How To Sign PDF Documents With Google Docs & Offline

Sign PDF with Google Docs and PDF Editor Software

The business world is now a digital one. Professionals and users are looking to do and keep everything digital–even signing PDF documents. Users are turning to access a quick way to deal with e-signatures without having to print, sign, and re-scan contracts and forms.

There are a ton of services that can help you sign your documents, both online and offline.

In this tutorial, we show you how to sign your PDF documents offline using Able2Extract Professional PDF editor and online using Google Docs.

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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.

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.

Customizing Your PDF To Word Conversions With Able2Extract 8

With Able2Extract 8 there were a few changes in layout that may have had you wondering if Able2Extract backtracked and scaled back on its PDF to Word options.

It hasn’t. Able2Extract’s PDF to Word conversion options are still there and still fully functional.

Obviously, how you work with MS Word will constantly change—as will your editing needs.  After last week’s release of MS Office 2013, for instance, you may already be exploring new features, taking advantage of MS Word 2013 and all it has to offer.  Well, Able2Extract is no stranger to MS Word, and it’s for updates like those that we continue to include Able2Extract’s variety of  PDF to Word options.

So this week we bring them to the forefront to show you what our PDF to Word variety is all about and how each option can accommodate how you work within MS Word.

In Able2Extract 8, the PDF to Word conversion options can be found within the File menu under the Convert to Word… conversion command. Hover over it to expand the menu. The options will be activated once your content is selected for conversion:

Able2Extract PDF to Word Options

Convert to Word- Standard

We always have this as the default and recommended PDF to Word conversion option. This is because it offers the most accuracy and editability for MS Word documents. 

Able2Extract PDF to Word Standard

A PDF to Word Standard conversion will retain background graphics, as a background image in the converted output, and the textual layout using the layout of the original PDF document for guidance.  For most documents, this will provide the best looking output for general purposes and quick conversions.

Convert to Word- Frames

Though it will preserve content just as well as the Standard conversion, the Frames option will give you slightly different results.  The converted PDF to Word output will retain the background graphics and layout of the selected pages and items, but with the text appearing in individual text boxes in a new Word document, like so:

Able2Extract PDF to Word Frames

This conversion is ideal if you prefer or need to work with text boxes which can be moved within a document. For instance, if the placement of text and graphics are a priority, as it is in publications, converting PDF content into frames will  let you position and re-position your content around easily.

Under certain circumstances, because the text boxes are designed to correlate with the structural positioning of the original PDF document, it may be possible to generate a more accurate layout than with the Standard conversion selection option.

Convert to Word- Text

As the name suggests, the Convert to Word -Text conversion option will only convert the text portions of selected items. The text will appear as a standard paragraph without special formatting or text boxes in a new Word document.

Able2Extract PDF to Word Text

This conversion is most useful when working with textual information takes priority over preserving the look and feel of your content in Word. You can easily avoid transferring over  images or graphics that aren’t needed. As you can imagine, this can save you a lot of time spent on cutting or deleting them post-conversion.

Specifying Your MS Word Output

In addition to customizing your conversion results, you can also change the PDF to Word output format with a few clicks.  You can do this by accessing Able2Extract’s conversion settings by going into the View menu and selecting Options… :

Able2Extract PDF to Word Output Format Options

The Word conversion output offers 3 different output formats when converting a PDF to Word. You can select any of the 3 options:

Default: Using this setting on the Windows platform will result in the software automatically detecting which version of Word is installed on the machine and then saving the Word output into the applicable format – .docx or .doc.

RTF: Choosing this setting means that all conversion that are made from PDF to Word will be saved in the rich text format (.rtf) extension.

Word 2007: Using this setting means that all documents converted into Word will be saved as .docx regardless of which version of Word is installed.

Implementing just a few of these options and settings can help save you some major editing time. Though a Standard conversion is probably sufficient for general purposes, it’s always good to try and get the most out of your PDF to Word conversions wherever possible. With the growing complexity of Word documents, you can’t afford not to!