This tutorial is going to show you how to extract images or text from a pdf document with as little effort as possible. For this, I’m using the free pdf reader Nitro PDF which is available at the developer website. The software is only available for the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Nitro PDF Reader is a solid alternative to Adobe Reader. Many users would probably go as far as to call it a better PDF Reader thanks to faster startup times and an impressive set of features.

One of the great things that you can do with Nitro PDF is to extract text or images from any pdf document that is currently loaded in the program.

Just load the pdf file after installation into the reader (either with a double-click if you have made it the default pdf viewer on the system, or by opening the reader via the Start Menu).

You will notice several options under Create/Convert in the main toolbar of the program.

A click on Extract Images opens a dialog where you can specify the output folder. A click on the Extract button saves all images of the pdf document into that folder. This may take some time depending on the number of images that are embedded in the pdf document.

I suggest you select a new folder for the images as all images of a pdf document are saved in the process which includes smaller images.

A very similar menu is displayed when you click on the Extract Text button. You can again select the output folder and click Convert to turn the pdf document into a plain text document. Nitro PDF Reader opens the text document automatically at the end of the conversion.

Nitro PDF Reader is a great program to work with pdf documents on a computer. It is little features like this that make a difference in day to day work.

Nitro PDF Reader has received lots of praise in the past for its pdf viewing and creating capabilities. The developers today have released version 2 final of the program. A lot has changed compared to the previous version. Among the new features are browser plugins for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer, a new thumbnail handler for Windows Explorer (32-bit) to generate better pdf previews and support for layers and rendering transparency in pdf fles.

The Nitro Reader features include abilities to fill out and save PDF forms, stamp a signature on a PDF, extract text and images, comment, highlight or strikeout text, and more. New enhancements to 2.0 include:

· QuickSign – import a scanned image of your handwritten signature to sign documents electronically in just seconds

· Microsoft Office Interface – Unlike other PDF Readers, the Nitro PDF Reader uses the same interface as Microsoft Office products, so users know exactly where to find things

· It’s faster – files open instantly, PDFs are created 4x times faster

· It’s lighter – using much less RAM in its runtime, even with multiple PDFs open

· Files are lighter – now the PDFs you send are half the size

· Browser integration – you can open and save PDF in popular browsers like IE 9.0 and Firefox 4.0 without having to switch back and forth between software programs

According to its developers, Nitro PDF Software is now creating pdf documents up to four times faster than its predecessor. It also lighter on computer memory and creates pdf documents that are lighter in size. A short test opening some pdf documents showed that Nitro PDF Reader 2 is about as fast as the lightweight pdf reader Sumatra when it comes to opening pdf documents. Keep in mind that the program offers additional functionality for viewing and creating pdf documents, that Sumatra does not offer.

Several issues have been resolved in the new version, including a memory leak that increased the memory usage during usage and a issue where multiple Nitro processed remained running on the system.

You can access the release notes of the new version here, provided in a pdf document.

Nitro PDF Reader 2 is available for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows client and server systems. The developers recommend one Gigabyte of ram and at least 300 Megabytes of available hard drive space.

You can download the latest version of Nitro PDF Reader 2 from the developer website. It is offered as a 32-bit and 64-bit version.

A new version of the pdf reader Sumatra has just been released, and the developers have improved the program quite a bit.

Sumatra PDF is offered as an installer and standalone application. Users who download the installer have access to three options during installation. Among them the ability to make Sumatra the default pdf reader, to install a browser plugin for Chrome, Firefox and Opera and the ability to show previews in Windows when pdf documents are highlighted.

The last option is one of the new features that have been added to Sumatra 1.6. Another new feature is the frequently read list that is displayed when no document is displayed in Sumatra. It can be used to quickly open a previously accessed document.

Sumatra 1.6 adds support for the popular DjVu document format, as well as Postscript documents if a recent version of Ghostscript is installed on the operating system. Another new feature is the ability to view images of a folder in the program. This is done by dragging and dropping the folder that contains the images into the Sumatra PDF window.

Support for XPS documents, which has been added in version 1.5 has been improved. Sumatra now supports clickable links and a table of contents for XPS documents.

