Author Topic: Editor for PDFs: recommendations, please? (Read 137,836 times)

Ath · « **Reply #100 on:** April 16, 2011, 07:03 PM »

Quote from: Curt on April 16, 2011, 04:22 PM

A relative advanced PDF file (that my genuine pdf editors had no problem with) made PagePlus X5 give these messages:

Isn't the first message the most informative? There it says that it doesn't support all those advanced new pdf features after Pdf1.3

Curt · « **Reply #101 on:** April 16, 2011, 10:05 PM »

-and what pdf version are we using now?

Ath · « **Reply #102 on:** April 16, 2011, 10:26 PM »

Depends on the Pdf creator you're using, I guess, but here's the wiki page on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

Curt · « **Reply #103 on:** April 17, 2011, 09:54 AM »

-thanks

Quote

Adobe's PDF specifications

Adobe changed the PDF specification several times and continues to develop new specifications with new versions of Adobe Acrobat. There have been nine versions of PDF with corresponding Acrobat releases:

* (1993) – PDF 1.0 / Acrobat 1.0
* (1994) – PDF 1.1 / Acrobat 2.0
* (1996) – PDF 1.2 / Acrobat 3.0
* (1999) – PDF 1.3 / Acrobat 4.0
* (2001) – PDF 1.4 / Acrobat 5.0
* (2003) – PDF 1.5 / Acrobat 6.0
* (2005) – PDF 1.6 / Acrobat 7.0
* (2006) – PDF 1.7 / Acrobat 8.0
* (2008) – PDF 1.7, Adobe Extension Level 3 / Acrobat 9.0
* (2009) – PDF 1.7, Adobe Extension Level 5 / Acrobat 9.1

The ISO standard ISO 32000-1:2008 is equivalent to Adobe's PDF 1.7.
Adobe declared that it is not producing a PDF 1.8 Reference.

PDF 2.0

A new version of PDF standard is under development under the name ISO/NP 32000-2 - Document management—Portable document format—Part 2: PDF 2.0 (as of January 2011). Adobe has submitted the Adobe Extension Level 5 and Adobe Extension Level 3 specifications to ISO for inclusion into the next version of the ISO 32000 specification. Adobe declared they have all been accepted for part 2 of ISO 32000

CleverCat · « **Reply #104 on:** April 17, 2011, 10:34 AM »

This may not do 'everything', but I find I'm using it more and more! Especially the pdf preview(Free Version)

Look for the Free version if you're 'short of cash'

http://www.debenu.com/quick-pdf-tools/index.php

CC

Curt · « **Reply #105 on:** April 17, 2011, 12:30 PM »

Quote from: CleverCat on April 17, 2011, 10:34 AM

http://www.debenu.com/quick-pdf-tools/index.php

[attachimg=#]

CleverCat · « **Reply #106 on:** April 18, 2011, 08:16 AM »

anodyne · « **Reply #107 on:** May 06, 2011, 02:31 AM »

I was looking for a PDF editor to fix some irritating typos and inaccuracies in PDFs of boardgame rules before printing them (many specialty boardgame publishers provide additional copies of their rules in freely-downloadable PDFs). I had tried PDFEDIT (GPL'd software) under Linux, but it was quite buggy and the user interface was horrible.

So I downloaded demo versions of a couple of programs that work under WinXP: Nitro PDF Professional 6 (demo is full version, limited to 14 days), and Foxit PDF Editor 2.2 (demo version puts an "evaluation mark" at the corner of each page). The non-crippled version of each has a purchase price of $99.

Using the PDF I currently wanted to fix, I first tried Nitro. I could not edit text successfully (perhaps because the font was an embedded subset, but that's pure speculation based on general ignorance of PDF technology), and gave up after about an hour fiddling with different things. I then tried Foxit on the same PDF, and it worked like a charm. I was able to change text and add text immediately. Later I added a transparent graphic, also very easily. It was easy to learn to use, and the user interface was intuitive. The program Help was very good, and the 140-page manual seems to cover things pretty well.

For reference, the PDF I used was marked as PDF 1.6, produced by QuarkXPress 7.5.

My impression is that the Foxit Editor is oriented towards modification of existing PDFs rather than creation of new ones (though it can do that). Since that's what I want it for, it looks perfect for me. The only issue (for the amount of use I will make of it) is the price, although it's only one-third of the cost of Adobe Acrobat.

Based on an extremely limited sample of PDFs

, I give a

to Foxit PDF Editor 2.2, and I expect I will end up forking out that $99 (after I've tested compatibility with a few more PDFs).

ewemoa · « **Reply #108 on:** July 26, 2011, 09:39 AM »

Quote from: anodyne on May 06, 2011, 02:31 AM

I had tried PDFEDIT (GPL'd software) under Linux, but it was quite buggy and the user interface was horrible.

