Investintech Says Goodbye To Able2Doc PDF to Word Converter & Sonic PDF Creator

deleting-user

We have some sad news for all our Investintech users. It was a hard decision, but after a lot of careful consideration, we’ve decided to discontinue both Able2Doc PDF to Word Converter and Sonic PDF Creator.

Both these products have been with us since the very early days of Investintech.com, and we’re sorry to see them go.  However, we believe in providing our users with products that add value to a workflow which includes being able to work with PDF documents without having to resort to more than one product.

Able2Doc-Pro-Discontinued

Sonic-PDF-Creator-Discontinued

You may have noticed that our PDF to Word conversion and PDF creation technology have already been integrated with Able2Extract PDF Converter.  Because of this, you can benefit from an even better, more enhanced user experience. PDF conversion and PDF creation are now both within a few clicks of each other.

What Does This Mean For Existing Users?

Unfortunately, because we’re phasing these products out, we will no longer be offering any customer or technical support for them. Thus, we’ll be offering a highly discounted Able2Doc upgrade to Able2Extract 9 for $29.95 USD  (to Standard version) and $49.50 USD (to Professional version).

With this discount, you’ll not only get the PDF to Word conversion and PDF creation features you’re used to, but also the added functionalities that come with Able2Extract–PDF conversion to more than 10 formats, PDF page editing, advanced PDF creation options, custom PDF to Excel conversion, and more.

We’ll be pulling out Able2Doc and Sonic every now and again for exclusive one-time giveaways. So you’ll still be able to catch the software around in the future every now and again.

To give  Able2Extract 9 a try, you can download a 7-day free trial here.

4 Ways Investintech Can Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Happy New Year 2014

New Year’s resolutions are perhaps the hardest promises to keep. It’s not uncommon to give up half way through the year on them whether it’s due to lack of energy, determination or support. For whatever reason, it happens to the best of us.

With that in mind, we thought the first post of the year should be one to get you started on the right track with your 2014 resolution. Though we can’t always be there to give you a small push of encouragement whenever you fall astray, we can offer a few ideas on how you can use our tools to help with some of the most common New Year’s resolutions being made.

Resolution: To Live A Healthier Lifestyle

It’s always proven that the best way to achieve a goal is to track your progress and keep milestones in view.  If you look for tracking sheets online to help you stay on top of your fitness and health goals, you’ll find that most of these are in the PDF format.

fitness tracking sheet

Use Able2Extract Pro to convert those PDF to Word documents or Excel spreadsheets. After all, in order to track your daily progress, you’ll need to work consistently with those sheets.

Resolution: To Learn Something New

When it comes to learning something new, it’s always helpful to generate yourself a good reference or master file you can always turn to. You can create such a resource on any topic you’re learning about using Sonic PDF Creator.

Merging PDFs With Sonic

For instance, one resolution I made this year was to actively keep up with learning to play the violin, which includes developing dexterity in my fingers with scales and arpeggios. Fortunately, I found PDF music sheets of them in every key. Once I downloaded them, I used Sonic to merge PDF files into a single file with other violin sheet music and resources.  I then added bookmarks to keep it organized for easy access.

Resolution:  To Be More Environmentally Aware

Going green doesn’t have to be too hard to keep up. Given that cloud drives, scanners and apps are now pretty much the norm, the way you work needs to adapt anyway. This also applies to anything you’re keeping digital—photo albums, tax records, resumes, essays, research. The list goes on.

Able2Extract Professional can help you start keeping things digital.  Once you can scan in your documents, you never have to print them out again. Able2Extract Professional will give you access to the scanned PDF content instantly, allowing you to reuse the information you need within other applications.

Resolution: To Practice Better Security Habits

This resolution can cover a wide range of more specific resolutions like regularly changing up your passwords to tightening up your Facebook privacy settings.  Sonic PDF Creator offers features that can help get you into security mode with your digital assets, starting with your PDF files.

Securing PDFs With Sonic

With Sonic, you can create a password protected file you can customize with permissions and access.  You can also add encryption, watermarks and stamps to brand the content, preventing it from being copied.

Anyone would agree that creating a resolution is one thing, but realistically and methodically keeping it up is another. So instead of focusing on creating a resolution, focus on ways you can keep the resolution itself with everyday tools you already have. All it takes is a bit of creativity.

Best Practices And Tips For Working With PDF To Word, OpenOffice And RTF

One of the most frustrating problems of converting PDF to other digital file formats is compatibility. Ever have one of those moments? You receive a converted file which you can’t open or view, let alone edit? If you have, then you know what we’re talking about.

Converting PDFs to the right format can get more confusing because some word processors can support certain file formats, while others can’t. Then depending on the version of the application, it can get even more complicated.

If you’re trying to figure out which file format to convert to, here are a few general guidelines and some information about each format to help you make the right choice.

