Computer

Converting a PDF file takes time and money. It also takes some knowledge and a premium software pack. So it is not as easy as it tooks. A PDF editor can be quite expensive.

Ways to edit a PDF file

The main question is “How do I edit PDF files?” There are two ways of achieving this goal:

•    Editing on a PDF directly

•    Converting a PDF to another format

Editing on a PDF directly

PDF editing is not a very difficult process. It can be done by almost anyone, and one does not need specific skills to achieve this goal. You simply open the PDF in Acrobat and edit it. Editing PDf in Acrobat will only work if you have the original authoring password, or if the PDF file is not password protected. While this is mostly easy, some problems might appear. The main problem is the font used. If the PDF file uses a font you do not have, you cannot edit it. There are thousands of fonts available on the internet today, so which one does the PDF file use? Hard question. The answer is “Only the original author knows”. Getting all the fonts and trying them out is not an option. It can take days to find the right one, and you will probably give up long before you find anything. However, most PDF files use standard fonts, like Arial or Times New Roman.

Converting a PDF to another format

The best format to work with is Microsoft Word, and its .DOC documents. In order to convert and edit PDF files, you will need a PDF to Word Converter program. Many PDF files are password protected specifically to prevent actions like PDF editing. The PDF editors basically interpret the snapshot, which is the PDF file, and convert it into a text file recognizable by Microsoft Word. This is achieved by using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or similar technology. Basically, this technology is able to “read” the file and output the text in a Word document. You can also scan a document and run the OCR software to extract the text directly to a Word file. Although it is fast, it has some drawbacks. To make an almost error free transition between PDF and DOC, you need a very good converter, that can cost lots of money. Another drawback is the error number. Although good OCR software will have a typical accuracy rate of more that 99%, errors will still be present. And, if you have a very large PDF file, proofreading the output DOC might take some time and resources.

A quick search of the Internet will turn up dozens of PDF to Word converter programs. Some are free, some are not. Be sure to use premium software; it will get you top quality for its price. One of the best and easy to use tools is Able2Doc 6.0 PDF to Word Converter, from Investintech.Com. It edits PDF files and converts them to Word files in no time, error free!

“Able2Doc 6.0 performs fast and accurate conversions to Word with columns, tables, headers, footers, graphics and layout reproduced just as they were in the original document” –