Planet PDF Tips & Tricks

Convert and combine different files in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One neat thing about PDF is its ability to represent content from disparate sources, such as images, formatted text content, spreadsheets and graphs -- and that's not even mentioning the multimedia or 3D options. In fact, it's a simple matter to combine a collection of PDFs or other files into a single, self-contained PDF.

Rotating PDF pages in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When you compile a PDF from multiple sources, you might find that some of the pages are sideways or inverted when you try to view them on-screen. Never fear! Acrobat can be used to rotate individual pages within a PDF document.

Simplest PDF creation with Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes, you just want to convert a file into a PDF document -- fast. With Acrobat, the task can be as simple as right-clicking. While this doesn't work with all file types, it is perfect for use with text files, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, HTML files, image files and various other file formats.

Reordering pages in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes, you need to change the page order of your PDF documents. Luckily, you don't need to re-recreate the file from scratch, as it's a simple matter to re-order pages in Acrobat. In fact, it's as easy as dragging-and-dropping.

Optimizing PDF documents in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

PDF is a great format for document delivery. With a little know-how, it allows you to send compact documents with the confidence that they will be faithfully displayed on your recipients' systems. What you might not know is that Acrobat includes a 'PDF Optimization' feature that can reduce file sizes even further. It can be used to adjust image compression settings or remove potentially unnecessary document elements such as comments, bookmarks or links.

Custom stamps in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

By default, Adobe Acrobat allows users to place various standard stamps on your documents such as 'Approved', 'Declined' or 'Accepted'. That said, you can also create your own custom stamps. Using this option, you can take a logo or other image from another application and turn it into a custom stamp. Once created, you can apply it to any PDF document in Acrobat.

Securing PDF documents in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes, you want to stop other people from opening, editing, copying or printing your PDF documents. This tip explains how to do just that using Acrobat.

Editing document information and metadata

Dan Shea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When you want to store a PDF document in an archive or simply provide more information, it is useful to update its document information or metadata. This includes things such as the author's name, and keywords relating to the document's content. Including appropriate metadata makes it that much easier to index your PDFs, and hence, easier to find them again later. This tip explains how to update a PDF document's metadata in Acrobat.

Rotating pages using Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

If you have a PDF document that you have compiled from a range of sources (e.g. an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document), chances are that one or more of the pages will need to be rotated for easy on-screen viewing. Luckily, rotating pages in Acrobat is child's play. This tip explains how.

Evaluating JavaScript using Acrobat's console

Dan Shea — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

If you have incorporated JavaScript into your PDF documents, chances are that you'd like to make sure that it's valid before you post the PDF to your website. The good news is that Acrobat has a handy JavaScript console that allows you to do just that.

Snap to grid using Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When adding objects such as comments, images or form fields to your PDF documents, ensuring the correct position and alignment can be a nightmare. Luckily, owners of Acrobat can use the Grid Tool to arrange objects so they align perfectly. Use the 'Snap to grid' feature to align these objects against the grid lines displayed.

Converting paper documents to PDF using Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Looking for a quick and easy way to convert your paper documents into PDFs? Look no further! Paper documents can quickly and easily be converted to PDF using Acrobat's "Create PDF from scanner" feature.

Simple PDF creation using Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Looking for a "quick and dirty" way to create PDF documents? Using Acrobat, creating PDF documents is just a single click away. This tip explains how.

Copying text in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you only need to cite some PDF text, it can be inconvenient and inefficient to send the whole PDF document. It may be easier to simply copy and paste the desired text into an email or report and forward it on. This tip explains how.

Add PDF bookmarks in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

PDF bookmarks can drasically improve the navigability of longer PDF documents. Luckily, it's a snap to create them in Adobe Acrobat. This ip explains how.

Insert pages into existing PDF documents with Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you need to add new content such as a cover page, spreadsheet or appendix to an existing PDF document, you can do this easily in Acrobat. This tip explains how.

Simple PDF creation with Acrobat

Dan Shea — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you need to create PDF files quickly and simply, why not use Acrobat? This tip explains the simplest way to create PDF files directly from your desktop.

Merging multiple files in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most convenient things about PDF is its ability to combine files from different source programs such as Word and Excel into combined documents for emailing, filing or archival purposes. What's more, the source documents don't even need to be converted into PDF before being merged. Supported file types will automatically be converted during the merging process.

Touching-up text in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Let's set the scene: after you've created your PDF, added any bookmarks, links, JavaScript or other interactive content, you quickly check through your PDF document before sending it off or posting it to a web site. Unfortunately, you find that you've misspelled the name of an important client! Luckily, Adobe Acrobat's TouchUp Text Tool can save you from having to regenerate the entire document.

Cleaning up PDF documents in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

If you are posting your PDF document to a web site, you'll generally want to upload a clean copy that will streamline the viewing experience for your site visitors. This tip outlines a quick way to remove unnecessary annotations, widgets, JavaScript, links, bookmarks and attachments, along with optimizing your documents for fast web viewing.

Reordering pages in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Need to make some last-minute changes to your PDF document? Perhaps the page order has been jumbled? Never fear, changing the order of pages in a PDF is child's play using the drag-and-drop capability within Acrobat's Navigation tab. This tip explains how.

Markup PDF pages with drawings

Dan Shea — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Using Acrobat, PDF has been established as a popular and user-friendly medium for collaborative workflows. Not only can you add sticky notes or highlight text, you can even draw polygonal or freehand annotations. This tip explains how.

Creating web links in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Given the ease with which online content can be updated, linking to web pages from within PDF documents can be a great way to provide access to the most up-to-date information. It's easy to do, too. This tip explains how.

Reducing screen clutter in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Are you looking to remove all distractions to read your PDF content? Perhaps you just want to remove all distractions so that you can skim through your PDF document before signing off on it and sending it off? This tip explains how to reduce on-screen clutter in Acrobat to allow you to focus your attention completely on the content.

Opening PDF documents in Full Screen Mode

Dan Shea — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Are you looking to present your PDF presentations in a less cluttered way with greater visual impact? Adobe Acrobat allows users to configure the opening settings of PDF documents to display them in full screen mode. It's as effective as a PowerPoint display and very easy to accomplish. This tip explains how.

Adding notes in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One benefit of PDF files is that it's possible to add annotations without compromising the integrity of that content by editing it directly. One such option is adding a note in Acrobat. This tip explains how.

Opening PDF documents in Full-Screen mode in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

If you have a graphically rich PDF, you might want to set it to open in Full-Screen mode to reduce clutter and increase the document's visual impact. This is particularly useful when preparing PDF (rather than, say, PowerPoint-based) presentations. This tip explains how to set your PDF documents to open in Full-Screen mode every time in Acrobat.

Custom stamps in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

While Acrobat comes pre-loaded with a selection of stamps, including 'Approved', 'Declined' and 'Accepted', users can also create custom stamps of such things as company logos for use on their PDF documents. Complex or graphically rich stamps can be created or prepared in imaging applications before being added to Acrobat's selection. This tip explains how to create a custom stamp using an existing file.

Importing and exporting form data in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

When using PDF forms, it's possible to export, store and import the data in Form Data Format (FDF). Since an FDF file only includes the form data and not the form itself, it is much smaller and more lightweight that the complete PDF form, making it more efficient to manipulate. This tip explains how to export and import FDF data using Acrobat.

Applying page numbers and the date in Acrobat

Dan Shea — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

You may often find yourself needing to add page numbers to a PDF document to enhance navigability or stamp a date for version tracking purposes. This tip explains how to perform these functions in Acrobat.