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pdf file

How To Create Secure PDF Documents In Two Different Ways

Here at Investintech, we care about your document productivity and we know that working with multiple documents can be a dreadful uphill battle. Because digital documents and PDFs are an essential part of your day to day work, your document processing routine and PDF tools always need to be updated. They need to be flexible and powerful enough to keep up with you.

This is why we included the features we did in Able2Extract 9. Though you know the PDF tool as Able2Extract PDF Converter, it has gone above and beyond that in this latest version. It can do a whole lot more now—and more conveniently.

Case in point: PDF creation. You may have given the main feature a  quick try, but there’s more to this feature than meets the eye. It can get the job of creating secure PDFs done in more ways than one.

Let’s take a closer look.

Method 1: Create PDF Files With Able2Extract 9

PDF creation within Able2Extract is just as simple as converting a PDF document. So if you’ve ever converted a PDF file with Able2Extract, then you already have a good idea of how to create one.

In other words, you get a new feature with a familiar set up, eliminating any high learning curves that can waste a good chunk of your time. From the command toolbar:

1. Click on the create PDF icon.

Creating PDF Files2. Open your file.

Opening File In Able2Extract

3. Go into the PDF Creation Options… menu and add your PDF security options. Here you can choose a number of settings for your PDF content. Click on OK.

PDF Creation Security Options
4. Then click on Save to complete the process.

Saving PDF In Able2Extract

Method 2: Create Secure PDFs From Your Everyday Applications

That’s just one method. However, if, like me, you prefer to stay in the application you’re working in, Able2Extract still has you covered. With the virtual printer, you can turn any application into a PDF creator.

Just print up your document as usual with the Print functionality, but choose Able2Extract 9.0 Printer instead:

Able2Extract Virtual Print Driver

Yet because you don’t need to open Able2Extract to create PDFs, you may be thinking that you’ll miss out on all the PDF creation options built into this latest version. Not so. This is where the print dispatcher comes into play.

Adjust Settings With The Print Dispatcher

Accessing Able2Extract Print DispatcherYou may have seen this icon lurking around on your system tray after installing Able2Extract.

The Print Dispatcher allows you to control all of your out-of-Able2Extract  PDF creation options.

When combined with the virtual print driver, you can create the same secure PDF just as easily.

On opening the Print Dispatcher, you get everything you need to stay on top of the PDF creation process:

Print Dispatcher Interface

By clicking on the Options… button, you can change the PDF creation settings for all PDF files created through the Able2Extract Print Driver, including the Security settings for each file.  

Selecting PDF Security Options

After your security options are set and your PDF is created, you can check in on your new file from the Print Dispatcher and interact with the file as needed.

Options For Opening PDF

Give the PDF creation feature a good spin if you haven’t already. This is just one of many new Able2Extract 9 features that let you get up close and personal with your PDF documents.

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.

Introducing The All New Able2Extract 9 With PDF Creation!

Today, we’re excited to announce that we just released Able2Extract 9.0! Our flagship PDF converter has undergone some major changes in this version which we know you’ll love.

These changes go beyond what you’d consider an average product upgrade.  This is because in addition to general PDF conversion improvements, Able2Extract 9 now comes with the ability to create  and edit PDF documents!

able2extract-pdf-converter-9

Our developers have worked hard to turn Able2Extract 9 into a complete PDF solution package. And with our in-house PDF creation technology baked directly into Able2Extract, the PDF converter can accomplish a whole new set of PDF tasks from creating PDFs to editing your PDF pages.

Here’s what you’ll find in this latest version.

Create Professional PDF Documents

We made it super easy for you to create a PDF file from any document, whether it’s from within Able2Extract itself or through the brand new  virtual print driver.

able2extract-open-file

The process is just as easy as converting a PDF file with Able2Extract. From the Command toolbar, click on the Create PDF icon, select your file and simply save it to your computer.

New PDF Creation Options

If you’ve used our PDF creation tools before then you’ll know which creation features you have at your disposal.  PDF creation options include:

  • Compression- Choose from LZW, JPEG, and ZIP for your images
  • Security-Apply passwords and file permissions
  • Font & Colours- Specify if you’d like to embed orsubset fontsor convert CMYK to RGB
  • PDF viewing- Decide how you want your PDF to display when opened
  • MS Office conversion-  Choose from a number of Office-related options such as retaining hyperlinks, bookmarks, and comments from Office documents

pdf-creation-options

PDF Creation Security Features

As part of your PDF creation options, you can also create secured PDFs. You no longer have to worry if your PDF files are being tampered with or not. You get to choose what people can or can’t do with your content.

pdf-document-security

Let users copy and paste text, print up the file, or allow them to insert, rotate and shuffle pages. As always, we leave the choice up to you!

Edit PDF Document Pages

With Able2Extract 9, you can go so far as to edit your PDF files.  Able2Extract allows you to add and adjust your PDF document’s information, the file’s viewing settings, and editing PDF pages:

edit-pdf-pages

Able2Extract Print Dispatcher

Another new feature is the Able2Extract Print Dispatcher. This is an icon that sits in your system tray when you install Able2Extract 9 and allows you to keep track of newly created PDF files directly from your desktop.

able2extract-print-dispatcher

It works in conjunction with the Able2Extract Virtual Print Driver. So when you create a PDF document from another application, you can choose how and where you want to open the file.  You can also use this to adjust your PDF creation options when using the Virtual Print Driver to create PDFs.

Save Your PDF Creation Settings

Just as you can save your custom PDF to Excel conversion parameters, you can now save your PDF creation settings as a file. This means that for every PDF you create, you can apply the same file settings as required.

manage-pdf-creation-settings

Improved PDF Conversion, OCR & PDF Rendering

And now that PDF creation is a part of Able2Extract 9, the PDF rendering and viewing capabilities are better than ever! You can use Able2Extract 9 to view PDFs with the even the most complex of graphical content.

able2extract-pdf-viewer

Other enhancements include improved PDF conversion for complex PDF files. And for Able2Extract Professional, we included tweaks to the OCR engine, providing you with even more accurate renditions.

