PDF Editing Update
Jan 22, 2020 11:06:29 #
Jan 22, 2020 11:35:07 #
Jerry!
This software "Sale" notification just popped up on my desktop: https://www.ashampoo.com/en-us/shop
The price is right and might be useful to you. Cheers. Ed
This software "Sale" notification just popped up on my desktop: https://www.ashampoo.com/en-us/shop
The price is right and might be useful to you. Cheers. Ed
Jan 22, 2020 12:39:43 #
Jan 22, 2020 18:25:09 #
drucker
Loc: Oregon
PDF means Portable Document Format. The file is created using the standard Adobe PostScript command language. Thus it takes information in whatever format that information is provided to it. That may be text (fonts using various formats--PostScript, TrueType, OpenType, etc.), bitmap images (photos, scans of text, etc.), graphic files using vector commands/descriptions, and even other PDF files. Originally the object was consistently display text and graphics on diverse equipment and to control the output of the newly invented laser printers.
The Adobe PostScript page description language (PDL) is VERY complicated and detailed and has evolved over the years to handle new kinds of files and meet the demands of the modern digital world. It was written with the goal of providing a common method that everyone could use instead of each computer maker or program writer creating their own proprietary method of producing text and graphics on their machines or in their programs.
The language itself is licensed by Adobe who also provides a free PDF document reader. However there is a charge for their Adobe Acrobat program that allows creating, editing, and modifying existing files in various ways. It is a costly program for those who only occasionally have a need for it.
Enter the programmers who have tried to create a competitive product -- sometimes they get close but often the interface is cumbersome or wanted utilities are not included or don't work as wanted or expected. It's very frustrating when it seems like everything is in PDF format and it would nice if there was a simple free or inexpensive program to modify the files.
As a longtime printer, I've watched PostScript become the basis for a majority of the digital workflow. I'd hate to count the times or the hours involved with troubleshooting PDF files that were created by programs that didn't quite conform to the Adobe standards. Overall PDF handling and output from mainline programs has improved greatly but as with many situations, "you get what you pay for" still rings true.
The Adobe PostScript page description language (PDL) is VERY complicated and detailed and has evolved over the years to handle new kinds of files and meet the demands of the modern digital world. It was written with the goal of providing a common method that everyone could use instead of each computer maker or program writer creating their own proprietary method of producing text and graphics on their machines or in their programs.
The language itself is licensed by Adobe who also provides a free PDF document reader. However there is a charge for their Adobe Acrobat program that allows creating, editing, and modifying existing files in various ways. It is a costly program for those who only occasionally have a need for it.
Enter the programmers who have tried to create a competitive product -- sometimes they get close but often the interface is cumbersome or wanted utilities are not included or don't work as wanted or expected. It's very frustrating when it seems like everything is in PDF format and it would nice if there was a simple free or inexpensive program to modify the files.
As a longtime printer, I've watched PostScript become the basis for a majority of the digital workflow. I'd hate to count the times or the hours involved with troubleshooting PDF files that were created by programs that didn't quite conform to the Adobe standards. Overall PDF handling and output from mainline programs has improved greatly but as with many situations, "you get what you pay for" still rings true.
Jan 22, 2020 19:54:06 #
Have you looked at Soda PDF? I used the free trial version successfully to convert an Open Access 50-page picture book to PDF format. I worked around the paging issue by inserting the type of numbering I wanted in the page "footer" in the original document.
https://go.sodapdf.com/web/en/Promo/january_offer-v1/offer1/?wid=6624&ref=sodapdf.com%2fmini-msg&utm_source=mini-message&utm_medium=in-app&mkey2=email_mms_en_j20&lang=en&key1=Cl&key2=NO-PREM&keyb=january_offer&uid=1015136&cmp=spdf_fre_g_us_s_a_creator
https://go.sodapdf.com/web/en/Promo/january_offer-v1/offer1/?wid=6624&ref=sodapdf.com%2fmini-msg&utm_source=mini-message&utm_medium=in-app&mkey2=email_mms_en_j20&lang=en&key1=Cl&key2=NO-PREM&keyb=january_offer&uid=1015136&cmp=spdf_fre_g_us_s_a_creator
Jan 25, 2020 08:25:32 #
This is a good example of why I don't like paying for programs before I have a chance to use them. I'm into day five of a two week trial of PhantomPDF. It does what I want it to do, but it keeps crashing. Right now, I can't restart it. It wants to send an error report, but it can't, so it won't restart.
Time to look for something else.
Time to look for something else.
Jan 25, 2020 11:49:16 #
I've decided that I'm not going to buy PhantomPDF. Instead, I'll try to learn how to use the two less expensive programs that I did buy. If I can't get one of them to do all I want, I'll keep looking.
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