I've used it a bit for minor edits. I've been lucky enough to not hit any bugs so far, but agree that the UI is less than stellar.

Still, I'm happy to have something!

Curt · « **Reply #109 on:** July 26, 2011, 01:15 PM »

Quote from: anodyne on May 06, 2011, 02:31 AM

I was looking for a PDF editor .... So I downloaded ... Foxit PDF Editor 2.2
The non-crippled version has a purchase price of $99.

It has been less than 3 months, but already the $99 Foxit version 2.2 is gone and has been replaced by a $129 Foxit PhantomPDF Standard or a $199 PhantomPDF Business. For editing, they recommend the Business model.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/phantomPDF/

click for larger image, to compare versions:

[attachthumb=#]

Tuxman · « **Reply #110 on:** July 28, 2011, 02:41 PM »

I've been using Nitro PDF for a while now. Although its UI is bloated and slow, I like it ..

Curt · « **Reply #111 on:** July 28, 2011, 03:10 PM »

-@Tuxman, do you print to pdf from your Internet browser and much too often find that Nitro has made the proper title of the file disappear and replaced it with Untitled.pdf?
Mine does this quite often, and it is disappointing. I have not been able to spot any pattern in when it does or doesn't.

Tuxman · « **Reply #112 on:** July 28, 2011, 03:14 PM »

Hmm, while the file name defaults to Untitled.pdf, I haven't experienced title loss yet. Maybe I should keep an eye on that.

Curt · « **Reply #113 on:** April 27, 2012, 09:15 AM »

Due to the normal asking price, I have not yet tried this myself:

Quote from: Bits du Jour

PagePlus X6 also makes for a killer PDF editor, with functions that include the ability to open, edit, and save PDFs, share PDF forms, and more.

"50% off" -deal coming "soon": http://www.bitsdujour.com/software/pageplus-x6/

Quote

Full PDF editing and broad compatibility

Fully edit PDFs from anywhere, with more flexibility than any other desktop publishing software – ideal for updating and refreshing existing documents or correcting errors in PDFs before they are distributed or printed. Full PDF editing power lets you move, resize, recolour, replace anything in the design, add new text and images, include bookmarks and notes, merge multiple PDFs, manage pages, and add security. It’s like editing a normal PagePlus file – there is nothing you can’t do!

Editing PDFs is easy with PagePlus X6 (see video)
http://www.serif.com/pageplus/

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #114 on:** April 27, 2012, 12:20 PM »

This is one of the longer running threads, so I'll bring up the topic of Adobe again. Much earlier posts remarked on interface problems - for Acrobat 10 Adobe put about half of the features into a sliding command bar on the right side. It looks simple enough to me. Meanwhile, a big new feature in Adobe Pro is it can mostly compare two PDFs and annotate a report with the differences. So sometimes if the "flagship program" in a field can keep innovating, it knocks out a lot of the alternatives. So for editing, it's Adobe Pro for me.

But for reading, I like exploring some of the smaller apps.

CleverCat · « **Reply #115 on:** May 06, 2012, 08:07 AM »

If you don't have an aversion to Facebook...

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-get-50-pdf-creator-free.htm

Darwin · « **Reply #116 on:** May 06, 2012, 01:46 PM »

Courtesy of my employment at a community college, I bought a $90 license for Adobe Acrobat X Pro and it's a thing of beauty. This post constitutes my

+1 to TaoPhoenix' commet above.

Curt · « **Reply #117 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:39 PM »

Quote from: Darwin on May 06, 2012, 01:46 PM

I bought a $90 license for Adobe Acrobat X Pro

-I must get myself a new job!
The price in Denmark is DKK 5,212.50 = US $920

Tuxman · « **Reply #118 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:48 PM »

Buy Nitro PDF instead.

Curt · « **Reply #119 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:56 PM »

-I already have Nitro 7 Pro, but have reached the level where I no longer am satisfied. It is a very fine editor and converter, but the virtual printer (print homepage article to pdf) is not impressive. Of course the sinner could be Firefox, I don't know for sure.

Tuxman · « **Reply #120 on:** May 06, 2012, 04:04 PM »

Ask the devs?

Darwin · « **Reply #121 on:** May 07, 2012, 01:05 PM »

Quote from: Curt on May 06, 2012, 03:39 PM

Quote from: Darwin on May 06, 2012, 01:46 PM
I bought a $90 license for Adobe Acrobat X Pro

-I must get myself a new job!
The price in Denmark is DKK 5,212.50 = US $920

The MSRP regular price here in Canada is north of $450... which is insane. $920 is ludicrous