4 Ways to Make a PDF — for Free

In your browser, go to the webpage you want to save as a PDF, maybe an AARP article on celebrity Jamie Lee Curtis.

• For Chrome, click on the three vertical dots ⋮ at the top right of the page | Print...

• For Safari, available for Apple devices only, right-click anywhere on the page except for a photo or a video | Print Page…

• For Edge, click on the three horizontal dots ⋯ at the top right of the page | Print.

• For Firefox, click the hamburger menu icon ☰ at the top right of the page | Print…

Each of these will take you to a print preview pane that opens on top of your webpage. In Chrome and Firefox, under the Destination menu, select Save as PDF or Save to PDF. In Safari, select PDF | Save as PDF at the bottom of the preview window. In Edge, choose Microsoft Print to PDF.

The Print Preview option lets you choose how many pages you want to save, so you can decide on all pages or narrow your choices to get fewer ads at the end. Then click the Print button.

iPhones and iPads have a couple of ways for you to create PDFs that can be stored on your smartphone or immediately shared with others using the Books app or sending to others via the Options > button.

AARP

3. Save as a PDF on a smartphone or tablet

Creating a PDF on an Android phone, Apple iPhone, iPad or other tablet is also easy.

For iPhone or iPad. As with your computer, you can save webpages, emails or notes as a PDF on your mobile Apple device and open them in the Books app, already included on your iPhone or iPad.

1. To save content as a PDF, tap the Share button, a square with an arrow inside pointing up. It will show you options, such as sending as a text message or email, posting it to social media, etc. Below these sections, you’ll see options to open the document in Chrome or Safari.

2. Choose how you want to send the document and look for the orange and white icon called Books. If you don’t see Books as an option, go to More | Books.

3. The PDF is now saved on your iPhone or iPad. To open the PDF, open Books, and you’ll see a thumbnail of the item you saved.

To send someone a PDF of an article you read with Safari, on the website tap Share | Options | PDF.

You can also take a photo of a document in the Notes app and save or share it as a PDF. Open Notes, start a new note by tapping the square with the pencil in the lower right corner of your screen, tap the camera icon and select Scan Documents. Point your phone’s camera at the document, as flat as you can, and it will scan it for you as a PDF. Tap Save to Files or select the Share button to send it to someone.  

For Android devices. Instructions for Android smartphones and tablets can differ slightly by the version of operating system you’re using and the manufacturer. The following is for a Samsung Galaxy A32 running Android version 12.

1. Open the webpage in Google Chrome or the file, such as an email, that you want to save as a PDF. Tap the three vertical dots ⋮ at the top right of the screen in Chrome. The three vertical dots ⋮ will be at the bottom right in your email app.

2. Choose Share… in the menu that pops up. Then find Print on the bottom row of icons at the far right.

3. Notice the upside down triangle ▼ at the top right as your phone is creating the image to print. Tap it and choose Save as PDF, and as on your laptop, you can choose to save a range of pages instead of all.

4. Tap the PDF download button in a yellow circle and you’ll be allowed to choose the folder where you want it saved on your phone.

To open a PDF on your Android phone or tablet, open your Files app to locate the file and tap it. Unless you already have a PDF viewer app installed, such as Adobe or Microsoft Office, you’ll likely be prompted to use Google PDF Viewer or another app already on your phone, such as the Samsung PDF Reader.

To scan a document using your Android device’s camera and save or share it as a PDF, open the Google Drive app. Near the bottom right, tap the plus sign + | Scan and take a photo of the document you’d like to scan. Tap OK if you’re satisfied with the scan, Retry if you want another chance.

4. Save a PDF from a scanner

And lest you forget, you can always scan a document into a PDF with your standalone printer/scanner as long as your system supports it.

Drop the document into the feeder or face down on the flatbed, select Scan | Save to your computer | PDF. The good news is that most models allow you to combine multiple pages into one scanned document.