Printing finally has been improved as well. Sumatra displays a printing progress now with options to cancel the print job. There is also a new print toolbar button for comfortable printing.

The latest version of Sumatra PDF reader can be downloaded from the official project homepage. Both the installer and portable version are offered on the homepage.

Foxit Reader will check for updates by querying a company server. All available updates are then displayed with options to add them to the update process. Users need to make sure to add at least the Foxit Reader 5.0.1.0523 Upgrade to the list of selected updates.

Manual update checks will pick up the new version of Foxit Reader eventually but this may take up to a week as Foxit Reader will only perform update checks once a week by default.

The Press Release lists the improvements of the new release.

Security. Version 5.0 is equipped to open documents created by Foxit’s PhantomPDF™ and protected by Microsoft’s Active Directory® Rights Management Service (AD RMS). This feature improves information security and helps companies meet compliance requirements.

XFA Form Filling. XFA form filling allows users to fill in and complete existing XFA forms electronically.

Productivity Features. Reader 5.0 provides users with productivity enhancements, including previews of PDF attachments in Microsoft Outlook and thumbnails of PDF files in Internet Explorer®. The Fit Visible feature fits the contents of a PDF page to the width of the user’s screen. The Split View capability divides the document pane into two or four panes to make content more easily accessible.

Enhanced User Interface. Version 5.0 incorporates the ribbon user interface technology to make finding menu items quick and easy. Users can choose the newer ribbon mode or the traditional, familiar pull-down menus of previous releases.

Enhanced Customization. With Reader 5.0 users can customize their own shortcut keys and can use skins to customize the look of the reader. Users can also use a new advanced-search tool to easily find bookmarks and commented text.

Foxit Reader 5 appears to cater to two groups of users. First to corporate users with the new security features, and then to users who want more customization and productivity options in the pdf reader.

The interface design has changed noticeably.

Interested users can download the Foxit Reader 5 release from the official homepage.

Update:

Foxit Reader 5 will install a toolbar called Foxit Creator Toolbar with no option to disable the feature during installation. You need to go to the control panel and uninstall the Creator Toolbar there to get rid of it. The new release takes up more than twice the amount of space than version 4 of the reader.

Update 2:

You actually have to select decline during installation after you have unselected the toolbar to not install it. If you unselect and click on Accept it will be installed nevertheless.

Sumatra 1.5 furthermore adds support for the two popular comic book formats CBZ and CBR which can now be opened and read directly in the application.

Other improvements include a File/Save shortcut menu item which can be used to save bookmarks to a specific place in a document, a new context menu item to copy text, link address and acomments and the option to browser a folder full of documents more easily. New shortcuts are available for the latter. Ctrl-Shift-Right opens the next document in the folder, while Ctrl-Shift-Left the previous document.

The new version of Sumatra is available for download at the developer website. You have the option between an installer or a portable version of the document reader. The sources are also available on the site.

Sumatra is only compatible with the Windows operating system. To be precise, it is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

New users should take a look at the manual which lists helpful keyboard shortcuts, command line options and browser plugin information. A browser plugin for Firefox, Chrome and Opera is included in the full installer of Sumatra, and not in the portable version.

Current versions of Windows 8 ship with a document viewer that goes by the name Modern Reader. I’m not sure if that is the real name of the new viewer, or if it is the name that the people who discovered the document viewer have given it.

Modern Reader is installed using Microsoft’s AppX application package type which tries to give application developers a tool at hand to distribute their software to a variety of devices, desktop PCs and Windows phone come to mind.

Modern Reader is the first new application that has been revealed that will make its debut under Windows 8. Rafael mentions that the application is simplistic, displaying “PDFs in full fidelity” and with “zoom in and out” capabilities.

Windows reader appears to support side-by-side page views, and – very likely – optimized for touch supporting devices.