Microsoft Word 97, 2000, XP, 2003 (.DOC)

A .DOC file is the number format for creating general documents like essays, brochures and formatted resumes.  The format can handle mixed content very well and can be used to create all different types of printed material such as labels and business cards.

That being said, when your main focus is on sharing and making the textual PDF content editable, a standard PDF to .DOC conversion is all you need.  PDF text, graphics and tables will be transferred over into a multi-purpose document users can easily access. A few tips and notes:

  • .DOC is backwards compatible with all MS Word versions.
  • Mac users can create .DOC files with Word for Mac and work easily with Windows users.
  • Convert to .DOC when you aren’t sure which version of MS Word your recipient is using.
  • In Able2Doc, the Word conversion output is set to the default setting which detects and converts to whichever MS Word version you have installed. Change this via the Options menu
  • Change the default saving format in Word (via Office button>Options>Save) to formats you regularly share and send.

Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013 (.DOCX)

The DOCX file format was released with MS Word 2007. It is now the default format for MS Word 2007, 2010 and 2013. Like the .DOC format, a .DOCX file is used for generating editable documents. The major difference is in the technical specifications of the .DOCX format, which has a hard time playing nice with other applications.

MS Word 2007 DOC

Although more suites are now getting support for the format, double check with your recipient if he or she can open a .DOCX file before you convert. Users with older MS Word versions will need a workaround to interact with the file (uploading it to Google Docs, downloading a plug-in, or converting the file), which can be a huge hassle. When in doubt, convert PDF to .DOC instead. Tips:

  • .DOCX isn’t compatible with older versions of MS Word without a plug-in
  • If you always convert PDF to .DOCX but have earlier versions of Word, you can change the default setting in Able2Doc and always convert to .DOCX (Word 2007) as a default
  • Some MS Word 2013 features might not show up in version 2010 or 2007, and the Word 2013 file will open in Compatibility Mode.
  • iWork Pages on Mac can open .DOCX files
  • You can convert .DOCX to .DOC  for free online.

OpenOffice Writer (.ODT)

As the popularity of open source grows, the .ODT is fast becoming one of the main formats to work with. The vendor neutral .ODT file is OpenOffice’s native word processing format used primarily within open source environments. As such, convert PDF to .ODT when working with open source applications and users. Also, pay attention to how .ODT files interact with MS Word. By doing so, you can side-step any compatibility issues that pop up with the converted file.

A few things to know:

  • Different versions of MS Office have slight differences in support for ODF. Versions 2007 and 2010 can save to ODF 1.1, but can’t open ODF 1.2. MS Office 2013 can’t save to ODF 1.1.
  • Saving .DOCX to ODT in Open Office will have an effect on which features from .DOCX will remain supported in the new .ODT file.
  • Able2Doc converts PDF to both OpenOffice Writer and MS Word. No plug-in needed
  • Starting from MS Word 2007, you can save your documents to .ODT with SP2 installed.
  • .ODT can be imported by most word processors and online productivity suites.

Rich Text (.RTF)

A rich text file is a Microsoft text file that can keep basic formatting elements like bold, underlined or italic fonts.  It can also support formatted content such as text alignment and bulleted lists.

WordPad RTF File

Because .RTF files are easily accessible across different platforms, they make a good conversion output alternative when problem files can’t be opened. Other things to know:

  • .RTF files are generated with WordPad–included free with Windows OS via Accessories.
  • Able2Doc offers PDF to .RTF conversion as a default setting
  • The format can support inserted .JPG and .PNG images
  • Imported and exported by most word processing applications.
  • May lose the more advanced MS Word features (annotations, WordArt, drawing objects) when saving to RTF.

File Format Compatibility At A Glance

Below is a quick glance summary. Included are links for more detailed information about supported file versions, limitations, and downloads.

File Format and Word Processor Compatibility
Word Processor Being Used: File Format Supported?
DOC DOCX ODT RTF
Older versions of Microsoft Word (2000, XP, 20003) Yes Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint required ODF add-in for MS Office required Yes
Microsoft Word 2007 Yes Yes Yes, with MS Office suite 2007 SP2 installed Yes
Microsoft Word (2010, 2013) Yes Yes Yes Yes
iWork  Pages Yes Yes No Yes
Microsoft Word for Mac (2008, 2011) Yes Yes No Yes
Apache OpenOffice Writer Yes Yes.  Version 3.0 and later. Yes Yes
LibreOffice Writer Yes Yes Yes Yes

This table shows compatibility of MS Word, OpenOffice and RTF formats with different Word processors.

There are many other applications out there, so let us know which ones we’ve missed and if you have any other best practice advice or tips yourself.

Able2Doc 7.0 Tip: Taking A Snapshot From PDF Documents

Despite the pressing need to work with PDF content, PDF conversion, despite all its benefits, might not always be what you need.  Think of those times when you need just a snippet of PDF content in a document, like when you conduct research with PDF files, for instance.

