PDF >> HTML

[Stuart]

Is there a freeware PDF conversion tool to HTML, DOC, etc. that preserves
graphics and formatting? I use CT's freeware PDF Text Reader to take PDF to
TXT and am considering buying their PDF to DOC program.
Stuart//

 

[Willard]

Is there a freeware PDF conversion tool to HTML, DOC, etc. that preserves
graphics and formatting? I use CT's freeware PDF Text Reader to take PDF to
TXT and am considering buying their PDF to DOC program.
Stuart//

You might try: http://www.pdf-to-html-word.com/download.htm

 

[PDFrank]

You might try: http://www.pdf-to-html-word.com/download.htm

$39.95 is not quite free, is it?

I've found freeware for PDF to HTML, but none that come close to
preserving graphics and formatting.

As for PDF to DOC, I strongly advise you to test-run any payware that
claims to preserve formatting and graphics VERY thoroughly.

If you do, you will probably not buy it.

 

[Seamaiden]

$39.95 is not quite free, is it?

I've found freeware for PDF to HTML, but none that come close to
preserving graphics and formatting.

As for PDF to DOC, I strongly advise you to test-run any payware that
claims to preserve formatting and graphics VERY thoroughly.

If you do, you will probably not buy it.

How do you feel about PDF Converter from Scansoft (Nuance)? Supposely it
can convert PDF to word. It isn't free, but I was considering buying it.
There is no longer a trial version. Are you suggesting I not buy it?

 

[Stuart]

How do you feel about PDF Converter from Scansoft (Nuance)? Supposely it
can convert PDF to word. It isn't free, but I was considering buying it.
There is no longer a trial version. Are you suggesting I not buy it?

I would not buy it if you cannot test it. I don't care if the preservation
of format is fully 100%, but it has to be close and preserve pagination
otherwise the glossary and index in a long technical paper are worthless. I
did not even bother to download and test EASYPDF to Word Converter because
the fine print says it is going to convert to a RTF file not a DOC file. I
have a feeling that a PDF-to-HTML converter may work better than a
PDF-to-DOC, but by the nature of HTML, you can imagine that format
preservation cannot possibly be 100%. The trick to my thinking is to reduce
fonts slightly below their original size so that pagination is preserved.

I have been keeping both the original PDF file and the converted TXT file
with exactly the same name except for the suffix. I then find the file with
Google Desktop (freeware), but open the PDF version with Foxit Reader
(freeware as well) which is my Folder Option File Type assigned to PDF. I am
not an Acrobat fan and do not have it on my computer anymore because it
often hangs the computer up during a long download.
Stuart//

 

[Frank Bohan]

I haven't tried them, but you might have a look at:

http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ (a downloadable program)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html (an online
conversion facility from Adobe)

===

Frank Bohan
¶ When in darkness or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout.

 

[Michael Laplante]

Paperless printer?
http://www.rarefind.com/paperlessprinter/index.html

Free for personal use.

M

 

[Stuart]

I haven't tried them, but you might have a look at:

http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ (a downloadable program)

The html output is not acceptable (especially tables) which is typical of
all the pdf conversion programs I have tried. I am better off keeping both
the original PDF file and a converted TXT file with exactly the same name
except for the suffix as I mentioned in my last post in this thread.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html (an online
conversion facility from Adobe)

No thanks to an online solution. I expect Google and Microsoft will
experience similar resistance to their "live" products like MS's
safety.live.com from old-timers like me.

Stuart//

 

[Stuart]

Paperless printer?
http://www.rarefind.com/paperlessprinter/index.html

Free for personal use.

That's a new one to me. I'll take a look at it when I get a chance and
report back. It has much more the look of a finished product rather than a
kit or source code. Have you used it?
Stuart//

 

[PDFrank]

That's a new one to me. I'll take a look at it when I get a chance and
report back. It has much more the look of a finished product rather than a
kit or source code. Have you used it?
Stuart//

No stars.

I uninstalled this program for several reasons. When it opens a
document in another program, that program acts as though it is being run
for the first time.

