Free PDF Utilities

I have found a number of free utilities that may be of assistance to others.

Can't read DOC or DOCX files? See Convert DOC to HTML

formatting link

Want to annotate PDF information? See Free PDF to HTML Comversion

formatting link

Want to convert HTML to PDF? See HTML to PDF Converter

formatting link

PDF file won't let you copy information? See Remove restrictions in PDF files

formatting link

The last one is a biggie. You found a PDF file that contains the information you need, but it's too much to type by hand. You try to copy and paste it to your own file, but it refuses to let you copy the info. What do you do now?

Reply to
Steve Wilson
Loading thread data ...

On a related note, I'm currently reading PDFs with either Chrome (downloads that open in the browser) or SumatraPDF (FOSS reader; a bit slower than the name brands, but seems simpler and more solid).

Consider PDFCreator for printing to PDF (not open, but the free version works).

Tim

--
Seven Transistor Labs, LLC 
Electrical Engineering Consultation and Design 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Tim Williams

I use Sumatra because it is quick to load and isn't always beating me up about updating it. That's mostly because there isn't much work done on it these days I believe. Still, there are advantages to software being static.

There are some fairly simple features I'd love to see show up in Sumatra. One is just being able to double click and drag to select like the vast majority of applications can do.

--
  Rick C. 

  - Get 2,000 miles of free Supercharging 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Rick C

I use PDF-XChange. It can view, modify, and annotate PDF files, and do OCR to convert pdf to text. It runs on XP and is free:

formatting link

It has been replaced by PDF-XChange Editor, which can create, view, edit, annotate, OCR and digitally sign PDF files. It runs on Win7 and has a free version for download:

formatting link

Reply to
Steve Wilson

The free Foxit reader/printer works fine under Windows. It opens .ai (Adobe Illustrator) files too, which we use to make artwork for labels and front-panel overlays. I guess .ai is a flavor of PDF.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 
picosecond timing   precision measurement  
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
John Larkin

What's on my PDF Wish-List is a way to have the PDF include the DATE that it was printed either in the footer, or somewhere on the document.

I have the legit version of Adobe X, and it supports java and stamps with dynamic content, (and I can even get it to print TODAY's date), but then that date gets saved to the file. Forever.

For ISO 9001 purposes, I'd really like to be able to make PDF-fillable forms, but our ISO requires controlled documents to include a printed date, and then the paper forms become invalid 30 days later.

I can't believe there's not a way to do this?! Of all the things PDF, somebody has to have devised an easy way to do this?

Reply to
mpm

hers.

it was printed either in the footer, or somewhere on the document.

dynamic content, (and I can even get it to print TODAY's date), but then t hat date gets saved to the file. Forever.

rms, but our ISO requires controlled documents to include a printed date, a nd then the paper forms become invalid 30 days later.

s?

Edit the file name to include the date. I do that all the time for recei pts. You can find the date by hovering the mouse over the file name in a fo lder, in Windows. You can also select Details' under 'view' for the folder. It will give you dates and file sizes.

For dating forms, use a small font at the end of the document to identify t he form, and add the date it was created.

Reply to
Michael Terrell

The problem is that the form's print date governs, not the form's last revision date.

If it's a "controlled" document, it's only good for 30-days after it's printed. After that, ...technically... it can not be used, even if the original form hasn't changed.

So, our ISO consultant has us using MS Word (which, for all its faults) does support this capability. I just want to migrate certain ISO forms to PDF format because doing so would be easier to administer.

I even thought about doing this in the printer (i.e., have the printer take care of imaging the print date), but the problem is I can't control which printer, and ..... long story short: No. :)

Reply to
mpm

Libre Office - which is free - lets you export a file to the .pdf format.

Works for me. I use it to put together the NSW IEEE newsletter every couple of months, mostly from .doc and .docx contributions.

Microsoft does seem to deliberately mess up the .docx format from time to time to try and cripple things like Libre Office, but it hasn't been much of a problem recently.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney
Reply to
Bill Sloman

fy the form, and add the date it was created.

vision date.

inted. After that, ...technically... it can not be used, even if the origi nal form hasn't changed.

oes support this capability. I just want to migrate certain ISO forms to P DF format because doing so would be easier to administer.

ke care of imaging the print date), but the problem is I can't control whic h printer, and ..... long story short: No. :)

Why can't you control the printer? Isn't the printing of the document done by a document control department? It is the content of the form that need s to be controlled, not the paper it is printed on. If you are giving out the files freely and letting just anyone print them, then you are not cont rolling anything. If document control is printing the documents on paper t hey certainly can control which printer they use to print them.

I guess I'm not understanding how your company is doing this.

--
  Rick C. 

  + Get 2,000 miles of free Supercharging 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Rick C

If nothing else, it would be easy enough to script up in LaTeX. Put that on a "Send To" shortcut, or drag a file onto a desktop shortcut I guess, or, Idunno, make a shell extension for it, or... And just do that before printing. The output could even be a temp file that's printed immediately then deleted.

Less bulk-ily, there's probably some command line PDF tools that could do the same thing (composite an existing document with graphics piped in from another tool) that can make that a one-liner, or at least in Linux if not in Windows.