So, a basic pdf reader in Windows 8, who would have thought that to be possible? There are questions that remain unanswered for now, including:

• Which pdf technologies are supported by Modern Reader, which are not. From the looks and first impression, it seems like Microsoft wants to keep the reader as basic as possible which could indicate that advanced pdf features like scripting or form filling are not supported by the document viewer.
• When I hear pdf I think security. A default pdf viewer on Windows could mean that less users install a pdf viewing application which could improve system security. That depends again on the implementation (sandboxing for instance) and features that are supported by modern reader.
• Are only pdf documents supported by Modern Reader?
• Will the reader be made available on other versions of Windows?

The pdf document format is widely used, and adding a built-in pdf reader in Windows could improve the usability of the system.

My thoughts on this are that Modern Reader is for users who need a fast, lightweight pdf reader to view pdf documents on their device. Users who need advanced features will still need to install a third party pdf reader or editor.

So Modern Reader, Windows Reader, whatever it will be called: What are your thoughts?

This guide looks at three tools for the job. The desktop applications Foxit Reader and Adobe Reader as well as the online service PDF Escape. Both the online service and the desktop applications have their distinct advantages, and disadvantages.

Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is a free fast pdf reader for Windows that offers several extras over the more common Adobe Reader. The free software is faster than Adobe Reader in all regards, which is most noticeable when pdf documents are opened on the computer.

Windows users who want to edit documents need to load them into Foxit Reader to edit the document forms. This is done with a simple click on the form field and the use of the keyboard.

Documents that have been filled out can be saved to the local computer system or send directly to the printer or an email recipient. This is all done via the File menu in the menu bar of the application.

Windows users can download the latest version of Foxit Reader from the official program website. The pdf reader is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

PDF Escape

PDF Escape is a free online service that offers pdf form filling. Users can upload individual pdf documents that are then parsed and displayed on the service’s website. The online tool scans the document for form fields to highlight them automatically when the individual page is loaded.

A click on a form field activates it so that it can be filled out. Once activated it is possible to flip through all fields with the tab key which speeds up the processing noticeably.

A click on Save and Download PDF generated the filled out pdf document and opens the save file as dialog window to save it on the local PC. It is alternatively possible to send the document straight to the printer.

The online service does not require registration, but registered users do get extra features like options to save files online.

Adobe Reader

How do both programs compare to Adobe Reader, the most popular pdf reader? Adobe has improved the performance, especially the time it takes to open a pdf document. The program does not come near the opening speed of Foxit Reader, at least not without tweaks (see Adobe Reader Speed Up for a tweaking tool)

Adobe Reader comes with capabilities to fill out pdf forms, just like Foxit Reader or the online service PDF Escape. PDF documents that have been filled out can be saved or attached to email.

Adobe Reader users do not necessarily have to install Foxit Reader to fill out pdf forms. Foxit Reader on the other hand offers a better pdf loading performance which might make a difference if documents are filled out on a regular basis. The smaller program size is another advantage of Foxit Reader.

The online service attracts a different audience. It is for instance the perfect solution when you work on a computer without pdf reader, or a pdf reader that does not offer form editing and saving.

Which tool or service are you using to fill out pdf documents?

This guide explains where those offline installers of Adobe’s pdf reader can be downloaded. I’ll also include an explanation where future offline installers can be found at, to make this method foolproof with future Adobe Reader updates.

Adobe Reader X Offline Installers Windows

• Adobe Reader X French Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X German Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X Japanese Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X US-English Offline Installer [link]

Adobe Reader X Offline Installers Mac

• Adobe Reader X French Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X German Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X Japanese Offline Installer [link]
• Adobe Reader X US-English Offline Installer [link]

Adobe Reader X Offline Installers Linux

Not yet available, expected to be released at the end of this month.

How To Find Future Adobe Reader Offline Installer Packages

Adobe loads offline installers on their public ftp server. All you need to do to download a new offline installer after an update of Adobe Reader is to visit the following ftp directories on Adobe’s ftp server. You need to follow the path to the latest version.

Just open this ftp directory in a browser or ftp server and navigate to the release of Adobe Reader that you need. It begins with the selection of the operating system (Win for Windows, Mac for Apple Macintosh and Unix for all Linux variants).

The major release versions are then displayed in the subdirectory. Just select the highest version (in this case it would be 10.x) and follow the lead. After that the supported languages are displayed. Pick your language, this leads to direct downloads of Adobe Reader offline installers in the selected language.

