoPDF

First published on October 10, 2010

Adobe Acrobat (not the reader) is the standard PDF editor and manipulator, enabling you to create PDFs, edit text and other elements in PDFs, delete, extract, and merge pages, grayscale PDFs, and much more. Unfortunately, it’s far from free, costing a few hundred dollars.

There are a lot of free programs that can create PDFs. For me, other than creating PDFs, the PDF task I need to do most often is to concatenate them: adding appendices and other attachments to PDFs generated from other programs. One of the free PDF “printers”, PrimoPDF, can also concatenate PDFs.

To append something to another PDF using PrimoPDF, first initiate a create action as per normal, then when prompted to choose a file or filename, browse to the file to which you want to append (as if you are saving over it). It will then give you a choice to override or append.

Appending a PDF to another PDF with PrimoPDF

Since PrimoPDF only appends, but cannot prepend or insert before or after a specific page, you have to get a bit creative if you have more sophisticated needs by “PDFing” existing PDFs, or creating PDFs multiple times according to the specific page ordering required. However, you could also look for free or cheaper-than-Abobe alternatives, such as the appropriately-named PDF Split and Merge and the fully-featured NitroPDF, from the makers of PrimoPDF.

And as for editing PDFs, check out the free tools Nitro PDF to Word, Nitro PDF to Excel, and the OpenOffice.org PDF import extension.

This entry is filed under Computer Stuff and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

2 Responses to “Concatenating PDF files with the free PrimoPDF”

October 13th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
George says:

Hi!
Just rediscovered this site.
Here is an online PDF text editor and more –
www.pdfescape.com
"..A new way to open and edit PDF files online, PDFescape frees users from the typical software requirements for using the de facto document file format. Completely online, PDFescape requires no more than a modern internet browser and an active internet connection. Select any of the major features above to learn more.."

I’ve used it and it does the job.

PS: looking for a decent, no frills cell phone plan in Quebec (currently using Virgin pre-paid @ ¢10 a minute; need 100 daytime minutes per month).

Reply from Peter: Interesting tool, thanks! As for the phone, try asking at http://www.speakoutwireless.ca/speak
November 19th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Danny the site builder says:

Hello!

I usually used photoshop for this purpose, but I can’t afford it on all my computers.

Thank you! Will check it.

btw, your "crap" is really useful