FolderMill 4.1

Overview

Do your daily tasks include converting Word documents, Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations into PDF and image files? If yes, then look no more- FolderMill is the program for this job. It doesn’t have any additional, useless features to make itself complicated and repelling to the user, but rather a simple interface and only the functions needed to get the job done fast and efficiently.

Installation

You can either get the setup package and install the program normally, or you can grab the ZIP archive available in the product’s website if you wish to run it from storage devices like USB flash disks. The installation procedure isn't troublesome at all, so if that’s the reason why you’re hesitating to install FolderMill then don’t worry because it’s quick, straightforward and doesn't have any advanced settings.

Supported operating systems are Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and Server editions 2000, 2003 and 2008. The program is compatible with both 32 and 64-bit OS.

Interface

A window with general settings will open when you run FolderMill for the first time, where you’ll be asked to configure several settings regarding output folders, logs, language, etc. After dismissing this window another one will appear, asking you to create your first conversion rule (which is basically a set of options for converting files).

The main window’s interface is very simple and clean with no significant graphs but only a few small icons. On the left hand side you can see the status of the program; from there you can start its service or stop it. Below the status box are a few buttons for bringing up the “Event logs” window, the “Settings” window and the “About” window. On the main area of the screen is a list with all the rules you have created and a few buttons at the top for editing them or creating new ones.

Pros

The way FolderMill works is not very common. In fact it is quite unique and interesting, since to convert files you must first copy them to the “Input” folder you defined in the set of rules you created. The program will automatically process them and place the converted files in the “Output” folder when they’re ready. After this operation has finished, the files in the “Ingoing” folder will be moved to the “Processed” folder, from where they can be moved to their original directory or deleted.

The software can convert Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations into the following formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PCX, DCX, PNG and PDF. For each file format you can adjust color depth and image resolution, with the extra option of letting the program automatically crop empty margins. You can save those preferences separately in rules, and each time you can select the rule that you need. You can export, import, copy, edit or delete other rules with a single click as well.

Cons

The program doesn’t have many features, but that’s not exactly a disadvantage since this way the user doesn’t have to mess with many settings and options. It does what it says it does without any problems.

Alternatives

Ailt Document Image Converter Pro (paid) can convert between many document and image file formats such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, TXT, JPEG, BMP, SWF and others. It has significantly more capabilities than FolderMill and the conversion procedure is certainly not the same. Another alternative solution is Universal Document Converter (paid), which installs as a virtual printer and allows you to convert any open file that can be printed.

Conclusion

FolderMill keeps it simple and doesn't try to be the program that does everything. Its purpose is clear and if that’s what you want then it will certainly be a great assistant.