USING PDF AS SOURCE

Liz Roscovius @LizRoscovius

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#stc16

Mike Sawyer @Akambe

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

About us

Mike Sawyer @Akambe

Liz Roscovius @LizRoscovius

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www.sawyerhome.net/stc2016

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

About you

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#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Overview/Scope

• Explain PDFs and challenges using as source

• Getting file creation and property info • Exporting and importing entire PDF • Extracting and tweaking text and graphics • Formatting tips • Q&A

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

Why are PDFs still around?

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• Portable Document Format

• Flexible display • Size-efficient • Self-contained • Available

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Limited edits • Explaining editability • Determining source

file format • Unlocking • Extracting usable/

editable text & graphics

Challenges

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Familiarity with Acrobat and DTP

• Full version of Acrobat • Unlocked PDFs • Keystrokes in examples

will be PC/Windows

Assumptions

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Restricts viewing, editing, copying, printing

• Original author can provide password

• Circumvent: PostScript, online tools

Password protection

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Do you need to extract anything at all? • Latest Acrobat = Awesome tools • Change text (font embed) • Format text and paragraphs • Add text and graphics • Add headers, footers, watermarks

(including pagination)

Editing in place

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Author • Creation &

modification dates

• Software used

Collecting file information

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Security type • Restrictions

• Printing • Changing • Copying

Collecting file information

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Font usage • Match original

Collecting file information

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Layout • Line &

column breaks

• Tables • “A place for

everything”

Exporting problems

BEFORE AFTER

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• File > Export To… • Word & RTF • Spreadsheet • Image • HTML & XML • Plain text

Exporting entire document

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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• Word (File > Open)

• CorelDraw (File > Import > AI > Text or Curves)

Importing entire document

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Extracting editable text • Click & drag/

Control+A, then copy

• Pros & cons • Tagged info

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Extracting non-editable text • Re-type • Export as graphic, run OCR • On-the-fly OCR in Acrobat

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Avoiding the “extras” • Headers, footers,

pagination • Just crop them out

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Cleaning up extracted text • Line breaks, hard

returns, extra spaces • Search/replace, esp.

character codes (InDesign: GREP)

• Tools: TextSoap, Textfixer, RecoSoft, PDF2ID

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Graphics: Vector vs. raster • Understanding the differences

VECTOR RASTER

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Extracting usable graphics • Convert to

Word/RTF • Open in drawing

program (Illustrator) • Other programs

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Extracting usable graphics • Export from

Acrobat • When all else

fails: Zoom in and screen capture

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Converting raster to vector • Open raster

image in Illustrator

• Window > Image Trace > [select preset/mode]

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Recap • Limited editing but still usable • Takes some trial & error • Patience & perseverance

#stc16 | USING PDF AS SOURCE | @LizRoscovius & @Akambe

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Resources • www.sawyerhome.net/stc2016 • bit.ly/pdfsource • The difference between raster and vector • Tracing line art in Adobe Illustrator • Using the trace tool in Corel Draw 14 • Exporting PDFs to Microsoft Office formats • Acrobat help: converting PDFs to other file formats • Tips for cleaning up imported text • Using GREP to clean up imported text

Mike Sawyer @Akambe Mike@sawyerhome.net

CONTACT US: Liz Roscovius @LizRoscovius LizRoscovius@d2worldwide.com

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QUESTIONS? USING PDF AS SOURCE