Test out and check out all of these newest features here.  Existing Software Advantage Plan users can upgrade to Able2Extract 9 from their account dashboard.

Give it a try and don’t forget to let us know what you think of this latest version!

How to Attach A PDF File To Microsoft Word Documents

Document Attachment

Digital documents are the number one staple behind any company or workflow.  And everyone shares them whether by email, cloud services, or URL. But do you ever wonder if there’s an even easier way to bundle your documents together? Short answer: yes, there is.

Attaching or embedding PDFs in Word documents can be an even quicker alternative than email attachments. It’s also a dead simple way to combine PDF and Word content together.

Think of PDF documents that contain file attachments. You have everything you need in that one single file and there’s no need to go back to the email for the other attachments.  Doing the same with a Word document can be just as convenient. It can be helpful in situations where you need to:

  • Attach legal PDF documents as an appendix
  • Quickly access PDF forms, reports, contract terms, or brochures
  • Provide extra working drafts or updates to colleagues in business  proposals
  • Access or provide PDF resources as reference for papers you’re writing

Embedding a PDF document within MS Word is a popular and sought-after tip. With digital documents becoming more important these days, it’s a handy and helpful method to keep in mind.

To keep highly related PDF and Word files neatly together, follow these steps:

In Microsoft Word, place your cursor where you’d like the PDF to be located. Then,

1. Go to the Insert tab > Object.

Selecting Insert Object

2. In the Object dialog, go to the Create from File tab

Embedding Object Word Document

3. Click on Browse. Search and select the PDF file you wish to embed.

4. Select Display as icon and leave Link to file unchecked. You can choose to change the icon if you wish.

5. Click on OK.

PDF Embedded Word File​

As you can see, the PDF appears right inside your Word document, and can be opened in your PDF viewer of choice. Know of any other methods for combining Word and PDF files together? Let us know!

3 Tips On How To Use Excel For Calculating Taxes From PDF Data

Calculating-Taxes-Excel Photo Credit: gonzalo_ar via photopin cc

Tax season rolls around every year and with it comes the head ache of getting organized. It means digging up year old statements and revisiting your ledgers, which is a daunting task in itself. Even worse, if you’re a procrastinator, it may mean the added stress of finding walk-in tax centres booked solid, forcing you to take the DIY approach.

Admittedly, doing taxes yourself can be risky. But user-friendly tax software and speedy e-filing methods are incentive enough to make the attempt. Getting the numbers right is what matters most.  For that, there’s Microsoft Excel, one of the handiest tools for calculating and dealing with complex data.

If it’s your first time doing your taxes online, we’ve got a few important pointers that can make working with taxes and Excel easier for you.

1. Insert, Adjust And Calculate Your Tax Data In Spreadsheets 

Tax CalculatorPhoto Credit: Jorge Franganillo via photopin cc

First off, to calculate your income taxes, you first need to calculate your taxable income. To do this, convert your financial data into Excel so you can work in your applicable deductions, credits, and exclusions using Excel formulas and functions. They can seem scary and complicated, but once you get the hang of them, they are invaluable!

Second, because all invoices and tax deductible receipts are different, you want to ensure that your converted data is properly adjusted and laid out.  If you’re calculating your federal income tax using tables in Excel, your results depend on where the data is placed. Thus, correctly inserting disparate data from the start will help prevent major calculation errors.

Able2Extract Excel Preview Panel A custom PDF to Excel conversion though can fix the alignment of cells and their data just where you need them. Able2Extract lets you manually move the row and column lines and even give you a preview of how the data will look in your spreadsheet.

2. Use Separate Worksheets For Data Calculations

Every tax filing is different and depending on your situation you may need to use supplemental tax forms and schedules. You may also need other tools, like updated tax tables or the tax computation worksheet from the 1040 US tax return instructions.  So consolidating your data where needed can be an efficient way to stay organized.

Excel Worksheet Names

Every tax form, calculation, or schedule requires special attention. Consequently, you may want to use separate worksheets for different schedules or forms. This way you can set each one up with defined formulas for calculating specific data.

This has a lot of convenient benefits. Each year, you can go back to the same worksheet and just drop your updated numbers in. If you need numbers from different PDF statements, you can convert the relevant data into the same worksheet using Able2Extract.

Able2Extract Custom Excel TemplateMoreover, its custom Excel template feature, you can set up your Excel conversion once, save it as a template (seen above), and use it on next year’s PDF statements, which, more than likely, will be formatted with the same layout.

3. Keep Data Formatting Consistent 

Consistent Data FormattingPhoto Credit: Jorge Franganillo via photopin cc

If you use different Excel formatting due to language and cultural preferences (commas for decimals or pound signs instead of dollar signs, for instance), you should make sure that all notations are consistent to avoid misinterpretation. Fortunately, Microsoft Excel is highly specialized in formatting and manipulating data.

To fix the formatting in Excel, you can use the Sort & Filter and Data Tools section in the Data tab or the Numbers and Editing sections in the Home tab.  To do this even more efficiently, reformat your PDF data even before it even reaches the spreadsheet. With PDF receipts and records, you can change the notation and formatting during the PDF to Excel conversion.  

Able2Extract Excel Conversion Parameters

Using the MS Excel conversion parameters in Able2Extract will adjust your data to fit the format you want to use in your spreadsheet, like whether or not to replicate the fonts from the PDF. Retain the dollar sign as a separate symbol, use European continental settings, or treat rows as columns and vice versa.