CenoPDF
Reviewed May 2007
What’s It Do?
CenoPDF is a Microsoft Office add-in that helps users edit,
save, convert and create fillable PDF form files with text box, check box,
button, annotations, actions, Javasript, etc. directly in Microsoft Word
and Microsoft Publisher.
Does it do what it promises?
Reviewer 1: This is a specialized program that produces PDF forms that can
then be filled out on a computer. These forms can be emailed or uploaded
to a website. This might be useful for a commercial business but I found I
could not come up with a good use for it given the huge learning curve
required to master it.
Reviewer 2: From what I gather, CenoPDF does what it claims. I say “from
what I gather” because I found this to be one of the most disorienting
programs I have encountered. CenoPDF’s instructions jumped from the
general statement, above, to a complex instructions about how to perform
nuanced details without the intervening orientation to what each of the
functions does, where you should appropriately use them, and what results
you should expect.
Reviewer 3: PDFfiles are widely used to produce a document that can be
used across all platforms (for example PC's, Macintosh, Linux, etc) with
all the fonts, graphics and layout of the original document. I do not have
the Adobe (free) Reader installed on my computer, but use the (also free)
Foxit Reader instead. With Foxit, as with Acrobat and others, one can
open, view and even print PDF files. However, creating PDF files normally
require the powerful, but expensive and complex, Adobe Acrobat program. It
is true that a number of freeware and shareware programs exist with which
one can "print" PDF documents from within other applications. The Neat Net
Tricks panel has evaluated several of these programs in the past. However,
although one can read and print those documents, they usually cannot be
edited or changed. Until starting to use CenoPDF I was unable to create
interactive PDF files; Adobe Acrobat has always been out of reach of my
budget. There are times, though, that I would have liked to produce a PDF
file with defined fields in it, that would allow someone using a free PDF
Reader to fill in the form and return it to me. With CenoPDF, that has
become possible. The PDF files that I did manage to create opened in Foxit
and functioned as expected.
Reviewer 4: Yes. As claimed, it is a Microsoft Office add-in that helps
users edit, save, convert and create PDF (Portable Document Format) files
using Microsoft Word and/or Publisher and by installing an additional tool
bar on your Word or Publisher toolbar. It further claims only to be one of
the best [emphasis added] and an alternative to Adobe Acrobat. This
honesty and lack of hyperbole is appreciated and should be noted.
Was it easy to install?
Reviewer 1: It installed quickly but then it was not evident how to
trigger it once inside MS Word. After a bit of digging on the Lystech Web
site, I found that there is a tool called “Add-in selector” in the “All
Programs>CenoPDF>add-in selector menu.” This pops up a box that enables
CenoPDF in Word and Publisher. Then one must go to the “view” menu in Word
or Publisher to show the CenoPDF menu bar. I felt that this should all be
automatic and ready to use when Word or Publisher is launched. In MS
Publisher, the default setting for Security (tools>macro>security) after
installation is set to "High". This prevented CenoPDF from running until
reset due to some Macros included in the program. The "digital
certificate" was not signed. Once reset, it loaded and worked fine when I
allowed the macros to run. CenoPDF also installs in Excel and PowerPoint
as a PDF printer without full functionality (it only exports to PDF) This
is somewhat useful if a PDF print driver is not already installed. CenoPDF
does not install anything for Access or OneNote.
Reviewer 2: Installation was fast and easy. The license allows
installation on one user’s multiple computers provided only one is used at
a time – a very reasonable policy in my opinion.
