Quick Reference Guide
Why are PDF files popular? The Portable Document Format has become a de-facto standard for document exchange across platforms and computing environments. More than 200 million PDF documents are posted on the World Wide Web. Key benefits that have driven this popularity are: • Integrity: PDF files look like the original documents they were created from. They conserve their appearance after sharing regardless of platform, operating system or local settings on each computer or device.
Create PDF Files read from page 7 ScanSoft® PDF Create! 4 lets you create PDF files from a wide range of file types. The Print dialog box in your print-capable applications will offer a printer named ScanSoft PDF Create! The PDF Create! Assistant lets you compile a list of files generated by different applications. Each file can be converted to a separate PDF file, or they can be combined into a single file.
Installation and Activation Please remove any previous version of PDF Converter Professional before the installation. You should have administrator rights on the computer to install and activate the program. You need web access for activation. 1. Insert the CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive The installation program will start automatically. If it does not, locate your CD-ROM drive in Microsoft® Windows® Explorer and double-click the converter's setup.exe file. Select a language for installation.
can go to http://www.nuance.com to register online any time later. Click on Support and from the main support screen choose Register in the left-hand column. For a statement on the use of your registration data, please see Nuance's Privacy Policy. 5. Activate You will be invited to activate the product at the end of installation. Please ensure that web access is available.
A Release Notes file with latest information is available on the CD and in the program folder. The Nuance web site offers program information, with a regularly updated knowledge base and user forums. Note: System requirements are presented on the product box and in online Help. Starting the Program Choose ScanSoft PDF Professional 4 from the Windows Start Menu. This offers the following items: Choose this to convert PDF files to freely editable documents.
Multiple selection is possible, one PDF is created for each file using the existing settings from the ScanSoft PDF Create! Properties dialog box that you can access from File/Print. These commands work through the Create Assistant where settings are made through profiles. This makes one PDF file from the active clipboard contents. Create PDFs from Print dialogs The Print dialog box appearing in your print-capable applications will include a PDF Create! printer.
Remove selected files Move selected files up or down Remove all files from the list Drag and drop input files onto this area, or use the Add button Assembly instruction* Select a profile This displays current saving settings Click to start PDF creation Click to change saving settings Change profile settings * other assembly instructions are: • Combine files into a single PDF (in the listed order) • Overlay files (according to the current overlay options).
Click Profiles to change settings for your chosen profile, or to create a new profile. Click this to name a new profile Click this to delete the profile containing the selected item (after a warning) Choose an item from the list Click this to change the settings for the chosen item Click the end of a control for an edit box or dropdown list Click OK to close the PDF Create Profiles dialog box. Then press the Go button in the Assistant.
Create PDFs from Windows Explorer Right click on a single file. The shortcut menu includes: Choose a profile from the first item's sub menu. The current settings for that profile will be used for the PDF creation. Click Edit… to modify profile settings or create a new one before PDF creation. The second item shows the current saving instruction. Click on it to set a different instruction.
4. Optionally, add document information (keywords etc.). To create a PDF and attach a copy of it to an e-mail message, click . PDF Links dialog box or an item in the PDF Create! Access this from a toolbar button menu. It lets you define settings that are applicable only when creating a PDF from a Word document. Define which paragraph styles in the Word document should be converted to bookmarks in the PDF, which comments should be transferred and how hyperlinks should appear.
The ScanSoft PDF Create! Properties dialog box can be accessed from the Print dialog box in your applications. When working from the Create! Assistant or Windows Explorer, these settings are made through the profiles. If you need to access these settings from Microsoft Word, choose File/Print instead of the PDF Create! button. How to overlay PDF files Overlay options let you place artwork or other fixed items onto just the first page of your PDF files, together with items that change from file to file.
Edit PDF Files The main screen areas of PDF Converter Professional are as shown below: To view and edit PDF files PDF Converter Professional groups its controls in several toolbars. You can undock these and drag them into your working area. Here we present the main toolbars, in two cases describing the individual tools from left to right.
This toolbar presents basic operations, such as creating, opening, saving, printing, e-mailing and searching PDF files. The drop-down list of the PDF Converter tool is displayed. Use it to unlock the current PDF targetting the selected format. Use the Hand tool for PDF viewing and scrolling. Selection tools let you select pieces of text and document areas. Use this toolbar to zoom in and out on your PDF, magnify areas of interest or the whole page dynamically.
Attach: Attach a file or a sound file to the PDF with an icon at a specified location. Drawing: Draw different shapes on the page. Use a shortcut menu to signal ‘complete’ when drawing multi-sided shapes. Highlight: Select from the shown highlighting tools. Note: Click this to add a note to the PDF; note conversations are possible when PDF files are shared. Sort notes by author, type, date and more. Text Box: Click this to add a text box above the other content on the PDF page.
Document Management Systems DMS support is provided for file input and storage. See System Requirements in online Help for a list of supported products. PDF Optimizer Optimize your PDF to best fit its purpose. Click Tools > Optimize PDF and specify target requirements such as fast web view, object and image compression, scanned page settings, font embedding and more. You can also add tags to PDF files, to have their logical structure (paragraphs, titles, pictures, tables, cells, etc.) identified and logged.
