How to Use Microsoft Print to PDF in Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Microsoft print to PDF is a little late to the party but with the introduction of Windows 10, they have finally introduced a print to PDF feature that all major Operating systems had. MacOS and Linux had been allowing users to do this for a very long time. This means that if you are using a printable application such as Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, you can now make use of the Microsoft Print to PDF feature to create a PDF document out of your Microsoft application file.

The process is quite easy as we shall see very shortly and quite effective, although as we shall also see shortly, there are some problems to overcome if this is how you intend to print to PDF. In this article we take a critical look at this new feature and provide you with an even easier and more effective alternative for the "Microsoft Print to PDF" feature.

Part 1How to Print to PDF in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Each one of the three Microsoft applications allows for printing to PDF, in its own way. Let's take a look at how to do this for each one, individually.

How to Use Word Print to PDF

To print Word to PDF you first of all need to open the file you would like to print in the Microsoft Word application. Once this is done, follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Hit "Ctrl + P" on your keyboard or click on "File" and then select "Print".
Step 2: This will open the print window. Click on the drop down menu under "Printer" and from the options presented select "Microsoft Print to PDF". Here, you can also select other settings such as the number of pages to print. This will print Word to PDF and in essence create another file that is in PDF format.

How to Use Excel Print to PDF

To Print Excel to PDF, you essentially have to follow the same process. First begin by opening the excel file you wish print PDF and then follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Again click on "File" and then choose "Print". Or even hit Ctrl + P on your keyboard to open the "Print" menu.
Step 2: in the drop down menu under "Printer" select "Microsoft Print to PDF". This will create a PDF of the excel document.

How to Use PowerPoint Print to PDF

You can also print your PowerPoint presentation to PDF in much the same way. You can also use a different way. You don't need to open the PPT.

Step 1: Right click on the PowerPoint Files. And choose the "Print" option.
Step 2: In the new window, choose "Microsoft Print to PDF". Once you are done, you will have created a PDF of your PowerPoint Presentation that you can now save or print.

Serious Problems with Microsoft Print to PDF

There are several problems that you may encounter when trying to create PDF using this method, the following are just 3 of the most prominent ones.

1. This can only work in Windows 10
If you are using Windows 7 or 8, it is practically impossible for you to be able to do this. The feature is only available for Windows 10. So if you want to print to PDF in Microsoft, you have to upgrade to Windows 10.

2. No creative control
Once the PDF has been created this way, you will be unable to edit it in any way unless you use a third-party editing tool. The solution for this problem is to use a third- party tool that is can be used to edit the PDF after it has been created.

3. You cannot combine different formats
If for instance you wanted to create a PDF out of all three file formats, you would have to create each one separately and then combine them using a third-party tool. The solution is to use a program that allows you to combine the different file formats to create one large PDF file.

Part 2A Better Solution than Microsoft Print to PDF

The Microsoft print to PDF feature is long overdue and very handy. The only problem is that there are several problems as we have seen above. If you would rather bypass all of the problems and create a PDF easily, you need the best PDF management software in the business. This PDF software is Wondershare PDFelement, a program that is designed to make it easier for you to not only create a PDF but also easily manage all aspects of a PDF.

Free Download

You can use to create a PDF from a single file just as we have done with Microsoft Print to PDF or you can use the "Combine" feature to easily create a PDF from all of these formats.
After creating the PDF, you can easily edit the document. The program allows you to add image and text to the created PDF. You can also delete some of the text on the document and remove any images.
The program also gives you the ability to annotate the document any way you want. This means that you can strikethrough text, highlight text and even add comments and notes to the PDF.