Conversion

Tips to help with picture perfect conversions.

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.

5 Great Ways To Convert Text To Speech

​Audio Headphones Unplugged

As the school year starts up, you’re probably just getting yourself oriented with your classes and gauging the size of the workload you’ll have to deal with.

It may be daunting after a long lazy summer, but anticipating the amount of reading you have ahead of you is a good idea. It’s never fun to all of a sudden find yourself lagging behind. You need to get ahead of the curve way before the heavy reading assignments even start. And we have a perfect tip for that: to help lighten the reading load use a convert text to speech tool.

Converting speech to text can come in handy in so many ways.  It can free you up to get away from the screen for a bit or help you learn a language.  Also, students with disabilities can use text to speech tools to easily access digital content. Text to speech tools are perfect if you need help with proofreading, catching up on your notes, or getting some eBook reading done.

So here’s a look at 5 different ways to listen to your reading assignments with these free easy to use text to speech tools.

Listen to MP3 Files of Your Text with SpokenText

For those who need to catch up on reading while commuting, running errands, working out or multi-tasking, SpokenText is a straightforward online text to audio converter. SpokenText allows you to convert any number of files such as PDF, DOC, PPT, TXT, HTML and Emails to an MP3 file. Once you have your MP3 files are created, you can then download and put them onto a mobile device. You’ll be able to take your readings with you.

Have Online Documents Read Out Loud To You

Have a document online that needs to be proofread? If the file is shared on the web with a file sharing or collaboration tool like Google Docs, then you can have the text read to you directly from within your browser. You can listen for grammatical errors while working with other things on your computer–all without missing a beat.

SpeakIt! is available for Chrome and allows you to read text displayed in the browser. For FireFox, there’s Text to Voice which can also let you download your text in MP3 format.  And Opera users can try VozMe. Once any of these extensions are installed, just highlight the text you want read out to you and activate the plugin.

Convert Text From Multiple Sources With NaturalReaders

NaturalReaders is a popular text to speech tool whose online version comes with basic yet advanced features to get the job done. Click on Add Documents and you can start building and accessing your list of files from popular services like Dropbox, Google Docs, and more. Handy for students working on public computers or using Cloud services.

Get Social With Your Text On YAKiToMe!

People who are used to in browser music players will love the look and feel of YAKiToMe! It’s a free online text to speech service and network rolled into one where you can share your audio books and files with other YAKiToMe user groups. If you’re lucky, you may find a user with an audio version of a book you’re looking for.

Text to Speech Tool

YAKiToMe! lets you convert text from .doc, .pdf, .txt, .html, .xml, and email to speech. Choose a reader, a reading speed and an input method for uploading text: Field (copy-paste text directly), File, RSS, and Email. Then click on the Run Text To Speech button.

Convert PDF Text To Speech with PDF2Speech.com

PDF2Speech is exactly what its name suggests. It’s a free online PDF to speech converter. This is perfect for professional and academic uses where PDF reading is a common task. On-screen PDF reading can sometimes be a chore, but listening to one doesn’t have to be.

Convert PDF to Audio

To use this tool, simply upload your PDF files to the site and hit the Convert button. This free service allows you to convert up to 20 pages which will allow you to get a good chunk of your readings checked off your list.

There are many simple yet powerful text to speech freeware tools to suit any occasion or need. The good news is that it doesn’t require a lot of money or any bloated text to speech download.

AutoCAD Tip: Recover Vector Graphics and Text Locked in PDF

As a professional AutoCAD designer, you can deal with any number of CAD drawings on a daily basis that need your attention.  Yet the review process might not always be in an easy, straightforward manner.

The work process is always a collaborative one, and chances are that the people you deal with do not have AutoCAD but some other CAD application that is not able to read AutoCAD’s native DWG format.

To help bridge that gap, professional drafters and designers have, for the most part, resorted to a secondary, more reliable alternative:  the PDF format. You and your clients or colleagues may both be transmitting CAD drawings via PDF to collaborate back and forth on them.

AutoCAD PDF in Able2Extract

Whether these CAD drawings are complex floor plans newly converted to PDF or older archived product designs, the format ensures that both of you can see those CAD drawings as intended, uncompromised.

Yet further on in the workflow, these CAD designs will need modifications, corrections or adjustments before any design plan is finalized.  However, the PDF is a locked down format that makes those vector graphics and text uneditable. You would have to convert the PDF file to a format in order to make any improvements or edits on it.

Able2Extract: PDF to AutoCAD Converter

Our Able2Extract PDF converter is a tool which can accomplish that. As a PDF utility, it is a swiss army knife of PDF converters. It can convert PDF data into more than 10 different formats—AutoCAD included. With it, you can recover vector graphics and text that are locked in PDF.

Though dealing with CAD files may be complex, the conversion method is simplified down to 4 steps:

1. Open the PDF in Able2Extract

Open File Command

2. Select the graphics and text you need to convert with the All or Area selection commands

Selecting content

3. Click on the AutoCAD icon on the command toolbar.

Converting PDF to AutoCAD

Able2Extract will then let you customize your output.  When you select the PDF to AutoCAD conversion command, you are presented with these CAD specific settings:

Able2Extract AutoCAD Conversion Options

You can select DWG (or DXF, if needed) as your conversion output, adjust the color palette, unit measurements, polyline width, and insertion point.  You will also be able to keep those same conversion settings as a default if needed.

