Is PDF Studio Pro still the best alternative to Adobe Acrobat?

[krs]

Subject Title says it all.

L'm now running into pdf files that Acrobat 9.0 can't open.
I get a message that I need a more current version of Acrobat to open the file.

So rather throwing more money in Adobe's direction, I'm looking for a GOOD alternative.
Hopefully for a lot less money as well and also not some subscription service.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Currently the favorites are:

PDF Studio Pro ($139) (the less expensive standard version can't erase and replace existing text)

PDF Studio - PDF Editor Software for Mac, Windows and Linux

Need PDF editing software? PDF Studio is an affordable, user-friendly, all-in one PDF editor that works on Windows, Mac and Linux!

www.qoppa.com

PDFExpert ($140)

PDF Editor and Reader for Mac | Free Trial | PDF Expert

Download a free trial of PDF Expert – the best PDF software for your Mac. Enjoy advanced reading layouts, powerful PDF editing and classical annotation tools.

pdfexpert.com

Review:

PDF without Adobe: 10 PDF Expert

For around half the cost of a year of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, you can have a superb PDF reader with good general annotation and editing tools.

eclecticlight.co

If you are stretching to save money, this is a new attractively inexpensive entry that I haven't reviewed and don't know much about yet:

UPDF ($50)

UPDF

With UPDF, you can edit, annotate, convert, OCR, organize, protect, share, print, summarize, translate, and explain PDF files. Try this all-in-one PDF editor now!

updf.com

UPDF

checkout.updf.com

‎UPDF - PDF Editor & Converter
More info (not a review):

UPDF: The Ultimate PDF Editor- 9to5Mac

Hands on with UPDF. The all in one PDF editing tool that can handle everything form smart forms to document conversion!

9to5mac.com

OCR works for Apple Silicon only.

 

[rbpeirce]

I've been using Nitro PDF Pro Essentials, which replaced PDF Pen. I have no idea what it cost but it has done everything I've needed. I think the full Nitro PDF Pro costs over $150 and may be the only option if you didn't already have PDF Pen.

 

[pm-r]

L'm now running into pdf files that Acrobat 9.0 can't open.

Does Adobe's free Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 23.003.20269 open such .pdf files???

And just a bit curious here, but where are the .PDF files that you cannot open coming from and how are they being created? Maybe the source should change how they are doing things instead of the rest of the world having to adapt to the odd version they are creating.

Then again there's the opposite problem some seem to be having:
Why a PDF won't open on Adobe Acrobat

Why a PDF won’t open on Adobe Acrobat | Adobe Acrobat

Wondering why a PDF won’t open on your computer? Check out our guide for what may be causing this issue and how to resolve it.

www.adobe.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[krs]

Does Adobe's free Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 23.003.20269 open such .pdf files???

And just a bit curious here, but where are the .PDF files that you cannot open coming from and how are they being created?

The file is a hobby catalog of about 130 pages, but the file size is 347MB.
I was trying to reduce the size to around 50 MB which is typical for catalogs that size.
I can open the file in Acrobat Reader and also in Preview.
Tried Preview to reduce the file size but the reduced one is still over 200 MB.
When I try to open the file in Acrobat Pro 9, Adobe wants me to spend more money.

 

[pm-r]

I was trying to reduce the size to around 50 MB which is typical for catalogs that size.

Have you tried some of the file size saving suggestions from here for example with the applications that do work with the files:

How to Reduce PDF File Size
1. The first step is to save file under a different file name by using "File > Save As..." menu. Quite often, users make modifications to the document and use "File > Save" menu to save changes to disk. Adobe Acrobat just appends changes to the end of the file and file size keeps growing bigger and bigger. The "File > Save As..." completely rebuilds file structure and purges all accumulated changes. For some file, this can immediately reduce the file size without performing any optimizations.
2. Use "File > Save as Other > Reduced Size PDF" or "File > Save as Other > Optimized PDF" menus to perform optimization. However, it is important to understand that there is no magic and file reduction can be only achieved by either down-sampling images and removing embedded fonts. Down-sampling images or using a lossy image compression algorithm decrease file size by discarding information. It will always result in loss of images quality. This is not acceptable depending on project requirements. Removing embedded fonts is possible in some cases by using "PDF Optimizer", but for some PDF files it is not an option.
3. The last resort is to print PDF file to "Adobe PDF" printer. This method often helps when there is a font or internal file structure problem. However, this method may also reduce image quality. In addition, this method will not carry over any interactive elements such as bookmarks, links, annotations and etc.