Copying and pasting on your computer is probably the first thing that comes to mind.  It’s a common, yet often messy, way of getting text or images into MS Word documents quickly. However, the results you have to edit afterwards are one major reason why PDF conversion is usually the better option.

But knowing that our users may still want the option of doing so, our desktop converters include a Snapshot feature. It gives you a way to create a proper snapshot of selected PDF content. For a more detailed look, here’s a walk through on the feature and how you can take a snapshot with Able2Doc 7.0.

1. Open your PDF file in Able2Doc 7.0

2.  Go to Edit> Take Snapshot.  This will activate the feature and let you select a portion of the active PDF to be saved to the Clipboard as an image

Take Snapshot feature in Able2Doc

3. Using your mouse, select the image or content that you would like to save as an image, as you would normally select an area for converting PDF content

Selecting PDF content for Snapshot

4. Once the selection has been made, you’ll get a popup letting you know that the content has been saved to the clipboard

Copying PDF content to clipboard

5. Go to the file or document where you need to insert the content. Then simply paste the content from your clipboard using CTRL + V or by selecting Paste from the right click context menu.

 Pasting PDF content in Word

This tip is also applicable to Able2Extract PDF Converter. For scanned PDF documents, the only selection method available is area-based selection (this option enables data to be selected on a column-by-column or section-by-section basis rather than line by line).

So if you ever find yourself needing a quick image of your PDF content, the snapshot feature can get the job done easily.

How 3 Investintech Tools Can Save Your Academic Life

School’s just started and already you’re starting to sink into your own routine. Whether that means mapping out the quickest route to class or finding the best study spots along the way, you need to make sure everything works smoothly for you in the academic world.

As a tech user, it means getting your laptop and gadgets all set to keep up with you on your daily study grind. With the rise of tech gadgets and the popularity of the Internet, the academic landscape is changing.  More group participation is done via forum discussion, class notes are being posted up online, and text books are being downloaded from the web.

However, organizing your arsenal of software tools can be tough when you can’t anticipate where or when you’ll need it.  If you’re a user of our software and asking yourself, where and how Investintech software fits in with your academic routine, it’s time to take a closer look. Here are a couple of tip offs.

1. SlimPDF Reader

One way students are upping their productivity these days is to use a laptop in class. It’s easier to type up lecture notes and it eliminates the need for multiple notebooks.  Moreover, instead of a 13 or 15 inch laptop, students are now resorting to netbooks. They’re small, efficient, and more convenient on-the-go than a laptop is.

Netbooks, however, while great for mobility, aren’t so great for the hard-core major software programs you have on your desktop.  For instance, Adobe Reader is a notable resource hog, taking up a good portion of your desktop hard drive, let alone your netbook. So you’ll need the smallest applications you can find.  Luckily, SlimPDF Reader is only 1.43 MB.

Slim PDF Reader Screenshot

SlimPDF Reader gives you the essentials needed for a quick clean viewing experience without the bloat.

So if a prof scans in a PDF sideways, SlimPDF can rotate it right side up with a single click from the toolbar.  And as PDFs aren’t always created with a readability and navigation in mind, you can zoom in (up to 400%), quickly skip to any page, and easily search the file for keywords. Copying simple text is also made easy–just select your content and CTRL+ C it. You can paste it quickly into another application.

2. Free Online PDF to Word Converter

As mentioned, most professors will post up lecture notes or slides online. Of course, this makes it easier for everyone, as a) you don’t have to worry about getting everything down, and b) you have spot-on accurate notes from the professor  himself. Definitely a resource you want to cash in on for any future assignment.

But, I bet you can guess what format these notes will more than likely be in: the hard-to-edit PDF format. This is where a PDF to Word converter saves the day. You can convert PDF to Word instantly using our free online PDF to Word conversion service.

3. Docx to Doc Converter Online

With the release of Microsoft Office Word 2007 came a new default format, .docx, a format that not everyone is using. In fact, most users are still quite attached to the .doc format.  For users with Microsoft Office Word 2007, they can simply save to .doc by changing the Save As format before they save their file.

DOC to DOCX converter

Yet for those who are receiving a .docx file, it isn’t as easy. Students on the Mac OSX platform using Pages need to import the .doc file to Mac, but have no direct way of converting it. Others may not even be using Microsoft Office 2007, but older versions with no way of opening it.

This .docx to .doc converter is perfect for any difficulties you may come across, whether it be a deadline, lack of compatibility, or being locked out of your email accounts.

DOC to DOCX Converter Interface

It lets you bypass all those hurdles. It’s free, you can use it regardless of the platform you’re using, you can access it anytime online, no registration is needed, and you get the file converted instantly without having to leave the site.