Low Cost Conference calling

If you need to hold conference calls or demonstrate products over the web then take a look at Powwownow. Powwownow offers conference calling and desktop sharing at a very affordable cost for businesses of all sizes.

Read our Blog entry to find out more about Powwownow and how you can use 'free' conference calling. 

Primo PDF Print Driver

If you need to send documents to customers the best format is Adobe PDF, as it is small in size and almost everyone has the ability to open and read PDF files.

The best Free, general purpose, PDF generator for Windows is PrimoPDF from Nitro software. Primo PDF installs as a print driver, so is available from any application which has a print option. You get all of the options regarding document quality, document security etc. There are even pre-configured document profiles, for eBook, Print, Web etc, so you get to optimise the file for the target audience. Primo PDF works with Windows 2000, 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

To create your PDF document all you have to do is select the Print Option from your application menu and then choose the PrimoPDF printer. (Don't forget to save your document in its native format, Word, Excel etc if you want to use the document again).

Download Primo PDF

You can download PrimoPDF by following the link on the Nitro Software website.

Save Word 2007 as PDF

If you use Office 2007 there is a Free Microsoft Plugin available which will let you save your Office 2007 documents in Adobe PDF format.

The plugin works with all of the Office 2007 products, allowing you to directly save:-

• Powerpoint
• Word
• Excel
• Publisher

Documents in Adobe PDF format. You can download the Office 2007 PDF Plugin direct from the Microsoft web site. The installation instructions for the Office 2007 PDF Plugin are included on the Microsoft page and are very simple to follow.

If you use Office 2003 or need to create PDF files from other applications then there are PDF print drivers available, which allow you to create PDF documents by simply 'Printing' the document.

SmartStamp

SmartStamp from the Royal Mail, whilst not 100% free, is a very useful application for small businesses who send postal mail to customers. There is a small charge for the use of SmartStamp in addition to your standard postal charges.

SmartStamp allows you to print your our postage, doing away with the need to by stamps, the really great thing about it though is the fact that you can add your own logos to the stamp labels. So now your postal mail can help to reinforce your company image and branding. You can download a free copy of SmartStamp use it in Trial mode, printing specimen stamps including your logos,address labels etc. Its only when you go to print real version of the stamps that you need to register and start paying for the use.

You can find out make about SmartStamp on the Royal Mail website, or download the trial version of SmartStamp from the Royal Mail Website.

Microsoft SkyDrive

Its not often that you are offered something for nothing, but that is what Microsoft have done with their Windows Live SkyDrive. They are giving you 25GB of free space to store files, pictures etc. You can keep files private or share them.

You can get your own SkyDrive by going to http://windowslive.com/online/skydrive and signing in, if you have a Windows Live account. If you use Windows Messenger you already have a Windows Live account, so you can just start saving files to your SkyDrive.

If you are traveling on business and want to make sure that you have copies of important documents, save a copy from your laptop to your SkyDrive. That way even if your laptop is damaged whilst you are traveling you will still be able to access those important documents. Its safer than leaving a copy lying around on a USB drive, which anyone could get at.

What is Xobni?

Xobni is a free utility which makes finding emails and contacts, in Outlook, a simple task. Just type in the persons name and you will instantly get a list of emails and files you have exchanged with them.

If you can only remember someones first name, don't worry Xobni will find the rest of the information for you. If you want to find out more about how you can use Xobni as an analytical tool take a look on our blog entry about Xobni. 

Xobni is actually inbox spelt backwards, but it saves me hours every day finding information. Download your free copy of Xobni and start saving time. Go to www.xobni.com/learnmore and get your copy now.