Opening a PDF file in Word as a Template (background)

[Guest]

Hi,

I want to load a PDF file (8 pages) as a Template/Backgroud/Watermark to
fill in with Word the apropriate fields in the document and print it.

Can anybody help me with this?

TIA

Melissa

 

[Guest]

I have a pdf file, 15 pages that want to open into MS word. Want to be able
to make use of spell check and grammar check at least

 

[JoAnn Paules [MVP]]

1. Don't hijack another poster's thread.

2. Word does not open .pdf files. Contact the person who created the file
and have them run spell and grammar check.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

PDF files are more or less a type of image, so in Word, they will just be
solid images, not text that you can edit, spellcheck, etc.

Some PDFs will let you copy and paste text into Word okay--you could try
doing that page by page.

You could look for OCR software that would recognize the pictures of the
letters and convert them into editable text.

You could ask the person who provided the document for a Word file or some
other editable format instead of PDF.

 

[Guest]

PDF files are more or less a type of image, so in Word, they will just be
solid images, not text that you can edit, spellcheck, etc.

I know, and I don't want to edit the PDF file.

Some PDFs will let you copy and paste text into Word okay--you could try
doing that page by page.

That's just what I want to avoid.
I would like to load the "complete" PDF file, and use it as a Template,
Watermark or whatever so that I can fill in the fileds in Word.

You could look for OCR software that would recognize the pictures of the
letters and convert them into editable text.

The document has to be the "original" PDF file.
OCR or editing is out of the question.

You could ask the person who provided the document for a Word file or some
other editable format instead of PDF.

Some instances have on their website a PDF file and a Word file.
But most instances will publish a PDF file to printout and fill the fileds
by hand.

What I'm confronted with is the following, I had a stroke a few years ago
and cannot fill in a document by hand anymore.
A few lines, ok. But then it starts to become unreadable.
On the otherhand, I can write very good on a computer or a typewriter.
It's very easy for me to fill in a document in MS Word and print it out.
But when the documents are PDF files, I have to load the pages one by one
instead loading the whole document in Word as a Template/Watermark.
I'm looking for an easier way to load these PDF files in a wordprocessor and
fill in the fileds.

TIA

Melissa

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Melissa,

I was actually responding to George, who did want to spellcheck--your
message seemed old enough to have fallen off the servers. Did you never get
an answer?

I assume you are planning to print the PDF with your filled in answers, not
submit it electronically?

You can use Insert | Picture from File and navigate to the PDF file to
insert it. This should get you the first page of the PDF file in a Word doc.
You'll need to set the image to Behind Text (use Format | Picture). Then
you'll have to mess around with spacing a lot to get the text in the right
place.

Unfortunately, Word will only let you insert an object of 1 page. So you
would need to Insert each page separately, to get the entire 8 page
document. I think you should be able to search the web for a utility that
would break the PDF file into separate files for each page.

This is obviously a big old hassle. On my Mac, I've got a lovely little app
(Formulate) that lets you overlay type on PDFs for printing out forms (even
if it wasn't created as fillable). You might search the web for a windows
equivalent. You could start with these programs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PDF_software
There seem to be options but I have no familiarity with them to recommend
anything.

Alternatively, search the web for websites of tips for people who have
difficulty handwriting. I can't imagine there aren't some out there, and
they may have a recommended product for this. (JoAnn, do you know of
anything?)

Daiya

 

[Guest]

Hi Melissa,

Ho Daya

I was actually responding to George, who did want to spellcheck--your
message seemed old enough to have fallen off the servers. Did you never get
an answer?

No, all the answers (except yours) were about George and his spellcheck.

I assume you are planning to print the PDF with your filled in answers, not
submit it electronically?

Exactly,
1. Load the "original" PDF file as a Template,
2. Fill in the required fields with MS Word,
3. Print the document and sign it.

You can use Insert | Picture from File and navigate to the PDF file to
insert it. This should get you the first page of the PDF file in a Word doc.
You'll need to set the image to Behind Text (use Format | Picture). Then
you'll have to mess around with spacing a lot to get the text in the right
place.

That's the way I do it now.
Load the document into MS Word as a Header and set the image to "Behind Text".
Then it is whole of changing spaces, paragraph settings and Letter Kerning
to fit the text as much as possible into the required field.

Unfortunately, Word will only let you insert an object of 1 page. So you
would need to Insert each page separately, to get the entire 8 page
document. I think you should be able to search the web for a utility that
would break the PDF file into separate files for each page.

I load the PDF file into Adobe Acrobat and open MS Word.
Then I cut each page individualy from Acrobat and paste into MS Word.
But for larger documents, this is a (excuse the words) "pain in the ass".

This is obviously a big old hassle. On my Mac, I've got a lovely little app
(Formulate) that lets you overlay type on PDFs for printing out forms (even
if it wasn't created as fillable).

"Formulate" could be the right stuff for what I need.
I remember to have somewhere an utitlty that permits me to emulate Mac OS
Version 7 on my PC (will try to find it on my 300 GB external harddisk).
If that utilty works, I can try to get a copy of "Formulate".