But what makes Adobe Reader x different from previous releases of the pdf reader?

Reader X for desktop enables an even greater level of interaction with the ability to share feedback through the use of Sticky Notes and Highlighter tools, as well as view a larger variety of content types including drawings, email messages, spreadsheets, videos, and other multimedia elements. You can also take advantage of the added security of Protected Mode in Reader X, which helps ensure safer viewing of PDF files.

It is rather strange that the announcement by Steve Gottwals over at Adobe lists the feature that I would consider the most important at the end of the new feature description.

So what’s Adobe Reader Protected Mode?

[..] Protected Mode is a sandboxing technology based on Microsoft’s Practical Windows Sandboxing technique. It is similar to the Google Chrome sandbox and Microsoft Office 2010 Protected Viewing Mode. [..] With Adobe Reader Protected Mode enabled (it will be by default), all operations required by Adobe Reader to display the PDF file to the user are run in a very restricted manner inside a confined environment, the “sandbox.” Should Adobe Reader need to perform an action that is not permitted in the sandboxed environment, such as writing to the user’s temporary folder or launching an attachment inside a PDF file using an external application (e.g. Microsoft Word), those requests are funneled through a “broker process,” which has a strict set of policies for what is allowed and disallowed to prevent access to dangerous functionality. (via)

Adobe Reader X comes with protected mode enabled by default. That’s great for users who felt that to many security vulnerabilities were discovered for Adobe’s pdf reader.

The main purpose of the sandbox is to mitigate attacks, so that the impact on the system is negligible.

The initial release of protected mode does is not a feature complete release.

This first release will sandbox all “write” calls on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003. This will mitigate the risk of exploits seeking to install malware on the user’s computer or otherwise change the computer’s file system or registry

Adobe plans to extend the sandbox by including read-only activities ” to protect against attackers seeking to read sensitive information on the user’s computer”.

Adobe Reader X is available for download at the official Adobe website.

Users who prefer to download Adobe Reader X directly can download it from Adobe’s ftp site instead:

• Adobe Reader X Windows Download: ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/10.x/10.0.0/
• Adobe Reader X Linux Download:ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/
• Adobe Reader X Mac Download: ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/mac/

The rushed state of the release indicates that the issue gets actively exploited which is confirmed in Adobe’s Security Bulletin that mentions that the issue is being actively exploited in the wild. Attackers may be able to crash the application on the computer and take control of the affected system in the process. Upgrading is the only way of protecting the computer from those vulnerabilities.

Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.3.4 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX update to Adobe Reader 9.4. (For Adobe Reader users on Windows and Macintosh,
who cannot update to Adobe Reader 9.4, Adobe has provided the Adobe Reader 8.2.5 update.) Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 9.3.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 9.4. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 8.2.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 8.2.5.

This accelerated patch breaks Adobe’s quarterly patch day that is set for every second Tuesday of each quarter of the year to fall in line with Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday. Interested users can take a closer look at the Security Bulletin, or point their web browsers to Get Adobe Reader right away to download the latest version of the pdf reader. Updates are also available directly in the program (by clicking on Help > Check for Updates).

The out-of-cycle update outlines the severity of the vulnerabilities that have been parched in the version, as Adobe usually releases updates in a three month cycle.

The updates address previously disclosed security vulnerabilities at the Black Hat USA 2010 conference on July 28, and furthermore incorporate the Adobe Flash Player update noted in the security bulletin released in July.

Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.3.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX update to Adobe Reader 9.3.4. (For Adobe Reader users on Windows and Macintosh, who cannot update to Adobe Reader 9.3.4, Adobe has provided the Adobe Reader 8.2.4 update.) Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 9.3.3 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 9.3.4. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 8.2.3 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 8.2.4.

Adobe Reader and Acrobat users are asked to update their pdf reader as soon as possible to protect their computer system from exploits that can lead to remote code execution.

Adobe Reader
Users can utilize the product’s update mechanism. The default configuration is set to run automatic update checks on a regular schedule and can be manually activated by choosing Help > Check for Updates.

