Nitro PDF Software on Tuesday released a free reader built to break rival Adobe System's grip on the world's top digital document format.
The company today announced the release of Nitro PDF Reader, a free PDF viewer that also offers free PDF creation. Users of Nitro PDF Reader can add comments, annotations and markups for digital collaboration, fill and save PDF forms, stamp signatures, extract text and images, and type text directly onto the PDF file. The software can be downloaded for free at
http://www.nitroreader.com
"Nitro PDF Reader aims to revolutionize the PDF reader category, second only to web browsers in world popularity, with class-leading functionality and a ground-breaking user experience," said Chris Dahl, Nitro's CTO. "This was the next logical step for Nitro as we continue to amass the largest user base of free PDF software outside of Adobe and the technology we've developed for our premium products. This is our vision to provide a no-strings-attached, truly free PDF reader that does everything we believe users want and nothing they don't."
Adobe sells premium versions of PDF software that allow for document creation. Nitro is already selling professional PDF software that competes with Adobe, but the reader released on Tuesday is the first free offering to let people do more than simply read and print such files.
The Nitro Reader interface is instantly familiar for Microsoft Office users, with visual representations of tasks and tools, devoid of onscreen clutter or drop-down menus. The product also offers users customizable security controls, including the option to completely disable JavaScript and individually manage PDF files' interactivity with and access to the Internet.
Features include:
- Familiar and intuitive MS Office Ribbon-style user-interface for streamlined integration with existing workflows.
- 100% compatibility with other leading PDF readers and editors, including the Adobe Acrobat family of products.
- Context-intelligent UI and tools to allow navigation panels to appear only when relevant to the PDF file opened, and move/select tools know when user is selecting text or images.
- Fill-in and save forms to easily bypass the process of filling, printing and then scanning for electronic delivery or archival.
- PDF File Creation from any existing software, using customized and preset output controls from within Nitro PDF Reader or instant, one-click drag-and-drop creation onto the desktop icon.
- Typing tool to easily type text directly on any page, anywhere in a PDF file.
- Premium collaboration tools for comment and review, using sticky notes and text markup capabilities such as highlight, cross out or underline, reply to individual annotations and comments and sort individual users' contributions.
- Signature stamping with the click of a button using your scanned, handwritten signature. Sign PDF files in-application without the need to print and password-protect multiple users' signatures.
- PDF Preview for email clients that integrates a preview window in Microsoft Outlook (Vista and later) to instantly view the content of PDF attachments without saving and opening the file.
- Snapshot tool that copies a selected area on any page directly to clipboard to easily repurpose any PDF content for only what is needed.
- Disable JavaScript functionality to prevent unauthorized access to your computer via malicious coding in PDF files.
- Restrict web access capability that allows a list of specified web sites to interact with PDF files opened or completely restrict internet activity from within all PDF files.