PDF Programs

We offer two alternatives for the PDF program Acrobat Pro:

• PDF-XChange Editor for Windows
• Foxit PDF Editor+ for macOS

PDF-XChange Editor

Requirements

Employees, lecturers and students of JGU are eligible to use the program. Members of external institutions and the University Medical Center are not eligible.

Advantages and features

Compared to Acrobat Pro, PDF‑XChange Editor is significantly cheaper. With PDF‑XChange Editor, you can do almost anything related to PDFs – from automatic form creation and multimedia embedding to professional archiving and digital signatures.

Tasks that you previously used Acrobat Pro for can now be done with PDF-XChange:

• Comment on PDFs.
• Insert, delete, rotate, split, reorder, and merge pages.
• Edit page content: Add or edit text, insert images, or black out content.
• Create and edit fillable PDF forms.
• Convert PDF to Word/Excel/PowerPoint: Export text, tables, or slides to the respective Office formats.
• OCR (text recognition) of image PDFs: The program automatically reads the text, creates a searchable text layer, and allows copying/pasting.
• Protect PDFs
• Sign PDFs

To learn more: https://pdf-xchange.de/pdf-xchange-pro/pdf-xchange-funktionen-overview/

Installation

Tutorials

You can find different tutorials on the website of the german distributor: https://pdf-xchange.de/tutorials/ekurs7/

You can find a complete overview of all functions and the manual on the manufacturer's website:
https://help.pdf-xchange.com/pdfxp10/

Foxit PDF Editor

Foxit PDF Editor+ is an alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro. It is recommended for Mac users.

Requirements

• JGU-Account
• Licenses can be purchased for employees, lecturers, or student assistants at JGU. Members of external institutions and the University Medical Center are not eligible.

Advantages and features

Foxit PDF Editor+ offers many features for professional PDF editing.

• Edit PDFs:
  Change text, images, and objects directly in PDFs—just like in a Word document.
• Create & fill out forms:
  Create, edit, and fill out interactive forms—with automatic field recognition.
• Comment & mark up:
  Highlight text, add annotations, and stamp documents—ideal for corrections and review processes.
• Merge & split PDFs:
  Combine multiple PDFs into one document or extract individual pages.
• Security & permissions:
  Password protection, digital signatures, rights management (e.g., printing or editing restrictions).
• Conversion:
  Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, or TXT and vice versa.
• Cross-platform:
  Work seamlessly between Windows, Mac, and iPad—with a synchronized license.
• User-friendly interface

Installation

After you have ordered Foxit PDF Editor+, we will check whether licenses are currently available or whether we need to reorder. As soon as licenses are available, we can assign one to you.

To do this, log in to Foxit once with your JGU account.

1. Open https://www.foxit.com/de/.
2. Click on Sign In → Foxit Account.
3. Then click on the SSO button and enter your JGU email address.
4. You will be redirected to the JGU login page. Please log in.
5. You are logged in when two letters appear in the orange circle. This is where the login button appeared before.

Please then log in at softwarelizenzen@zdv.uni-mainz.de so that we can assign you the license.

At the same time, you can download the installation file and install the software:
https://seafile.rlp.net/d/9374c6116b20472782bc/

Financing

• The costs must be borne by the user or the institution. There is no central financing by JGU.

Costs & licensing model

• Price per user per year: EUR 42 (including VAT)
• License scope:
  • Licensed users can work on up to 2 devices with their license.
  • Installation on private devices is also possible.

Ordering & billing

• Currently, orders are placed by email to: softwarelizenzen@zdv.uni-mainz.de
• Required information when ordering:
  • Name and JGU account
  • Billing object/cost center to be charged