Tim

--
Seven Transistor Labs, LLC 
Electrical Engineering Consultation and Design 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Tim Williams

Use PDF-XChange or PDF-XChange Editor to annotate the file with whatever information you want. You can remove the data later if needed.

formatting link

formatting link

Reply to
Steve Wilson

ne by a document control department? It is the content of the form that ne eds to be controlled, not the paper it is printed on. If you are giving o ut the files freely and letting just anyone print them, then you are not co ntrolling anything. If document control is printing the documents on paper they certainly can control which printer they use to print them.

We have offices on (3) continents. I can't control the printers. The documents sit on our corporate WAN/Cloud server, and for those document s that MUST be printed in order to use them, they are only valid for 30 day s after the print date to ensure that they are always the correct version ( a restriction built into our ISO-9001 QMS). Pretty standard stuff, actuall y.

For big $$, there are loads of SaaS solutions out there, but A) we're not b ig enough company to go that route, and B) I refuse to pay the asking price .

Reply to
mpm

Now there's a thought!! Thanks, I'll look into that. Seems like that might be "do-able" at reasonable effort. ?

Reply to
mpm

done by a document control department? It is the content of the form that needs to be controlled, not the paper it is printed on. If you are giving out the files freely and letting just anyone print them, then you are not controlling anything. If document control is printing the documents on pap er they certainly can control which printer they use to print them.

You keep saying that, but you don't need to control the printers. You need to control the printing of the documents. If you don't do that it isn't d ocument control, it's printer control.

nts that MUST be printed in order to use them, they are only valid for 30 d ays after the print date to ensure that they are always the correct version (a restriction built into our ISO-9001 QMS). Pretty standard stuff, actua lly.

I can't say anything about this idea being standard, but it is faulty. If the controlled document is printed the day before the document is changed i t will then be out of date for 29 days before it is updated. That sounds l ike a failure to me.

I've never worked in document control, but my understanding of a controlled document is that the copies are all accounted for. When the document is u pdated, the copies are recalled and replaced. That's the way they did it a t companies where I worked.

--
  Rick C. 

  -- Get 2,000 miles of free Supercharging 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Rick C

done by a document control department? It is the content of the form that needs to be controlled, not the paper it is printed on. If you are givin g out the files freely and letting just anyone print them, then you are not controlling anything. If document control is printing the documents on pa per they certainly can control which printer they use to print them.

ments that MUST be printed in order to use them, they are only valid for 30 days after the print date to ensure that they are always the correct versi on (a restriction built into our ISO-9001 QMS). Pretty standard stuff, act ually.

He is just saying there are some uses for the documents that require them t o be printed. That happens a lot when you need the docs and you don't have a way to access the electronic version or if you need to make scribbles on them in a meeting or such.

Years ago when engineering was starting to go electronic I was setting up a small lab. I made sure we had a B sized printer so we could print readabl e schematics to use on the bench. We could have viewed them on the compute r, but much less convenient.

--
  Rick C. 

  -+ Get 2,000 miles of free Supercharging 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Rick C

  • Sounds like confused/circular reasoning.. 1) "must" be printed to use them = = stupid. if they molder unprinted, how can you use them? 2) According to this "logic", they are not valid until printed. 3) By what magic do they become the correct version, valid or not? Merely by printing? 4) Unprinted, invalid, but correct versions? How can anybody now sight unseen?
Reply to
Robert Baer

They don't. (obviously). But they do become INVALID after 30-days.

Another way to think about it (maybe?): There's a built-in rule that if you're attempting to use a form that's more than 30-days old on its face (i.e., 30 days since it was PRINTED), then yo u must instead to go to the Server and download the form again (even if in fact, it is the exact same revision).

Yet another way to think about it: There is always a 30-day "grace period" if you use a printed form vs. downloading it from the Server. (The unstat ed rule here is that the document on the Server is guaranteed to ALWAYS be the current approved document. The server document can't be changed withou t a DCR#, and is read-only on the server to all except the ISO Document Coo rdinator, and few select others who know the rules for modifying such docum ents. Everyone else is read-only.) And therefore, if it is a type of docu ment that requires printing, (i.e., for a signature), that paper document h as a total life expectancy of 30 days.

Frankly, I see some problems with this.

But I didn't set this policy. I think there are better ways to handle it. But of course, if the process changed, ISO would require everyone to be re- trained, so FORGET THAT! Never gonna happen.

Setting ISO aside for the moment -- Why can't PDF let you put a stamp on a document that includes the PRINT DATE? How difficult would that be?

Aside from the current discussion, having that capability would open up a l ot of possibilities for PDF documents. Frankly, I would be surprised if th ere's not a way to do it -- I just don't know how.

Maybe there's a way to hijaak the dialog box on the password-protected PDF' s, and use that to trigger a print date workaround? Sounds messy.

Reply to
mpm

How do you intend to prevent people from downloading the automatically dating file from your server and then having access to obsolete copies (bearing current dates) forever?

It opens exactly as many as would having an editable field for the date, so just do that. Automatic date-stamping on non-trusted machines is security theatre.

it's probably possible, but it doesn't seem wise.

That seems unlikely.

It's probably easier to kust keep the file on the server updated.

--
  When I tried casting out nines I made a hash of it.
Reply to
Jasen Betts

I've had some hassles with PDFs. I needed to sign some forms and such. I opened it with Photoshop CS6, scanned my sig, pasted it in the form and saved it as a PDF Success!! I hate Acrobat!! I can read PDF files with my web browser.

Reply to
gray_wolf

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.