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_Pretzel_Designs_
Participant
November 16, 2008
Question

How do I import a .PDF into inDesign?

  • November 16, 2008
  • 5 replies
  • 122146 views
How do I import a .PDF into inDesign? Does anybody know how? I need to edit a book in inDesign that is a .PDF. So if anyone know how to do that please tell me.
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5 replies

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 31, 2021

You can't edit a PDF in InDesign without some 3rd Party Tools.

You can place it in InDesign - and it behaves like an image placed - and you can draw and type over the areas you want to change - but it's not accurate.

You would need a 3rd party editor - like already menitoned.

 

Or Affinity Publisher can open and edit PDFs - but that is not part of the Adobe packages - it's different software.

X
x6xstrung
Participant
January 28, 2013

With Adobe's competitor, CorelDRAW, you can actually import a PDF into a project just by dragging it in... and the text will be editable.

I'm not condoning the use of Corel for anything else, however... I just happen to use it at work and am astounded at the simple nature of this feature. I've never seen another program able to edit PDF's so easily.

MW Design
MW Design
Inspiring
January 28, 2013

@x6

Several applications can open PDFs for editing, not just Corel. It isn't a simple thing, and I feel personally that it is unneeded in ID natively. But that is just my feeling. And there is a plug-in that one can purchase to do so though.

Mike

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
November 19, 2008
There are other techniques for "ripping" a PDF to something like editable form, but most transform the file into Word format. There are better tools that will extract the content with minimal formatting, but that means the entire document has to be re-typeset.

As noted, PDF is just not meant to be edited and the workarounds are poor and clumsy at best.

A very wonky technique to make minor edits is to import and place the PDF in a new document, then painstakingly lay the corrections over the existing type. Yes, I've done it. No, I'm not proud of it. :P
A
Anonymous
May 10, 2009

Seems strangely unsatisfying that two Adobe formats don't talk well to each other.  I'm working on a book that will have big chunks of polytonic Greek - these files are being produced on a Mac in Word.  I need to get these Mac-flavored files, full of Greek, into InDesign (with copyediting along the way).  Author and I thought that PDFs would be the way to go, because they hold the Greek steady.  Now I discover that PDF --> InDesign doesn't work.

What's my backup choice?  Sure, I can port the Mac-original into Word, and place that file, but that means I'll have to retype about 40 pages of Greek.  Slow, expensive, and likely to be error-prone.

What are alternatives?  Would a PostScript file format help? I'm not sure how those work.

Is there a conversion filter that handles Mac / PC (=Indesign) that will keep non-Latin fonts intact?   We're a v. small company - no way I can spring $300 for the plug-in mentioned above on this thread.  Hoping something has come along since 2002.

thx

Yard Camel

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 10, 2009

    What do you mean PDF doesn't work? What happens when you try?

    BTW, I hope you understand that PDFs must be placed into an InDesign layout, not opened? This leaves you with a static PDF that cannot be changed.

    If you need changes you'll need to change the original file and re-create the PDF.

    But I think I should point out that Mac/Windows is undoubtedly a red herring here. If you need to edit the Word file, using file>place, not copy/paste would be the best bet.

    BTW, your opening remark shows a common misconception that all formats are interchangeable. This is simply untrue. There's a reason that the formats are different and PDF was never a format that was intended for editing. It's an end product much like a printed page.

    Bob

    T
    Tony_Morse
    Participant
    November 17, 2008
    In other words, InDesign cannot open PDF files by itself. PDF is a final format, it is not intended to be edited.

    Keep in mind that even with that plugin unless the file is very basic you won't get anywhere near a perfect conversion.
    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 16, 2008
    http://recosoft.com/products/pdf2id/index.htm

    Bob
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