PDFescape

What is PDFescape?

PDFescape, a free online tool, allows you to manage and edit PDF files. It also has a paid desktop version.

The web version is free and has a good selection of features for simple PDF editing. However, certain tasks, like saving edited PDFs, can only be done with paid plans. Other alternatives to PDFescape exist on desktops, too, with similar features and some providing more editing choices.

Read more: Best Z-Library Alternatives: Top Picks

What are the features of PDFescape?

Free Web Version: A Solid Choice for Basic Needs

• Core Viewing and Editing: PDFescape is a good PDF reader for your browser, letting you open and move around documents. You can look at things, and the free version lets you make simple changes straight on the PDF. You can put text boxes and shapes or use the whiteout tool to cover things up.
• Form Management: PDFescape’s web app helps deal with fillable forms or construct simple ones. With the free edition, you can complete current interactive forms efficiently and even design primary fillable forms for minimal data gathering.
• Annotate for Clear Communication: Improve work together and give clear feedback by adding annotations such as comments, highlights, and drawings to PDFs. This function is helpful, especially when you want to mark up papers for review or share study materials with your fellow students.
• More Safety and Sharing: You can keep your important documents safe by using password protection (the free version might have some limits). Also, the web app helps you share the PDFs you edited with others to make working together easier.

Paid Desktop Application: Unlocking Advanced Features

For enhanced PDF editing functions, the paid desktop application provides a substantial feature improvement:

• Granular Editing Control: Have complete editing strength. Modify the text and images in PDF, managing details such as font size, format style, and alignment. This editing is suitable for desktop applications when you need to make professional reports or modify scanned documents.
• Document Manipulation and Creation: The computer application makes PDFescape more powerful by allowing you to create PDFs from any document that can be printed on your computer. This is useful for saving web pages or turning receipts into PDFs, which can be searched for later. You also can combine many PDFs into one organized file, making it easier to handle all of them together.
• Conversion for Wider Usage: Do you require your PDF in another format for specific purposes? The desktop application provides conversion into frequently used formats such as Word, Excel, or JPG, which makes it compatible with many types of software and work processes.
• Advanced Functions for Smooth Workflows: Make your PDFs look professional by applying watermarks and numbering pages. Use the compression function to reduce file size, and if you want more security on documents, sign them electronically with a desktop application.

General Considerations: Beyond Core Functionalities

• Web-Based: The first and foremost benefit of PDFescape’s online version is that it doesn’t require a software download. This aspect makes it easy for people who only need to edit PDFs occasionally. The desktop application provides more convenient functions like storing documents, but this is not a unique storage solution.
• Customization Options: You can fill primary forms in the free web versions. However, in the desktop application, you can design custom fillable forms with a greater variety of form field options, which is useful for complex data collection needs.

Certain functions might be restricted in the free version. However, PDFescape has a good range of features for people who use PDFs occasionally or regularly. The desktop application is vital if you need more advanced editing and managing tasks with your files. Combining online tools and offline software makes PDFescape a suitable choice for diverse PDF handling needs.

How can I use PDFescape?

Using the Free Web Version:

1. Head to PDFescape’s website: Go to PDFescape online editor.
2. Choose your editing mode: On the homepage, you’ll see two options: “Free Online” and “Desktop App.” Click on “Free Online” to proceed with the web-based editor.
3. Upload your PDF: Click “Upload PDF to PDFescape” and select the PDF document you want to edit from your device’s storage. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the PDF file onto the designated area.
4. Explore the editing tools: Once your PDF uploads, you’ll see the editing interface. The toolbar on the left provides various tools for editing text and images, adding annotations, and managing pages within your PDF.
5. Edit and Annotate: Use the available tools to make your edits. Add text boxes, highlight sections, insert comments, and more.
6. Save or Share (Optional): While basic editing features are free, some functionalities, like saving edited PDFs, might be limited in the free version. You can save or share your edited document if it falls within the free version’s capabilities.

Using the Paid Desktop Application:

1. Download and Install: Download the PDFescape desktop application from the official website. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the application on your computer.
2. Open your PDF: Launch the PDFescape desktop application. You can then open your desired PDF document from your computer’s storage using the “Open” function within the application.
3. Utilize the Advanced Features: The desktop application offers a broader range of editing tools than the free web version. Explore the toolbar and menus to discover functionalities like advanced text editing, format conversion, document creation, and more.
4. Save and Manage: The desktop application allows you to freely save and manage your edited PDFs within the application (although it’s not a dedicated storage solution).