PDF to Word Converter

[chnine]

We have just done menus (developed in Indesign CS5) and our client needs to have them in Word, in order to edit on the fly and print out, at the restaurant.

So we exported high-quality PDFs and made Word docs using PDF conversion software called PDF to Word Converter by Wondershare (also tried their Pro version).

This has been an exercise in frustration because the graphics get down-res'd and have to be replaced within the Word file. Odd stuff is happening: for instance, on the first page of the menu, the three graphic files there appear linked as one large image so I can't replace them individually. On the 2nd page, they stay as separate graphics. The 2nd text columns appear and disappear as you edit the text. It all seems pretty hinky and I am concerned that our client will have a hard time using the doc.

Also I wonder what these Mac version Word files will do when opened on a PC.

I know that there are other PDF to Word conversion applications out there but have no idea what to try.

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated.

 

[MisterMe]

...

I know that there are other PDF to Word conversion applications out there but have no idea what to try.

...

Whenever I need to convert PDF to .doc, I use Acrobat Pro. Now understand this: file conversion is a convenience. It saves your having to retype document in Word from scratch. A converted file cannot be used as a final document. You will save yourself untold hours of frustration if you get your brain around this simple fact.

 

[miles01110]

You might as well just copy/paste and then edit the formatting.

 

[mrmartin11]

used PDF-Viewer. Very good. can copy directly on the documents

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I've found LibreOffice can import PDFs into its Draw component, and produces a reasonable result. However, getting this into a Word document requires some not-so-obvious steps:

Path 1: Use if you have Office 2007 (Windows) / 2008 (Mac) or newer versions

1. Export the Draw file as XHTML
2. This can then be directly imported into Office

Path 2: Use if you have older Office versions than these

1. Export the Draw file as XHTML
2. Import the XHTML into LibreOffice Writer
3. Save the imported file as a .doc

 

[Daveoc64]

While it's not particularly helpful, PDF was designed as a format to either:

a) Replicate a paper document digitally

or

b) Archive a document digitally

PDF wasn't intended to be edited, nor was it intended that people would want to convert it into an editable format. It was designed to allow you to take an A4 piece of paper and make the content on that piece of paper look the same on screens all over the world. This is a key difference over formats like those used by Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) - those formats do not attempt to create a document that looks and prints the same on all sorts of computers.

As such, the structure of the PDF standard makes it very difficult to do editing or conversion of PDFs - especially when the PDF layout is complex.

That's why there are very few products out there that will convert a PDF to an editable format.

 

[Aullison]

Preservation of original PDF content is a common vulnerability that pdf to word converters have, especially for retaining graphics. I think maybe it's a bit more difficult to deal with it. Personally I use this PDF to Word Converter.

It does well even in retaining hyperlinks and spreadsheet. It really helps to convert PDF to Word for editing.

And now that you want to make PDF ready for modifying, why not changing them to interactive form? It’s convenient for editing.

 

[saberahul]

I usually end up using the free online ones. IME they work far better and are quick as well (and free).

 

[takatatou]

Convert pdf a4 to a5

Hello,

I am trying to convert a PDF A4 to PDF A5 in order to send it to the Lulu.com for publication. How can I do that....Pleaaaaase

Thanks

 

[Aullison]

Hello,

I am trying to convert a PDF A4 to PDF A5 in order to send it to the Lulu.com for publication. How can I do that....Pleaaaaase

Thanks

I think you should find some clue in print settings, change A4->A5 there and print to A5 file