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TICKET ARCHIVE -> PDF editing

RobinS - May 18, 2007 - 11:50 pm

I'm trying to add notes and edit text in a PDF. I got PDFpenPro which is supposed to allow me to do that - I think. But nothing seems to work. Its registered to me but I can't edit anything.

Perhaps the PDF is locked? Is there anyway around this short of printing it, adding my notes, then scanning it again?

I have Acrobat Pro as well. Couldn't figure that out either.

GrantG - May 19, 2007 - 7:45 am

You mention that you don't want to scan it 'again'. Does this mean you scanned the form in the first place? If so, the pdf will be of the whole scanned image and the text will not be editable because it is an image and not a document say created in Word and then turned into a pdf.

You should however be able to add a text box to the original scanned image with Acrobat Pro

RobinS - May 19, 2007 - 8:08 pm

No - its a pdf document downloaded from the net that I want to add my notes to. And delete some parts as well.

GrantG - May 19, 2007 - 10:24 pm

It may then be a scanned image created by the original creator which would make it un-editable. The other solution is that it was made as a protected document which would also make it unable to be edited without a password.

cheers
Grant

RobinS - May 21, 2007 - 9:53 am

So the obvious question is how do I know if its editable or not? And if the creator tries to lock it, is there any way of still editing it?

GrantG - May 22, 2007 - 5:31 am

Basically if the document is a scanned image you will still have all functions like copy, paste and print available in the menus. If it is protected, some or all of these options will be greyed out and you won't be able to use them.

There are programs out there I believe that illegally crack such protections, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to try to provide links to them via this service. That choice is yours to make.

HTH
Grant

RobinS - May 22, 2007 - 1:31 pm

Nothing is greyed out. I can't even add on letter!

RobinS - May 22, 2007 - 1:33 pm

That should have been: "I can't even add a letter".
(I beleev in publik ejukashun.)

GrantG - May 23, 2007 - 5:09 am

Then my guess would be that your document is a scanned version of an original document. I am going to open this ticket again to other volunteer techs to see if they can provide you with more advice.

om shanti
Grant

Natobasso - May 23, 2007 - 10:53 am

Use Acrobat Pro to edit pdf files, though it's always best to have the original document available to you.

Also, many pdf documents on the web are locked with a security password so they cannot be edited. Your last resort would be to open the pdf in Adobe Illustrator and edit it there.

You can add notes using the sticky note feature for others to see; though these aren't added directly to the document but as 'pushpins' that lead to the note off to the side of the doc.

RobinS - May 23, 2007 - 6:15 pm

All I want to do is to delete and add some numbers in the document. With Illustrator is there a simple command to do this? With the other pdf editors, you right click or draw a square with the mouse, then type, but not with Illustrator.

Natobasso - May 23, 2007 - 6:20 pm

Again, it doesn't matter what your desire is for the document but how that document was created.

If you open the pdf in illustrator and it's just a solid image and not editable text (use the text tool to select text) then the original pdf was a scan of a document and you WILL NOT be able to edit it in any program save photoshop, and that will be in bitmap mode.

If you can use the text tool to select the text in illustrator then you're off and running.

RobinS - May 23, 2007 - 10:13 pm

I dont' believe this! I can't find "text tool" anywhere in the menus. So I go to the search in Help and search for "text tool". Nothing. Its just unbelievable how bad Help is with some programs. They use words that aren't even in their own Help! I should mention I have CS2 not CS3.

RobinS - May 23, 2007 - 10:19 pm

This problem is going to come up again and again. Maybe I should just buy a cheap scanner, then I can scan the documents my way so they are most definitely editable. Do you see any problems with that? The documents are not long. Just a few pages.

Natobasso - May 23, 2007 - 11:28 pm

Actually, you should investigate the root of the issue which is the documents themselves: Why are they arriving to you in an uneditable pdf state? Can you get a hold of the original documents?

Illustrator and InDesign CS2 have Text Tools in their Tool menus. It's the tool with the 'T' symbol. Or just hit the T key when no objects are selected in your document.

Here's what the Type Tool looks like in both apps:
http://www.uwec.edu/help/InDesignCS2/addtext.htm

Contact the person who's sending you the pdfs and ask them why they want you to edit them but they aren't giving you the original files (I'm a graphic designer and I'd ask these questions before continuing on this job.)

Scanning OCR to read the text and make it editable is time-consuming, error prone, and will add too much time to your workflow.

RobinS - May 24, 2007 - 11:27 am

> Why are they arriving to you in an uneditable pdf state?

Because they are copied off the internet! lol
And no, I doubt if I can get a hold of the original documents. And Steve Jobs no longer returns my calls.

I see the problem. Its under Type, not Text.

I can no add text - its clumsy because of my lack of navigational knowledge in this program, but at least its a start. But it won't let me overwrite anything. This is probably because the author deemed it that way or its a scanned document.

So now the search is on for a program that overwrites - sort of like digital liquid paper. If one were to search for a program that does that, would:
"overwrite text" pdf
be a logical search string? If you can think of anything else, let me know please. And thanks for your patience. I'm a real clutz in this area as I'm a total neubie. It really shouldn't have taken so long!

Natobasso - May 24, 2007 - 12:19 pm

Your best bet if you want to add or remove any text is to open the PDF files in Photoshop and resave them as photoshop pdfs.

Acrobat can only edit text if it's there to be edited. Since what you are working on are basically pictures, you won't be able to easily add text to them the way you want to.

Make sure you're not breaking someone's copyright by editing their documents, especially if it's work you're being paid for. The files are most likely uneditable for this reason (so the data can't be changed).

And no worries about being a newby. I'm a newby at more than I'd care to admit!

- May 24, 2007 - 5:30 pm

Your suggestion regarding Photoshop is brilliant. I'm thinking of this as a text document. But its really more like a graphic where I want to overlay my numbers on some of its numbers. Then save it as an editable document so its easier in the future. Now why didn't I think of that?

No worries about copyright. This was originally written about 250 years ago! And what I'm doing is replacing numbers in the document, not the content of the document.

- May 24, 2007 - 5:50 pm

Your suggestion regarding Photoshop is brilliant. I'm thinking of this as a text document. But its really more like a graphic where I want to overlay my numbers on some of its numbers. Then save it as an editable document so its easier in the future. Now why didn't I think of that?

No worries about copyright. This was originally written about 250 years ago! And what I'm doing is replacing numbers in the document, not the content of the document.

Natobasso - May 24, 2007 - 5:54 pm

Great! I'm glad that works for you!

(shall I close this thread?)