Adobe Reader users on Windows can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows.

Adobe Reader users on Macintosh can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Macintosh.

Adobe Reader users on UNIX can find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Unix.

Note: Adobe Reader 9.3.4 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX will be available from the Adobe Reader Download Center at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ by August 31, 2010.

Adobe Acrobat
Users can utilize the product’s update mechanism. The default configuration is set to run automatic update checks on a regular schedule and can be manually activated by choosing Help > Check for Updates.

Acrobat Standard and Pro users on Windows can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=1&platform=Windows.

Acrobat Pro Extended users on Windows can also find the appropriate update here: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=158&platform=Windows.

Acrobat 3D users on Windows can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=112&platform=Windows.

Acrobat Pro users on Macintosh can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=1&platform=Macintosh.

More information available at Adobe’s Security Bulletin.

Adobe expects to make the updates “available during the week of August 16, 2010″, which does mean that millions of computer systems running either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat are left vulnerable for the time being.

Adobe is planning to release updates for Adobe Reader 9.3.3 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX, Adobe Acrobat 9.3.3 for Windows and Macintosh, and Adobe Reader 8.2.3 and Acrobat 8.2.3 for Windows and Macintosh to resolve critical security issues, including CVE-2010-2862 which was discussed at the Black Hat USA 2010 security conference on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Adobe expects to make these updates available during the week of August 16, 2010

The security advisory does not reveal information about the vulnerabilities, only that one was discussed at last month’s Black Hat USA 2010 security conference, that all platforms are affected, and that Adobe Reader 9.3.3 and earlier, and Adobe Acrobat 9.3.3 and earlier are affected.

The advisory over at Secunia reveals additional details about the vulnerability discussed at the Black Hat conference. The Adobe Reader / Acrobat Font Parsing Integer Overflow Vulnerability has been rated as highly critical, the second highest possible rating.

The vulnerability is caused due to an integer overflow error in CoolType.dll when parsing the “maxCompositePoints” field value in the “maxp” (Maximum Profile) table of a TrueType font. This can be exploited to corrupt memory via a PDF file containing a specially crafted TrueType font.

Successful exploits may allow remote code execution on the targeted system.

Users with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed may want to consider switching to another pdf reader for the time being, to protect their computer system from those vulnerabilities. Alternatives are listed on our pdf reader comparison page.

Still, it is a valid question. Do pdf readers render pdf documents differently, and if that’s the case, which one is the best of the pack?

Some rules had to be established for this test; All pdf readers should display the same page of the same pdf document in 100% and 200% view as well as a sample paragraph in 100%. Screenshot quality had to be the same to make it easier for anyone to spot possible quality differences in the text rendering engine.

I have also decided to only add free pdf viewers to the list.

List of pdf readers:

• Adobe Reader 9.3.3
• Foxit Reader 4.0
• Nitro PDF Reader 1.1.1.13
• Sumatra PDF 1.1
• PDF-XChange Viewer
• STDU Viewer
• Nuance PDF Reader
• Evince

Test System:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• 8GB computer memory
• Intel Core i7 860
• HP w2408h widescreen monitor, 1920×1200 resolution
• Ati Radeon 4870, latest Catalyst drivers
• Test Pdf

The screenshots:

Thumbnails are displayed due to size limitations, click on a thumbnail to view the full sized image.

Samples

pdf reader quality samples

The first batch of samples shows that pdf readers display the same text in a different font sizes. Adobe Reader uses the largest font sizes while STDU Viewer the smallest, which offers a barely readable rendering of the text in that size. Quality obviously depends on a few factors that might differ from system to system.

What’s your favorite pdf reader? Let us know in the comments.

The 100% sample screenshot comparison

pdf reader quality

Now the 200% samples of the eight pdf readers

pdf reader quality 200

As you can see, rendering quality differs highly depending on which pdf reader has been used to display the pdf document. Adobe Reader followed by Sumatra provide a very good rendering quality. The pdf rendering quality obviously depends on a few factors that are influenced by computer hardware.

I would still recommend either Adobe Reader or Sumatra as they seem to provide the best rendering quality of all tested pdf readers. Sumatra especially for users who do not want anything to do with Adobe Reader.