You can also perform direct conversions by selecting the Save As command from the File menu. The PDF Converter Assistant Start this from the Windows Start Menu or from your desktop if you placed a shortcut there. The Assistant lets you prepare and control conversions. Its Full view shows you a preview of PDF files to be converted and lets you set page ranges. The panel on the right lists all files selected for conversion; icons show loading or conversion status.
Converting with Quick View Choose Quick View in the View menu. Then your conversions are an easy 4-step process, using current settings for everything else: 1. File Open: Select one or more PDF files or drag and drop them onto the Quick View window. Mode Tool Output Tool Convert All Tool 2. Choose a processing mode: Standard Document, Legal, Spreadsheet or Form. 3. Choose a target: Microsoft Word, Excel, Corel WordPerfect or Rich Text Format. 4. Start the conversion.
Converting with Full View Here is the Assistant in Full View. Three sample files are loaded, the sample form is displayed in the Preview panel on the left. Restore preview Open files Select conversion mode and target and display their settings Convert selected file Remove files from list Move files up or down in the file list Convert all listed files Preview panel showing current page of selected file List of loaded or converted files. Icons show file status. You can add files by dragand-drop.
Starting the Program from other places To make the services of PDF Converter 4 easy to call on, it can be started from several locations, as described in the following procedures: The Windows Start Menu Choose PDF Converter Assistant from the ScanSoft PDF Professional 4 group in Programs or All Programs. All conversions started from the Start menu use the PDF Converter Assistant. It allows you to name input PDF files and decide how to handle output files. Display of the created file is optional.
The Open Dialog Box in Microsoft Word 1. Click Word's File Open button or go to the Microsoft Word File menu and click Open... 2. Select PDF (Portable Document Format) (*.pdf) in the Files of type box. 3. Select the PDF file you want to convert. Multiple selection is possible; then files are converted one after the other. 4. Click Open. (The picture shows steps 2, 3 and 4.) 5. Conversion starts with or without the Converter Assistant, as specified in the PDF Converter 4.
8. A converted document will display as if it were still the PDF file. You must save it as a Word document with the command Save As.... If you use Save or Close without saving, you will lose either the converted document or the original PDF. The program warns you of this: WordPerfect Use the Open PDF item in the File menu of WordPerfect. Select a single PDF file and click Open. View pages in the PDF Converter Assistant in Left view. Set a page range if desired.
Microsoft Outlook 1. Select a message that has a PDF attachment. The PDF Converter buttons will become active. 2. Click the PDF Converter button Outlook toolbar or in the message toolbar. in the 3. If the message has more than one PDF, select which PDF to convert and click OK. 4. Here you can choose to use the PDF Converter Assistant for conversion or unlock your PDF file without it. If you prefer automatic conversion, you choose the mode and target immediately. Microsoft Internet Explorer 1.
Processing modes and outputs Choose from four processing modes, depending on the content of the PDF file to be converted and the type of output you want. Here are your choices: Mode Output Standard Document Word WordPerfect RTF Word WordPerfect RTF Legal Document Spreadsheet Excel Forms Word RTF The settings for each mode are displayed on the left panel of the Assistant when you make a mode selection.
Standard Document conversions Choose how the layout should be maintained: • True PageTM places all elements in text boxes or frames. • Flowing Column uses text boxes and frames only when necessary, allowing body text to flow from one column to another. Legal conversions Choose to retain or drop legal-specific features: • Pleading numbers - these typically appear in left margins to define line numbers. • Images - these are typically stamps, seals, signatures or company logos.
Form conversions This uses Logical Form Recognition™ technology to detect form elements and convert them correctly. Choose from: • No form controls: The result will be a fillable form with static form elements. You can use form handling tools in the target application to modify the form design. • Create form controls: The result will be a fillable and editable form. You can change field labels and modify the form design.
PDF documents present their pages as images. They can be marked-up and commented, but the ability to change the basic text is limited. Most PDF files can be searched, because the file has two layers. There is an image layer that is presented on-screen. Behind that there is usually a text layer that can be matched to the characters displayed on the screen.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is normally used only for PDF pages without an accessible text layer or when non-standard character encoding is detected, but you can require it for any conversion. Handling Image-only PDF Files PDF files without a text layer are a special case for conversion. You can decide how the program should handle these pages: convert them with the built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR), transfer them as images to the target document or skip them.
These last two topics relate to PDF Converter Professional. Web Updates Select Automatic Web Updates under the Help menu to be informed whenever a program update is available for any of the three components. You can also get the latest program updates directly from the Help menu. Please ensure that web access is available. Un-installation 1. Select Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel. 2. Select ScanSoft PDF Professional 4.0. 3. Click Remove to uninstall the program or Change to auto-repair it.
www.nuance.com Copyright © 2006 Nuance Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Subject to change without prior notice. Nuance, the Nuance logo, Logical Form Recognition, OmniPage, ScanSoft and True Page are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
