# What apps can edit a .pdf file like a text document?



## Krank (Jun 25, 2008)

Preferably free/shareware. I'm on 10.4.11. 

Thanks for any help.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jun 25, 2008)

None that I know of... "editing" a PDF is big business for companies.

Creating a PDF is relatively easy and free, but editing a PDF doesn't come without a price.

I do know that the free, X11-based vector-editing application Inkscape can open and save PDFs.  The PDF-editing capabilities of it are kind of lacking, but may do what you need them to.


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## Hughvane (Jun 26, 2008)

Krank said:


> Preferably free/shareware. I'm on 10.4.11.



I've just tried this:
1. Open the .pdf file with Adobe Acrobat (assuming you have it)
2. Copy All (or whatever part you wish to edit)
3. Open TextEdit and paste into a new document.

I've tested the above with MSWord as well.

If there are graphics within the .pdf file, you can use AppleWorks Drawing (up to and incl Tiger) and you can then copy/paste both text and images.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jun 26, 2008)

Not exactly "editing" a PDF, though -- that's just extracting text and images from a PDF document.


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## Hughvane (Jun 26, 2008)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Not exactly "editing" a PDF, though -- that's just extracting text and images from a PDF document.



Which can then be reinserted in a .pdf file with pdf writer, yes? "Edit" is a very broad and encompassing term . Granted, the contributor is looking for something "free/shareware". A pdf writer is - apparently - available from brothersoft.

Edit: I've just run the editing test through AWorks Drawing as explained, a combo of text and graphic, saved the document in AW as JPEG (Quicktime), reopened it in Acrobat and then saved it as a .pdf file.

Could this make me a $decannaire?


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jun 26, 2008)

Hughvane said:


> Which can then be reinserted in a .pdf file with pdf writer, yes?


Sure, if you want to rebuild the entire PDF from scratch.


> A pdf writer is - apparently - available from brothersoft.


A PDF writer is very different from a program that can "edit" PDFs. 


> Edit: I've just run the editing test through AWorks Drawing as explained, a combo of text and graphic, saved the document in AW as JPEG (Quicktime), reopened it in Acrobat and then saved it as a .pdf file.


But that's changing the basic document content... the original PDF contained actual, embedded text, but the final product PDF contained only an image of text... two very different things.  The text in your new PDF is no longer resolution-independent, and is, in fact, no longer "text."  If you change the zoom of the original PDF to something like, say, 800%, the text will appear crisp and clean.  In your "jpeg" PDF, if you zoom the document to 800%, your text will appear jagged, because it's no longer text.

I now challenge you to extract the text once again from your "jpeg" PDF, the same way you did with the original PDF (highlight, copy-paste).  

I do believe that the author of this thread is looking to edit a PDF directly, retaining all text and images originally embedded in the PDF.

If I'm wrong, Krank, please correct me.


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## DeltaMac (Jun 26, 2008)

I don't know about the Brothersoft solution, but Acrobat isn't close to free (or shareware, either)
I get this same question from time to time, and I just don't see a good solution, other than spending some bucks on an Adobe setup. 

Is there a reasonable solution for editing PDFs? Has anyone tried the Brothersoft app?


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## Hughvane (Jun 26, 2008)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Sure, if you want to rebuild the entire PDF from scratch.



Yes, and maybe that's what Krank wants to do.



> I now challenge you to extract the text once again from your "jpeg" PDF, the same way you did with the original PDF (highlight, copy-paste).



Challenge accepted - and completed. I have copied and pasted it from the 'edited' .pdf file I created into both AWks drawing and into MSWord. You have only my word as a bounder and a cad - not really  - that I have done it, but, believe me, it is practicable.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jun 26, 2008)

Hughvane said:


> Yes, and maybe that's what Krank wants to do.


If that's what he wants to do, he needn't any special software to do so... I highly doubt his intentions are rebuilding PDF files from scratch.



> Challenge accepted - and completed. I have copied and pasted it from the 'edited' .pdf file I created into both AWks drawing and into MSWord. You have only my word as a bounder and a cad - not really  - that I have done it, but, believe me, it is practicable.



How did you copy text from a JPEG image without OCR software?


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## Hughvane (Jun 26, 2008)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> How did you copy text from a JPEG image without OCR software?



If I tell you, will you solemnly promise to tell everyone else?

Seriously, see the second of my posts on this topic, the Edit bit.
1. I used the .jpg file I'd created after copy/pasting bits from a .pdf file into AWks and saving as .jpg (QT), and then
2. I opened the .jpg in Acrobat Pro, thereafter
3. Saved As .pdf in Acrobat.

If people are using OS Leopard, then they cannot use the method explained. AWks is the intermediate application, one of the compelling reasons I've stuck with Tiger.


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## Satcomer (Jun 27, 2008)

Krank said:


> Preferably free/shareware. I'm on 10.4.11.
> 
> Thanks for any help.



I think something like PDFpen. There is even some videos to look at if you are interested.


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## elander (Jun 27, 2008)

Hughvane said:


> If I tell you, will you solemnly promise to tell everyone else?
> 
> Seriously, see the second of my posts on this topic, the Edit bit.
> 1. I used the .jpg file I'd created after copy/pasting bits from a .pdf file into AWks and saving as .jpg (QT), and then
> ...



Then you no longer have text in your pdf. You have an image. It may contain something that looks like text, but you can't copy it and paste it into, say, a text field in a form on a web page. You can't edit it and change the font or spelling either.

There are a lot of applications that will allow you to edit PDF documents, but very few of them are free. Inkscape can do it, but only one page at a time. You could of course extract a page from a multi page document, edit it in Inkscape, and then insert it into the original PDF again, with the help of Preview.

If you don't want to spring for Acrobat Pro, maybe PDF Pen is more affordable ($50):
http://smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/features.html

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the people behind the app, and I don't earn commissions or anything.


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## Krank (Jun 28, 2008)

Thanks for all your help everyone. Much appreciated.



ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Sure, if you want to rebuild the entire PDF from scratch.
> 
> A PDF writer is very different from a program that can "edit" PDFs.
> 
> ...



Yes, that's what I was looking for - to keep the .pdf intact with pics etc. save for the changes made.

But it all turned into a non-issue - I found out that I could get the original document in another format, and so used TextEdit instead. 

Thread bookmarked, though. Thanks again!


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