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TICKET ARCHIVE -> PDF form - how to modify it?
RobinS - Jan 5, 2006 - 10:44 pm
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I need to input figures into a pdf. What program lets me do that? Using OSX 10.4.3.
skapp - Jan 6, 2006 - 2:56 am
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You can do text and graphic annotation using Preview, although a better tool is the shareware application called PDFPen (www.versiontracker.com.)
RobinS - Jan 6, 2006 - 1:13 pm
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You mean with Preview I can fill in forms? I want to fill in all the numbers on the computer, print it, then sign it.
RobinS - Jan 6, 2006 - 2:43 pm
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Hey - Preview works. But......
the font size for my inserted comments is way too big. Logically you would think that you could right click the box, then select the text size like almost any other word processor on the face of the earth. But of course ... no.

I wonder if the font size (being that its not adjustable it would seem) is being controlled by something else.
RobinS - Jan 6, 2006 - 2:46 pm
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It was being enlarged by Tinkertool....
skapp - Jan 6, 2006 - 6:11 pm
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The font is adjustable in Preview. When your textbox is open to insert text, go to the Format menu, select the Font sub-menu, then select the Font Size item. Or simply use COMMAND-< for smaller and COMMAND-> for larger.
RobinS - Jan 6, 2006 - 7:57 pm
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Format menu? Dont' have it.
File, Edit, View, Go, Tools, Bookmarks, Window, Help
is what's on top.
I'm using Preview 3.0.3 on OS X 10.4.3.
RobinS - Jan 6, 2006 - 8:00 pm
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Preview is actually quite tortuous to use. To have to click and design a little box to type in for every field is not going to work for me.

Isn't there some way of just converting a PDF to a Word document or some sort of document that will retain the look and let me just type away?

I can copy the PDF and insert it into a Word document but I can't type in it as it treats it like an image I suppose.
This is quite vexing! I guess Adobe wants to retain integrity.

Also I learned that if a form is static it cannot be changed by Acrobat but if its interactive, it should be able to be changed. And by changing is it like typing in a Word document or do I have to do mouse gymnastics like in Preview? I'd love to know if its static or not but I couldn't find any means of determining this. Its a tax form so its probably static.
skapp - Jan 6, 2006 - 10:57 pm
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My apology, wrong program. I was looking at PDF Pen.

What the tech commenter is referring to is if the PDF was made with Adobe Acrobat as a form document. If it wasn't made as a form document, then you can't edit it with Adobe Reader as far as I can tell.
RobinS - Jan 8, 2006 - 1:19 pm
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Tried it - PDFPen is very tedious. But it may be the only solution.

It is wasn't made as a form document, can I edit it in Acrobat? I realize Adobe Reader is for reading. I thought Acrobat was for editing pdf's. But what if they're static?

And what about a .pdf to .doc converter?
skapp - Jan 8, 2006 - 1:30 pm
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I believe if you have Acrobat you can do whatever you want to the document. However, without Acrobat PDF Pen is about the best alternative for the money.

There are utilities that can convert the PDF to an editable text file usable in Word. Don't know exactly how well they work.
RobinS - Jan 8, 2006 - 2:50 pm
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Well I have Acrobat and it won't let me do squat. But maybe I'm not using it right. It is a complex program after all. And I'm not that bright with this stuff - at least not yet! Maybe it was a static document not allowing any changes.

How can I determine if a pdf is static or interactive?

I like your last suggestion as I'm comfortable with Word. If I could convert it that would be sweet.

I already posted a query about pdf to doc conversion. So we're on the same track. Thanks for your input. Well done on a difiicult problem.
skapp - Jan 8, 2006 - 4:54 pm
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Search at www.versiontracker.com and www.macupdate.com. One thing I found is a PDF to RTF Service. Another is TextLightning. Also FormMate, Formulate, PDF2Office Personal, Trapeze, VINC X. These are a mix of commercial, shareware, and freeware utilities. All are intended as substitutes for Acrobat, so I'm not sure that any of them will do anything more than you can do with Acrobat.

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