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Save as PDF (lemmings.world)
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[-] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 18 points 1 month ago

You're not lying. You are printing it as a PDF. Your electronic buddy doesn't see a difference.

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Beyond that, also, what's so hard about clicking on "File > Export As... > PDF" which is literally in the file menu on LibreOffice at the very least. I don't know about MS Office, but I would assume it's the same.

[-] Zwiebel@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago

It can produce different results than print to pdf unfortunately

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

Could you expand on that, I'm curious because export to PDF has always worked flawlessly for me.

[-] Triumph@fedia.io 4 points 1 month ago

Depends on the application. Print to PDF always produces the output as seen on screen, though without things like fillable fields.

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[-] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I'm going to assume you're on the younger side. That's a relatively recent thing. For many many years we had to install PDF printers.

Also the PDF printer is generic, but the export has to implemented for each application individually.

[-] The_v@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

CutePDF was the best.

https://cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp

Started out with it in XP.

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[-] Korne127@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Well, but we're not just talking about Office. What about browsers, document viewers, etc.

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[-] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago

Kids today don’t realize how much “printing” to files your computer does.

[-] mech@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

Just tell them it's like the Share button on their phone.

[-] rainwall@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

This is as much linguistic tomfoolery for humans as it is a con for computers.

I dont know the history, but the most likely case is some microsoft engineer implemented the "print as pdf" option to get around an adobe restriction in the far past, and now we have this weird convention where you can "print" to only 1 filetype to "save" it.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Someone else pointed out that printing to pdf was a universal solution no matter the program. Instead of each program having to make their own export option.

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[-] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 month ago

"Print to file" to create a PDF, but it's Microsoft's stupid alternative format. Can't even remember its name, nobody used it.

[-] NotSafeForWorld@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago

Fucking xps format. Like almost everything Microslop had touched, it can burn in software hell

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Agreed! I remember back in the day when they first created the docx format. Such bloated garbage. I think an empty file was like 100-200 KB. And PowerPoint files are unreasonably huge too

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[-] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago
[-] BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 month ago

I see you too are a person of culture.

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[-] JustAPenguin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Laughing harder in Typst

[-] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 10 points 1 month ago

Similarly, Android has distinct "share" and "open with" menus but I mostly use the former as the latter.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Until you realize that a PDF is literally just a format based around a standard set of instructions used to print documents.

[-] tomiant@piefed.social 11 points 1 month ago

It stands for Print Da File.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Print Deeznuts Fuckyou

[-] ramjambamalam@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago

Reminds me of Arnold's guide to tar:

[-] rmuk@feddit.uk 3 points 1 month ago

Potable Document Format. Retains formatting and safe to consume.

[-] tempest@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago
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[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 month ago

Yeah, if you print to a printer what you're most often doing is saving it as an Adobe PostScript file and sending that to the printer. PDF is similar, just with extra bells and whistles.

[-] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

It was like that back in the eighties, until the manufacturers decided to save on the chips by moving functionality into the drivers. Which was basically the start of everyone's problems with printers.

[-] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Boomers made me hate PDF files

[-] bunchberry@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

the world is run by PDF files

[-] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

And the people who can't open them

[-] capuccino@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

people will call you dumbass because you don't use AI but they can't open a pdf file

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

From my time in tech support I know there are two kinds of cases where people can't open a PDF. In one group, the PDF is broken, usually an interrupted download or otherwise corrupted file. The other group, well, one wonders how this kind of people can walk and talk at the same time.

[-] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 5 points 1 month ago

one wonders how this kind of people can walk and talk at the same time

They can't. These are the people who have a family reunion in the middle of aisle 6 in the grocery store because the haven't seen little Breighlynne since she was this big! We need to get together sometime so all the--

You need to get the hell away from the tortilla chips before I justifiably crash out!

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Did you used to love pdf files?

[-] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago
[-] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

How much more do we need to pick your brain in order to determine whether or not you understand the double entendre?

[-] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I enjoy single entendres, I'm not greedy

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Is that a JE reference?

[-] sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago

exports are subject to tariffs, only religious people can be saved. So printing is the secular, free trade choice.

[-] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I mean, it's just common sense.

[-] tomiant@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago

I think it's worse that it's quicker to take a screenshot of an image online than going through the trouble of saving it.

[-] portuga@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I can think of several ways I can print a word file to pdf. In the rare occasions I might need a pdf to share. But what I mean is pdf sucks and shouldn’t be allowed on the internet

[-] unmagical@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's a fine format for what it's intended for, exact preservation of content, format, and layout. Once you start looking at a the immutable archivist/distribution format and start thinking to yourself "I'd rather like to edit that" then you've messed up.

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this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
133 points (98.5% liked)

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