Reviewer 3: I did run into some difficulties at first. I still use Word
97, which cannot run this program. Therefore, I had to install Word 2003
on my computer to be able to test the program, and it may well be because
Word 2003 is “new” (to me) that I ran into so my problems. Once I had
worked my way through that, the installation was relatively simple. Still,
it helps to be aware that there are a number of requirements for CenoPDF
to work. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 must be installed and there are
download links for this at the CenoPDF Web site. The next three steps come
as surprises. First, the installation of the “Microsoft Shared Add-in
Support Update (KB908002)”; secondly, the installation of the Nova PDF
Printer Driver (see more about that below). These two were not
particularly problematic, as they were included in the CenoPDF set-up
process; however, the third one has given me considerable headaches. My
installation of Word 2003 required Service Pack 2 of Word 2003 and I was
unaware of this until I started the Word program. I spent considerable
time searching the MS Updates site and would have appreciated more
specific information such as a download link similar to the one provided
for the .NET framework. In order to enter the license code, one must use
the CenoPDF drop-down memo in Word, and go to the “About” item, to find
the registration code entry field. A hint regarding how to do this would
have been helpful.
Reviewer 4: Unfortunately, no. When compared to similar programs, the
comparatively small 5.8MB program itself downloads and installs quickly
and uneventfully using its own, but typical, Windows-type installation
wizard with the standard choices as to location, etc. However, the large
22.4MB and resource-heavy Microsoft .NET Framework v. 2.0 must first be
installed.. While this is mentioned in their Web site and is brought to
one’s attention during the installation process, I would suggest that it
be made more prominent by placing it on the opening page in the Web
site—possibly close to where it states: “No other third party software
required.” For some, the required installation of the Microsoft .NET
Framework could be a deciding factor in whether or not to install this
particular program. Further along in the installation process I found
that, unless I automatically download any and every Microsoft update
without first perusing each of the proposed updates—a practice I strongly
encourage— I experienced yet another interruption in the installation
process. i.e., the need to install a Microsoft update #KB908002 (which I
had selectively chosen not to previously install). Finally, and as the
installation proceeds, I noted that CenoPDF needed to install the NovaPDF
Printer Driver (yet another of those “no other third party software
required” requirements). Fortunately, this last item was already installed
on my computer since we had previously reviewed this software product.
Good Points?
Reviewer 1: CenoPDF appears to function as it says it will. It produces
PDF forms with tagged fields that then can be filled or used internally.
This is useful to create forms for one’s business that cannot be altered,
only filled out. This is one of the basic benefits of using the PDF format
for distribution of documents.
Reviewer 2: There is a fully functioning demo mode available for trial
before purchase. The only limitation is that the final documents have a
note at the bottom saying that it was created by CenoPDF in demo mode.
Generating a fillable PDF form is a potentially powerful tool and I was
quite excited about using this in my business. Form submission is an
easier process with pre-formatted choices from which to select. Portions
of the form can be required to be filled out before submission, thus
avoiding omission of important information. There is a very nice
“walkthrough” on the Web site which takes one through the steps of
generating a simple document where the end user can use checkboxes to
choose between listed menu choices. This example gave me the best
orientation of what this program can do. I suggest that the publishers do
this for each of the functions of CenoPDF.
Reviewer 3: CenoPDF does, indeed, let provide interactive files in the PDF
format, and that is its main “Good Point”. However, it is not the kind of
“self-evident” program that the user will have up and running after a few
trial-and-error efforts. It is a program that does require some real
effort with a fairly steep learning curve. To this end, the CenoPDF
Website contains a basic tutorial called “Walkthrough”, and some sample
files that have been created by CenoPDF. In these cases, both at the
source document in Microsoft Word and at the resulting PDF file can be
examined. In fact, I have saved the Word .doc file of one of them to my
own hard drive, and am using it as the main starting-point of a form that
I am developing for my own use. As with many products, support is a
critical factor in any assessment of a program. I found the support for
this program to be very good indeed. As with many programs now, the main
method to reach help is through a form on the Website, which then produces
a ticket number and subsequent correspondence. Direct email is also
available, and weekday response is very quick. I found the response to be
courteous and efficient. This program is very reasonably priced.
Additionally, unlike many other programs, the license is granted on a
one-at-a-time basis. The agreement says “This registered copy of CenoPDF
may be installed on computers used by one single person only, or it may be
installed on one computer used non-simultaneously by several persons, but
NOT both”.
