WinDjView

Pros

• Lightweight and fast
• Many navigation options available
• Fullscreen viewing mode

Cons

• No editing features
• No ability to load other file types

WinDjView is an application made for the viewing of DjVu documents. DjVu is a special type of file format designed to compress large amounts of text, data and high-quality images into the smallest possible space without degrading the quality too much. DjVu is currently used to create documents in the business world and to archive scans of historic or public domain texts. It is also a common type of format for e-readers. WinDjView provides a large amount of functionality as a document reader. The application is an open source product that is free to download, use and distribute. WinDjView is a standalone reader although it can be set to integrate with certain browsers.

One of the main advantages of WinDjView is that the entire application is just as compact as the DjVu files it loads. The program downloads and installs in just a second. The program is designed to be a lightweight application that takes up few resources while running. This can be seen with the fast start and load times for most documents. The reader does need a good amount of memory to view larger documents with extensive images.

The main interface in WinDjView consists of a central panel showing the currently opened document. A vertical pane is on the left side of the screen that shows small thumbnails of all the pages in the document. Moving through a document can be done by scrolling with a mouse wheel, clicking on the displayed thumbnails, moving the scroll bars or pressing the arrow keys. Users have the ability to use a search box to jump to specific words. This only works with DjVu files that contain text as well as scanned picture.

Some other useful navigation options are present. WinDjView allows users to set bookmarks at any place within a document. This is especially helpful since DjVu files can be hundreds of pages long. Users can return to these bookmarks instantly as needed. Another easy navigation method is to simply enter the page number in a box near the top. WinDjView includes other tools to make viewing documents simpler. Users can select one of many tools that will quickly rotate or flip individual pages of documents in any direction. There are zoom tools as well for examining small text or detailed images. Most of these tools are accessible via the toolbar along the top of the window.

WinDjView has a fullscreen mode that allows unobstructed viewing of a document. It includes several selection tools so that users can cut and paste images or portions of text. The program can even automatically export the text portions of a DjVu file to an unformatted document. WinDjView is a robust and lightweight program that is a good solution for anyone who is reading DjVu files on a regular basis. It runs and displays files fast.

Pros

• Lightweight and fast
• Many navigation options available
• Fullscreen viewing mode

Cons

• No editing features
• No ability to load other file types