You might search the web for a windows
equivalent. You could start with these programs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PDF_software
There seem to be options but I have no familiarity with them to recommend
anything.

You have been already a BIG help, Daiya.
Thanks a lot.

Alternatively, search the web for websites of tips for people who have
difficulty handwriting. I can't imagine there aren't some out there, and
they may have a recommended product for this.

I cannot believe that Microsoft nor Adobe have included in their
Wordprocessing package a help for loading PDF files as a template.

Microsoft has been a great help for the disabled people with their Windows
(Accesibility), but seems to let the disabled people down in their
Wordprocessor.

Adobe has become the "standard" in Print Image Software (PDF) but has
completely left the people who wants to fill in documents by a computer in
the cold.

If someone of the big guys of MS Word or Adobe is reading this, why can't
you guys make something like "Formulate" for the PC?

(JoAnn, do you know of anything?)

Who is JoAnn?

Thanks a lot Daiya,

Melissa

 

[Graham Mayor]

Converting printed forms (including PDF) to Word editable forms is always
going to be a pain and far too much effort for a one-off. One easy way that
you might like to consider is the forms filling module of some versions of
ABBYY Finereader OCR software. Print the PDF, scan it into the Forms module
and add the fields. This is quicker and cheaper than buying Acrobat for the
job and makes one-off's more practical.

Note that some forms are intended to be filled by hand for the purpose of
handwriting analysis and will be rejected if filled on a PC. Check the
instructions first.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Melissa,

If you have Acrobat, and not just Acrobat Reader/Adobe Reader, you might be
set. You should be able to type right onto the document in Acrobat. I've
done this in Acrobat Pro 6--I'm not sure what the differences are, or which
you have. It's not as easy as it should be, but it works.

Aha, found the link from yesterday. It says, for forms without real fillable
fields:
"Use the Text Box tool (formerly the Free Text tool) or the TouchUp Text
tool to type text in the document. (For more information about using the
Text Box tool and TouchUp Text tool, see the Acrobat Help.)"
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/328647.html

The Mac version 7 thing wouldn't work for Formulate, which runs on a newer
version, so don't waste any energy there.

Sorry, I just realized you had already sorted out the troublesome way in
Word and were looking for an easier way. I'm guessing that's why you didn't
get responses the first time.

Daiya

 

[Guest]

Converting printed forms (including PDF) to Word editable forms is always
going to be a pain and far too much effort for a one-off. One easy way that
you might like to consider is the forms filling module of some versions of
ABBYY Finereader OCR software. Print the PDF, scan it into the Forms module
and add the fields. This is quicker and cheaper than buying Acrobat for the
job and makes one-off's more practical.

I dont know how much the price is for a full version of Adobe Acrobat.
Anyhow, the price for a full version of Adobe Acrobat is not justified as I
only need to fill-in PDF-forms a few times per year.

Note that some forms are intended to be filled by hand for the purpose of
handwriting analysis and will be rejected if filled on a PC. Check the
instructions first.

I know the restrictions for filling in (PDF) forms by computer.
Bost of the publishers of these forms dont care about the form filled in by
computer or typewriter.
But 99% of them require an original handwritten signature.

Thanks for your response on the subject,

Melissa

 

[Guest]

Hi Melissa,

Hi Daiya,

If you have Acrobat, and not just Acrobat Reader/Adobe Reader, you might be
set. You should be able to type right onto the document in Acrobat. I've
done this in Acrobat Pro 6--I'm not sure what the differences are, or which
you have. It's not as easy as it should be, but it works.

I have Adobe Acrobat 7 on my computer, but that's only the reader (freeware)
version.

Aha, found the link from yesterday. It says, for forms without real fillable
fields:
"Use the Text Box tool (formerly the Free Text tool) or the TouchUp Text
tool to type text in the document. (For more information about using the
Text Box tool and TouchUp Text tool, see the Acrobat Help.)"
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/328647.html

A full Adobe Acrobat version only for filling in a few documents in a year,
doesn't justify the expense.

The Mac version 7 thing wouldn't work for Formulate, which runs on a newer
version, so don't waste any energy there.
-);

Sorry, I just realized you had already sorted out the troublesome way in
Word and were looking for an easier way. I'm guessing that's why you didn't
get responses the first time.

Possible.
Like I do it now with MS Word is a teadious job.
But for me it's the only way to fill in the fields in readable text.

Thaks for your answer,

Daiya

 

[Guest]

If you want to create a fillable form out of the PDF, the best way to do
that is to use Adobe Acrobat (the full version) to add form fields,
assuming the pdf is not protected. It's expensive, though, so you
might want to look for a cheaper program that does the same thing.
PDFPen Pro on the Mac does it for $90, I don't know about Windows
programs.

I have been searching for software that can do the job easier many times.
One of the better software, and not too expensive is EZ-Forms.
There are a lot of software packages that can be used to fill-in fields in
PDS or scanned files.
I only wanted to avoid to buy another software package for typing a few
forms a year.

Regards,

Melissa

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Note that the name Acrobat now applies only to the PDF creation software.
Adobe Reader is the name for the reader.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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