Reviewer 4: Instead of paying $299.00 for Adobe Acrobat Standard, pay
$29.00 for the Ceno PDF and do many of the same things the Adobe product
will do, and with a 5.8MB download rather than the very large 19MB, and
with approximately 90% less computer resources. Ceno PDF has all of the
standard features one would expect from such an application: creation and
or conversion of standard PDF files. Ceno PDF, however, also allows for
the creation of fillable PDF form files complete with text boxes, check
boxes, buttons, annotations, etc. It is this ability to produce
interactive files that brings it closer to being a true Acrobat
alternative than most, if not all, of its competitors. Additionally, it
supports both True Type and Open Type fonts, and embedding of those fonts
(which means one does not need to distribute the font separately) and
offers various levels of text and graphic compression to allow generation
of smaller files. While at first glance, support seems to be lacking in
that the only support available is through email with no turn around time
indicated, I contacted support on three separate occasions and in each
instance I received a response within 24 hours with each response to the
point, easily understood, and addressing the issue with no need for
follow-up. In addition, there is an adequate help file accessed through
the application as well as a short but very thorough FAQ on the Web site.
Additionally, there is a comprehensive tutorial and a “walkthrough”
downloadable tutorial. Because of this and my three direct experiences, I
have no qualms about support for this product and, in fact, give support
high praise. Overall, Ceno PDF performed flawlessly for me and produced
more than reasonable quality output for every document type I tried. It
did exactly what it said it would do and did it consistently time after
time. Because of this, its excellent feature set, ease of use, low
resource use, and its excellent support I recommend this product with only
some slight reservation due to the somewhat convoluted and complicated
installation procedures and what I feel to be an unnecessarily complicated
and less than intuitive program.
Weak Points?
Reviewer 1: This program has a steep learning curve, only worth "climbing"
if one really needs this capability. CenoPDF seems to take a huge toll on
resources, at least on program start. Word or Excel requires more than one
minute to launch and then many times doesn't open the document clicked on
. This is happening on a 2.4 GHz machine with 1GB of RAM! I can't imagine
what would happen if run on a computer with less horsepower than this.
This was not happening before the CenoPDF install.
Reviewer 2: After the program installs, there is little direct guidance to
let you know where it is or what to do with it. I noticed only a new
floating toolbar in Microsoft Word and Excel. It would be helpful if a “?”
“Help” button appeared among these tool icons. Help can be found by going
to “Start”, “Programs”, “CenoPDF”, and “CenoPDF Help”. There is also a
pull down text menu which does contain a help link on the menu bar at the
top of the screen, but I did not immediately notice this change. A help
screen can be triggered at any point by pressing the “F1 Key” but this is
discovered only after reading through the Web site and help material.
There is no user’s manual. This program’s publishers seems to assume that
the user is crossing over from another .PDF file creation program such as
“Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional” and is familiar with its features. For
guidance, I could go online through the tutorial, or use the program’s
help feature, but I did not find these helpful or “new user friendly”. As
I began to explore this program, I became very disoriented. I found
instructions for carrying out detailed operations without having first
gotten the overview of what this program was or what I should be thinking
about doing with it. I literally spent hours going through the details of
the program, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle of what this
program is and what it can do. This is very different than learning the
details of a well-organized but complex program, and if I was doing this
for my private use instead of for this review, I would have given up much
earlier. For example, pressing the “F1 Key” in the section for “Combo Box”
creation, presents a very detailed screen with details about using each of
the features to control the function of the “Combo Box”. However, nowhere
does it show or tell you what a “Combo Box” actually is. This program
requires installation of the proper version of Microsoft .NET framework,
but the only place I saw this mentioned was in the troubleshooting portion
of the FAQ. This program is not WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), so
as the document is being created, grey boxes are displayed where fillable
elements will be once the document is “exported” to PDF format. There are
no prompts to register the software and the only indication that
registration is needed is a notice printed on the bottom of the exported
.PDF pages saying that the program is unregistered and in demo mode. When
I created a document and exported it to PDF format, the program ran for a
very long time before finally giving an error message which simply stated
that there was an error in the process and that a PDF file was not
generated. It would have been most helpful if there could have been a more
detailed error message stating some of the details of what the problem
was, and perhaps a clue or two about what might be done to fix it.
