When dealing with computer technology, there is hardly any room for poetry. In a manner of speaking, almost everything requires left-brain thinking.

So, in hopes of not depriving any of our readers from a little culture on our site, just for kicks, here’s a little Shakespeare for you!

Hamlet’s famous soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1, which you’ve probably already heard somewhere before, but in a slightly different context than this one. . . .


To convert, or not to convert: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The difficulties and frustrations of uneditable documents,
Or to take arms against a sea of PDFs,
And by converting edit them. To copy, to paste—
No more—and by pasting to say we end
The heartache, and the minor disadvantages
That PDFs are heir to! ‘Tis a makeshift conversion
Fervently to be used. To copy, to paste—
To paste—perchance to change: ay, there’s the rub,
For in that paste of text what mess may come
When we have cheated ‘round this PDF toil,
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes a disaster of off-line work:
For who would bear the quotas and rushes of deadlines,
The PDF’s nature, the graphic images unneeded,
The pains of useless pages, the doc’s restrictions,
The eyestrain of research, and the annoyances
That the patient virtue of th’ User tolerates,
When he himself might his troubles end
With a PDF converter? Who would bear the burden,
To grunt and sweat in front of a Reader,
But that the loss of integrity outside the PDF,
The unpredictable mangling, against which
No author can secure, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those limits PDFs have,
Than convert to formats that we’re unsure of?
Thus PDF extraction makes skeptics of us all,
Is worried o’er with a mistrustful thought,
And ideas to convert a PDF to other files,
With this regard their motivation runs dry
And loses the chance to re-purpose.


Who says technology and art don’t mix, eh?

Nothing like a Friday to sit back and blog your heart out, mulling over PDF issues in a quiet corner. I think a simple topic today would be a good way to end this long week (don’t all weeks seem long when you’ve finally hit a Friday?).


Where to start? What to choose? I think a response to Investintech user myths might be good.


Sometime ago, a client experienced a setback, trying to convert a document with the misconception that our software could create a Word/Excel document from a PDF, which could then look and function like an electronic form.


Essentially, the client tried to convert the PDF in order to save the time and effort (and WhiteOut) of manually filling in multiple copies of the same form by filling it in electronically and then printing it out in hard copy. Sorry to say, but that trick won’t work with our software.


Able2Extract and Able2Doc can’t convert native or scanned PDF files into “fill-able” Word documents. It only creates an editable document when you convert a PDF.


So, if you try to type into the fields of a converted PDF form, you’ll only shift the box, line, space etc. over with every keystroke you make. But, we’ve noted down the issue as a potential development path for our software in the future. So keep checking in with us when you can.


There are many conversion misconceptions out there. If this one was yours, sorry to burst your hopeful bubble.


But, on the bright side—TGIF! (cue in your favourite song and fade to black. . .)

Yes, I know--the security thing all over again. I probably have you booing at the title already. Well go head, but this might help you out with your PDF conversions.

How did I get back to this topic? There was an article just last month on eWeek.com reporting hacking possibilities through the exploitation of an Adobe PDF file. It's been on the radars since July with hints that it could be possible to launch computer attacks via PDFs that are opened in Adobe Reader. Having read that, the situation seems like all the other “beware” stories concerning security (potential attack through commonly used software).

Yet, how about a new spin on that security issue--the conversion spin: Can security features have an effect on the conversion of a PDF? The answer is yes.

While you safely secure your PDFs to ensure the integrity of the file, the same features may actually prevent you from successfully converting it. Of course, if you think about it, it makes sense that it should do so. Thus, ironically, the PDFs you’re handling may be a little too safe.

Generally, security features will exist for native PDF files only. Users can check this to be sure: open the PDF in Adobe Reader, select the Document Properties command under the File menu, and select the Security tab (in particular, content copying and extract should be allowed).

Trying to convert a secured PDF will usually result in fatal error messages, blank document conversions, documents with garbage text, encryption errors, etc.

Minor restrictions, like simple open password protected PDFs, you can solve with simple enough solutions—the password. Unfortunately our software can't convert PDFs with more advanced security features.

From the user standpoint, it can undoubtedly be an annoyance. Yet, from the creator standpoint, the job is well done. So, if you’re having any of the above problems while converting—heads up! It may be that security thing again.

When there’s work to be done with PDFs, the general consensus is that you need a desktop software that has “the most”—the most efficient tools with the most advanced capabilities. Yet, it may be too late to say “be careful what you wish for” because now, you may have actually gotten it.

In my last news post about Adobe Acrobat, hardly anything could be said because so little was released about it. But now, Acrobat 8 is in beta form and details are creeping out to the general public. The Acrobat family, consisting of Acrobat 8 Professional, Acrobat 8 Standard, Acrobat 3D Version 8, Acrobat 8 Elements, Acrobat Connect, and Acrobat Connect Professional is on the way.

According to beta testing reviews, it’s choked with more advanced features than ever for the PDF power user (power with a capital “P”). And unless you have highly specialized needs, you might not even need the extras. Highlighted features include:

• the new Flash-based Web conferencing and collaboration capability. Adobe Acrobat Connect, formerly known as Macromedia Breeze, is accessible via Acrobat 8—provided you have Acrobat Connect software, which is individually sold
• the ability to save and fill e-forms offline with the newest version of Adobe Reader
• redaction tools that permanently remove data instead of leaving the live text accessible
• a merging functionality that allows the grouping of a number of documents from different applications into a single PDF—significant because the characteristics of each individual document, such as securing features, are kept in tact
• validation and conformance to PDF/X and PDF/A standards
• better PDF export and conversion functionality into other file formats
• comment-and-review functions to view others’ comments on your digital documents
• archiving abilities for MS Outlook e-mails in PDF format

Of course, let’s not forget that all these enhanced features come with a price tag. Word of caution before you go out and get “the most” for your buck-- keep other PDF software alternatives in mind. They might not provide you with the state of the art functions above, but they can still create basic, quality PDFs for a lower price.

Right now, only beta testers and users are made privy to the new Acrobat until the release date (scheduled for November). So, that means “window shopping” on the Adobe site in the meantime. . . .