4. Click on Convert and save your file to your computer.

Once the conversion is done, you can make any required edits to the recovered vector graphics and text in AutoCAD, continuing on with the review and drafting process.  As an intermediary software program, Able2Extract extracts your CAD content into layers you can easily work with.

Able2Extract PDF Converter is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux (Ubuntu and Fedora) platforms. You can test Able2Extract’s PDF to AutoCAD conversion feature with the 7-day free trial. A full version license can be purchased from our website, as well,  for $99.95 or you can opt for the more flexible 30-day subscription for $34.95.

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.

Exploring PDF Conversion On the Enterprise Level: Absolute PDF Server 3.0

Absolute PDF Server

We talk a lot about productivity and PDF conversion on the desktop, mobile, and cloud platforms. However, we never really covered the server platform where PDF conversion and productivity can occur at an even higher, much larger scale: the enterprise level.

At that level, the key point for companies is to manage resources, data and processes across the entire organization. Because it can be expensive and inefficient to have individual PDF applications for each employee, organizations typically turn to enterprise software as a solution.

What is Enterprise Software?

Enterprise software is different from what you’d normally experience from a program you buy, download, and use on your own personal computer. Enterprise software solutions are capable of catering to a large amount of users over a network, and are usually handled on the company’s backend servers.

Unlimited Users and ConversionsEnterprise software applications usually handle business-  or data- oriented tasks, such as info management, billing and accounting, order processing, and database management. Enterprise software is developed and offered  by companies like Oracle, Sage, Microsoft, and IBM.

Moreover, enterprise workflows can differ and range from businesses and governments to schools and financial institutions. Naturally, each sector and organization has different needs. Thus,  managers have to ensure that the enterprise software they choose works for their employees, the company’s IT system, and existing workflows.

Exploring An Organization’s Needs

In most cases, organizations can customize their enterprise software solutions “a la carte” according to their software strategy. Oftentimes, companies choose to use enterprise level software for tasks performed on a regular basis by the majority of its employees. Organization-wide solutions can offer workflows that are extremely effective at speeding up and controlling the task at hand.

PDF Document Conversion For The Enterprise: Absolute PDF Server 3.0

With PDF conversion, for instance, your IT managers can effectively automate a high volume of file conversions in one standardized framework. All they need is Absolute PDF Server.

Absolute PDF Server is the first enterprise-level document management solution to offer both PDF extraction and creation.  It gives organizations the ability to perform both functionalities in one streamlined process.

Absolute PDF Server integrates technology from our Able2Extract PDF Server  (used to convert PDF files into several other formats) and Sonic PDF Server (used to convert different file formats into PDF file format). As a result, you get quick PDF conversion to multiple formats and a tailored PDF creation process in one single location.

How Absolute PDF Server Works

How Absolute PDF Server Works

How the process works depends on how your administrator sets it up. Essentially, you will either be able to email their document to a specified email address for conversion, or you can simply place your file into a watched folder (organized based on input format) which is monitored by Absolute PDF Server. In both cases, Absolute PDF Server will convert the files emailed or found within the folder, and the converted files will be sent back to you.

Converting via Absolute PDF Server Interface

You get your file properly converted while your IT administrators get full control over the process. They can manage, configure, and process the conversion queue from one user interface, ensuring that the conversion jobs are completed.

What Does Absolute PDF Server Have To Offer?

Although Absolute PDF Server is geared towards high volume conversion jobs for an entire company, it can still cater to individual conversion needs with the following features:

  • Convert and Create PDFs: Convert all native and scanned PDFs into MS Word, MS Excel and more; Create PDF from any printable Windows application
  • Customize PDF Creation: Brand your PDFs with watermarks;  Manage fonts and colors; Combine multiple PDFs, split or join them.
  • Secure your PDFs: Set passwords, editing and printing permissions and choose from 40 or 128 bit encryption levels.
  • Schedule PDF Tasks: The server can be set to operate at specific times and dates. Files can be processed in middle of the night if desired.
  • Set Up Monitored Folders/Sub Folders: Automate PDF creation by specifying a folder for placing input files.
  • Email Integration: Converted files are processed and the result is emailed back to the sender.
  • Job Ticket Creation:  The Job Ticket Editor is used for specifying PDF creation and extraction settings.

Given the features above, using Absolute PDF Server naturally comes with a few fringe benefits:

  • Increases Productivity. Improve the enterprise’s productivity and efficiency by managing processes on the backend.
  • Creates A Standardized System.  IT Administrators can schedule, monitor, and keep track of tasks from one location. Document management is streamlined organization wide.
  • Unlimited Number of Users & Conversions.  That’s right, unlimited. This means multiple users can convert as many files as they need, when they need.
  • Cost Effective.  Absolute PDF Server is sold on a  per license, per server basis. No individual licenses or subscriptions required. There are no extra modules or add-ins to buy later on.

So is enterprise-level PDF conversion right for your company? Find out.  Get your IT manager to test out Absolute PDF Server’s  features before taking the plunge! We offer a free 30-day trial for organizations.

For more details, contact our support team directly.