Reviewer 3: As mentioned above, the installation process includes the
installation of the Nova PDF program. The Neat Net Tricks panel reviewed
this in December 2006. CenoPDF has a license to use Nova PDF to create the
PDF files from within the Ceno program, and as long as it is used only in
this way, there are no infringements on the license rights of Softland SRL,
the developers of Nova PDF. However, when we install CenoPDF, the Nova PDF
Professional is also fully installed, and will appear as a printer in the
list of available printers. If Nova PDF is then used as a printer to
create PDF documents from other applications, each page of the PDF files
produced will contain a small, but obvious, notice at the bottom. So Nova
PDF is used from within programs other than CenoPDF, a license from Softland
will be required.
Reviewer 4: There are no serious glitches or “bugs” that I found in the
program. In fact, there really were no apparent weaknesses of any kind in
the program itself other than the aforementioned installation
complications. It is, however, not an easy program to master and is less
than intuitive. I am one who hates to need to consult instruction manuals
for software programs but in the case of CenoPDF not only did I need to
consult the manuals but had to do so repeatedly as well as the various
“walkthroughs” and tutorials.” In short, there is a rather steep learning
curve for this program. This is not a program that can be installed and
used immediately.
Comments:
Reviewer 1: This is a very specialized piece of software, useful only if
its capabilities are needed and the user is willing to invest a lot of
learning time. On the other hand, for the average user, it really has
little use.
Reviewer 2: Due to the lack of documentation, I cannot recommend this
program to users who are new to fillable PDF document generation as I was.
However, CenoPDF has many powerful tools that might be quite useful in the
hands of someone who already has a background and understanding of what
each of the features can and should do.
Reviewer 3: Many of my clients do not live near me, and I work with them
at a distance, using email, FAX and the regular mail, as well as
exchanging documents via the Internet. PDF files are an essential format
that I use all the time. Up until now, I have not been able to develop
cross-platform forms that I could use to collect some of the basic
information that I need in order to serve them more effectively. As I
started to investigate this program, I realized that I have found a tool
that will fill an important need in this particular corner of my business.
Reviewer 4: This product is apparently in continual development as there
have been continual revisions and “bug” fixes over the past couple of
years. This is a good sign as it means that the developer has not decided
it is “good enough,” but is continually looking for ways to improve the
product. I would strongly urge the developer to be a little more upfront
about the additional requirements needed to install this program and would
also encourage him or her to rethink the somewhat misleading statement
about the program not needing any other third-party software. I noted that
the Web site lists a Los Angeles, California address for the developer. I
would encourage the developer to add an “About Us” to his or her Web site
as I always feel a bit more confident—especially about a “young” program
still in development--when I know a little about the company.
Will you continue to use it?
Reviewer 1: No, I will probably uninstall it since it seems to be a
resource hog on my machine. I have other PDF print drivers loaded and
don't need that additional capability that this program provides.
Reviewer 2: No. I would consider it again in the future if the publishers
will publish a user’s manual and fill their site with examples of what
this program can do.
Reviewer 3: Yes, certainly.
Reviewer 4: Yes. Although my use of PDF files is minimal, this has
replaced another Adobe Acrobat clone that I had been using for quite some
time.
Lystech, producers of CenoPDF, replied: Thank you so much for the reviews.
We truly appreciate it. Please also forward my thanks to all the
reviewers. Their comments are accurate and honest and will be EXTREMELY
helpful for us to improve the
product.
OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center Edition
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