The custom installation of Foxit Reader 4 provides options to decline the installation of the Ask Toolbar and the eBay desktop shortcut.

The process however is a little bit deceptive as Lee over at the Download Squad points out.

Take a good look at the Foxit Search Bar installation window.

foxit reader ask toolbar

It is packed with text, two checkboxes and three buttons at the bottom. Users who do not want the Ask Toolbar to be installed can click on Decline to continue the installation. Users who do not read the wording on that page carefully might assume that unchecking the checkboxes is all it takes to avoid installing the toolbar on the system.

If they do that and click I accept they install the toolbar anyway. The checkboxes are only there to make Ask the default search provider and the homepage.

If you do not hit Decline you end up with the toolbar. Some users might say that this is pretty deceptive, especially with all the text displayed in that window. Users who do not read the text carefully end up with the Ask Toolbar installed.

If you have already installed Foxit Reader 4 and are wondering why you now have the Foxit Toolbar installed, this is why.

The Foxit Toolbar can be uninstalled in the Windows Control Panel without affecting Foxit Reader itself.

foxit toolbar

As an interesting side note; The msi installer that is offered next to the exe installer on the Foxit website does not contain the toolbar. It is a general observation that msi installers should be preferred especially when installing software from companies with a track record of adding stuff to the installation that most users do not need or use.

The developers of Foxit Reader have just released version 4.0 of their pdf reader. Foxit Reader 4.0 now includes additional free features such as document collaboration, commenting tools, spell checking, multi-level security and multimedia support.

In the past, premium PDF features such as these have been associated with a premium price tag. Today, Foxit is offering its powerful PDF technology platform, complete with premium features that go beyond the basic reading of PDF documents, as an upgrade at no cost. Built on Foxit’s trusted PDF technology platform, Foxit Reader 4.0 has an easy-to-use navigation system that promises users rapid downloading of PDF documents, reliable viewing and printing options, a tiny desktop footprint, single or multiple document interface modes and rapid response security releases. Now, even more users may take advantage of the Foxit Reader’s powerful framework to implement PDF solutions to reach their business goals.

foxit trust manager

One of the recent additions is the Trust Manager, which protects the user from potentially dangerous actions and data transmissions. This feature has now been added to the installation process. The actual feature was already part of previous Foxit Reader versions.

It is recommended to select the custom install option to prevent the installation of the Ask Toolbar and eBay shortcuts.

Features that have been added or enhanced in Foxit Reader 4.0 are:

• Easy-to-use review and commenting tools – Add comments or suggestions using notes. Highlight, underline, or use one of many other tools to bring attention to specific text. Easily correct mistakes by cancelling the last action with Redo & Undo feature.
• New editing tools include Typewriter, Callout, Textbox, and Measure tools – Add your comments on your PDF document. Use Typewriter Tool to fill forms. Create comments in a callout text box. Measure distances and areas of objects in PDF documents.
• Free spell checker for comments – Find any spelling errors and highlight them with squiggly lines.
• Multimedia Support: Add Images, Movies, Links and file attachments to any PDF document – Add /Edit /Play multimedia in PDF files – Add an image to a PDF; adjust its size, and position, change the appearance, etc… Attach PDF files and other types of files to a PDF document.
• Text Viewer & Text Converter – View the whole text content of a PDF file. Convert a whole PDF document into a simple text file
• Add/Edit/Modify Bookmarks – Easily modify the bookmarks in a PDF file.
• Safe Mode Settings in Installation – Set Safe Mode settings during initial installation. Streamline the workflow by setting the option of Safe Reading Mode. Enhanced secure user experience. Enhance protection when receiving a PDF file.

The good news is that the new features do not slow down the pdf reader. It opens pdf as fast as in previous versions. Especially users who do not use a pdf reader just for reading documents will benefit from these new additions.

Foxit Reader 4.0 is available for download at the Foxit website.

Its minimalistic design and speed make it an ideal pdf reader for users who want work with pdf documents on a regular basis and do not need the advanced functionality that Adobe Reader provides.