Understanding PDF File Size

Explanation of PDF file size and its relationship to use of fonts and images.

evermap.com

Or have you tried any of the PDF shrinking/compressing utilities such as a free one???:

Genius PDF Compress

Download Genius PDF Compress for Mac | MacUpdate

Download the latest version of Genius PDF Compress for Mac for free. Compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.

www.macupdate.com

Maybe have a look and see what other users have to say about it.


EDIT:
I don't know if Apple's Preview compressing method is more efficient than any of the others:

Compress a PDF in Preview on Mac
To save storage space, you can compress a PDF in Preview.

Note: When compressed, the PDF may be of lower quality than the original.

In the Preview app on your Mac, open the PDF that you want to compress.

Choose File > Export. (Don’t choose Export as PDF.)

Click the Quartz Filter pop-up menu, then choose Reduce File Size.

Compress a PDF in Preview on Mac

In Preview on your Mac, create a compressed version of a PDF to save storage space.

support.apple.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I've been using Nitro PDF Pro Essentials, which replaced PDF Pen. I have no idea what it cost but it has done everything I've needed. I think the full Nitro PDF Pro costs over $150 and may be the only option if you didn't already have PDF Pen.

I haven't tried Nitro PDF personally, but the members of my user group, who used to uniformly be big fans of PDFpen, uniformly seem to hate it. Sorry that I can't be more specific. Just a tip to try the free demo before you purchase.

 

[pm-r]

I haven't tried Nitro PDF personally, but the members of my user group, who used to uniformly be big fans of PDFpen, uniformly seem to hate it. Sorry that I can't be more specific.

That pretty well reflects the user's comments for both of their products here:
Nitro PDF Pro Essentials 3.6

Nitro PDF Pro Essentials

Download the latest version of Nitro PDF Pro Essentials for Mac for free. Read 81 user reviews and compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.

www.macupdate.com

Nitro PDF Pro 3.7

Nitro PDF Pro

Download the latest version of Nitro PDF Pro for Mac for free. Read 127 user reviews and compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.

www.macupdate.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[krs]

Have you tried some of the file size saving suggestions from here for example with the applications that do work with the files:

Understanding PDF File Size

Explanation of PDF file size and its relationship to use of fonts and images.

evermap.com

Or have you tried any of the PDF shrinking/compressing utilities such as a free one???:

Genius PDF Compress

Download Genius PDF Compress for Mac | MacUpdate

Download the latest version of Genius PDF Compress for Mac for free. Compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.

www.macupdate.com

Maybe have a look and see what other users have to say about it.


EDIT:
I don't know if Apple's Preview compressing method is more efficient than any of the others:

Compress a PDF in Preview on Mac

In Preview on your Mac, create a compressed version of a PDF to save storage space.

support.apple.com

A couple of comments on this subject:
I sent the original pdf file which I could not open with Acrobat Pro 9 to a friend who uses Acrobat as part of his work and has the latest version.
Turns out that he could open the pdf but could not edit it because the edit function was password protected.
I had already reduced the file size in Preview (from 350 MB to 210 MB) and sent that file....and sure enough, as I had expected, Preview ignored the edit password and my friend could now reduce the file size to 90 MB with still very good quality on a 43-inch 4 K monitor.
One new thing I found out was that one can actually control the amount of compression and thus the quality of the compressed file in Preview. I always thought the Preview compression parameters were fixed.
I have to find the article again and make a note of how that is done.

PS: Explained in this video -

 

[Randy B. Singer]

...one can actually control the amount of compression and thus the quality of the compressed file in Preview. I always thought the Preview compression parameters were fixed.
I have to find the article again and make a note of how that is done.

How to tweak the compression ratios (the tradeoff between image quality and file size) when using Preview:

http://www.hoboes.com/Mimsy/hacks/quality-reduced-file-size/

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/33702/compress-pdf-with-adjustable-ratio

https://scrollinondubs.com/2007/04/05/quick-pdf-file-size-reduction-on-a-mac/

https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/compress-a-pdf-prvw1509/mac