When it converts a PDF to a DOC, it uses text boxes to place the text in
a precise spot on the page. This is OK, but instead of using a standard
windows font, it generates some kind of kooky temporary font that uses
an encoding different from the windows encoding. This means you cannot
edit the file. Your keyboard will enter a character different from the
one your finger pressed on the keyboard. Then, after the temporary font
is gone, Word will choose some other font; on my computer it uses the
Wingdings font.

In short, I found this a completely bizarre program.

Plus, it claims to be free for personal use, but it never stops nagging
you to register and pay.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[PDFrank]

I would not buy it if you cannot test it. I don't care if the preservation
of format is fully 100%, but it has to be close and preserve pagination
otherwise the glossary and index in a long technical paper are worthless. I
did not even bother to download and test EASYPDF to Word Converter because
the fine print says it is going to convert to a RTF file not a DOC file. I
have a feeling that a PDF-to-HTML converter may work better than a
PDF-to-DOC, but by the nature of HTML, you can imagine that format
preservation cannot possibly be 100%. The trick to my thinking is to reduce
fonts slightly below their original size so that pagination is preserved.

I have been keeping both the original PDF file and the converted TXT file
with exactly the same name except for the suffix. I then find the file with
Google Desktop (freeware), but open the PDF version with Foxit Reader
(freeware as well) which is my Folder Option File Type assigned to PDF. I am
not an Acrobat fan and do not have it on my computer anymore because it
often hangs the computer up during a long download.
Stuart//

Every program I've ever test-driven, or owned outright, that claims to
convert PDF to Word uses TEXT BOXES to achieve the precise positioning
of text and graphics so characteristic of PDF files.

If the idea of working with a bloated Word file slopping over with text
boxes appeals to you, then, by all means, get yourself one of these
programs.

A better solution, in my humble opinion, is to forget about "converting"
a PDF to Word completely and work within the PDF format instead.

Resist the propaganda from Adobe Systems that PDF is "electronic paper"
and that PDF files should be edited only as a last resort.

Look instead at several of the good PDF editors now available (and I
DON'T mean Adobe Acrobat). Since this is a freeware forum, and none of
these programs are free, it would not be appropriate to "plug" any of
them. But they're out there, and they all have demo versions for you to
test-drive.

 

[Stuart]

A better solution, in my humble opinion, is to forget about "converting" a
PDF to Word completely and work within the PDF format instead.

Resist the propaganda from Adobe Systems that PDF is "electronic paper"
and that PDF files should be edited only as a last resort.

Thank you - I won't bother looking at "paperless printer". Your text box
comment confirms my decision that no PDF >> HTML program will satisfy me and
meet my near-term need for such a program. The way the programs screw up
tables is comical actually. I will continue to use PDF Text Reader to
convert PDF >> TXT for Google indexing and look through the non-free
shareware editors for a program to replace Foxit Reader to facilitate my
notes and report annotations.

If anyone spots a freeware native PDF editor that works, I would appreciate
knowing about it.

Stuart//

 

[Michael Laplante]

No stars.

I uninstalled this program for several reasons. When it opens a Plus, it
claims to be free for personal use, but it never stops nagging you to
register and pay.

That could be. I remember that I looked at this program a long time ago, but
I no longer have it installed on my system. Maybe that was the reason.

M

 

[PDFrank]

If anyone spots a freeware native PDF editor that works, I would appreciate
knowing about it.

For textual edits, Pdftk is the way to go for now.

Lets you uncompress the text streams so that you can edit them in
Notepad like you would any text file.

http://www.paehl.com/pdf/?GUI_for_PDFTK

 

[Vlad]

I found something by accident that comes as part fo the Google Desktop
Search tool (latest version - not sure about previous) - If you look in
the \Google\google desktop search\ folder there is something called
pdf2html.exe that is a command line tool - I haven't change to test it
but on inspecting the help (pdf2html /h) it seems to do just what is
says on the tin.

I would be interested to know how well it works.

 

[Stuart]

For textual edits, Pdftk is the way to go for now.

It works, but I have been using Microsoft's One Note to index and store
annotations to PDF files. I prefer the approach of keeping all my
annotations together by category with the links to the original pdf files.
Stuart//