Several new features are introduced in Sumatra 1.1 including the ability to export pdf documents to text, new shortcuts for zooming matching Adobe Reader’s shortcuts (Ctrl+ and Ctrl-), a send by email option and book view which displays two or even four pages of the pdf document at once.

Several bug fixes and smaller improvements have made their way into the new version as well. Sumatra is still one of the fasted loading pdf readers.

Users who want to download Sumatra can download an installer or a portable version. The source code is also provided for download by the developers.

Sumatra is not the right pdf reader for users who work with advanced pdf document features. Everyone else might want to take a look to test a faster and more secure pdf reader than Adobe Reader.

The new Secure Trust Manager enables users to allow or deny unauthorized actions and data transmission, including URL connection, attachments PDF actions, and JavaScript functions; efficiently avoiding the attack from malicious contents and viruses.

An example would be the recent pdf exploit that made it possible to launch a file in Windows that was embedded in the pdf document.

The Secure Trust Manager would prevent the execution and display a warning message instead.

Information are displayed to the user that outline why the execution has been blocked. The Trust Manager is activated by default in a standard installation of Foxit Reader. The setting can be disabled in the preferences by going to Tools > Preferences > Trust Manager.

Unchecking “Enable Safe Reading Mode” in the menu will disable the Trust Manager which is only recommended if the pdf that needs to be accessed is known to be secure.

There is unfortunately no option to disable the trust manager for the pdf that is currently viewed when the dialog opens up. The developers should also add a better description and more options to the feature. A pdf whitelist and blacklist would also come in handy.

The Secure Trust Manager adds to the security of the pdf reader Foxit Reader. The limited description on the developer’s website leaves room for speculation as to which operations are protected by it.

Foxit Reader 3.3. can be downloaded directly from the developer’s website.

Adobe did not patch the issue on last week’s patch day but explained how to protect the programs so that the malicious code cannot be executed even if a specifically prepared pdf document is loaded.

Adobe users who want to protect their systems from the attack need to open Adobe Reader, click on Edit > Preferences to open the options, select Trust Manager from the categories menu and uncheck the PDF File Attachments option that reads “Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications”.

The security issue is currently actively exploited by the Zeus Botnet according to an article at PC World with several thousands of attacks underway. The pdf documents used in the attack embed code in the document that displays a save prompt to the user when the pdf document is opened. The user is asked to save a pdf called “Royal_Mail_Delivery_Notice.pdf” which in fact is a disguised executable that will run malicious code on the user’s computer.

The best way to handle the issue is to make the configuration change in Adobe Reader to protect the system, for now.

The new Adobe Reader 9.3.2 Lite has now been released and is available for download from various free file hosting sites. We recommend to check the program with an updated antivirus application to make sure that is it clean and usable.

Adobe Reader 9.3.2 Lite is offered as a portable standalone version of Adobe Reader, something that Adobe is not offering as the 9.3.2 update is only provided as an update and not a standalone version. The Adobe Reader download at the official Adobe website still links to version 9.3 of the pdf reader and users who download that version need to make sure to install the updates immediately to protect their computer system.

The critical vulnerabilities are affecting all operating systems that Adobe Reader is compatible with (Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Unix based) and versions of Adobe Reader 9.3.1 and Adobe Acrobat 9.3.1 or earlier.

The critical nature of the vulnerabilities requires immediate attention from users who have affected software versions installed on their computer systems.

Adobe is offering the update through various channels. It is possible to check for updates from within the pdf readers by clicking on Help > Check for updates or to download the updates from the official Adobe website.

Adobe Reader users on Windows can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows.

Adobe Reader users on Macintosh can also find the appropriate update here:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Macintosh.

Adobe Reader users on UNIX can find the appropriate update here:
ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/9.x/9.3.2/.

The update is still separated from the full version of Adobe Reader that is offered on the Adobe homepage. There is still no full version of Adobe Reader 9.3.2 available on the Adobe homepage which still offers Adobe Reader 9.3.0 to visitors.

Users who want to find out more about the security vulnerabilities can check out the security bulletin that contains detailed information about the vulnerabilities that are closed with the new release.