How can I merge multiple PDF files with the same first 6 characters together, but in separate files?

Report · Aug 04, 2023

We have 750 pdf files. Now, we also have another 750 pdf files that need to be joined with the others. They all start with numbers ######. one set of the pdfs has ######_name and the other set just has the numbers ######. The numbers of the files are the same, but the second set doesn't have the _name behind them.

I need to combine each of the 2 that have the same ###### at the start.

567843_Smith, John - 50 pages
567843 - 90 pages
567844_Williams, Jeff - 65 pages
567844 - 100 pages

567845_Jones, Sean - 88 pages
567845 - 20 pages

...

I want to combine them all so I end up with 3 pdfs - the one with the name behind it first and then the second with only the number behind it: Merged 3 PDFs

567843_Smith, John - both pdfs - 140 pages
567844_Williams, Jeff - both pdfs - 165 pages
567845_Jones, Sean - both pdfs - 108 pages

I know I can merge the 2 files one at a time, but I would end up doing it 750 different times.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Report · Aug 04, 2023

If you want to do it with Acrobat you can, except for the last part. It can't delete files, only create new ones.

It would also require using an Action to open and then process ALL of these files, one by one, which might prove to be too much for it to handle. And it would require writing a custom-made script, of course.

Another option is to do it using a stand-alone tool, which is much more robust than Acrobat and can merge the files without actually opening them. It could also delete the originals, if that's what you wanted.

If you're interested in hiring a professional to create either tool for you, feel free to contact me privately by clicking my user-name and then on "Send a Message".

Report · Aug 04, 2023

How many files do you regularly proceed? Is it a one time job or a regular job to be done? For the later, tools like Enfocus Switch can be used to simply merge those PDF files using the dynamic digits as a reference key.

Report · Aug 04, 2023

This is a one time thing. We found that another part of the folders we scanned years ago needed to be scanned. We scanned the first half a year ago and are now scanning the rest of the file now. There are about a total of 750 clients, so we'll end up with about 1500 pdf files. The original scans are titled with the client #_name. Since all clients have a 5 digit number at the begining of their account, the second half of their files are being titled by only their number, so they appear together in the folder, but we'de like to combine them all so there aren't so many pdf files. There must be a way to combine certain files in one folder. We do OCR to a folder full of PDFs all the time. It takes forever, but it's a thing that can be done over night.

Report · Aug 07, 2023

Maybe you can give a go with the trial of PitStop Server, could help you both achieve your goal and see if it can serves your business on a more recurring business?

Report · Aug 07, 2023

I think this could be done very easily with a command-line utility such as CPDF (Coherent PDF) or QPDF. On a Mac at least, it would be simple to write a small Applescript that would contain the logic to call the command-line utility to do exactly what you want. Dunno how to call it in Windows. I've used CPDF quite a bit in the past, and it's very useful, but note that it is free only for personal use; any commercial use requires a license. Not sure about QPDF. Good luck!