DISTORTED DRAWING & VERBIAGE

[bobl48378084]

I have Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, running on a Windows version 10 platform.  The problem is that when converting a pdf drawing to Microsoft Word so that it can be modified, the illustrations become distorted and do not remotely resemble the pdf illustrations.  Also,  some of the verbiage on the document is jumbled as well.

As you can see by the images below, Adobe is not converting as it should.  The one on the right is the "live" version after converting.  Any ideas?

           

[~graffiti]

Adobe Reader on its own cannot convert to PDF. Which paid product do you have (we can transfer you to the correct forum if we know that)?

[bobl48378084]

I'm converting "pdf" to "live".  I'm using Adobe Acrobat Distiller XI.

[~graffiti]

I'm still a little confused. Distiller does not convert pdf files to Word documents. It's the other way around.

So, be very specific, what product are you using (probably one you paid for) to convert to Word from pdf. (I have no idea what you mean by "live" either).

[bobl48378084]

I have the following Adobe items installed on my computer.

1. Acrobat Reader DC

2. Adobe Acrobat Distiller XI

3. Adobe Acrobat XI Standard

I am trying to convert Adobe PDF "drawings" to "Word" format.

[~graffiti]

Ok. So typically this wold be done in Acrobat Standard. If you are using that, what steps are you taking (please be detailed)? Might even be better to take this to the Acrobat forum where there are more Acrobat users to help. I can move it there if you'd like.

[bobl48378084]

You're welcome to move this conversation if you like, so long as the responses with (possible) resolution come back to me.

I've tried doing a "Save As Other" to "Word" and  "Word 97-2003 Document".

My goal is to convert the document to a "Workable" (live) version so that I can modify it how I choose.

This was installed by someone from IT while I was on vacation and I am not all that familiar with Adobe.  I really appreciate the support.

[~graffiti]

Ok. I've moved this over to the Acrobat forum for you. Good luck.

[bobl48378084]

OK, I give.  Where do I need to go now to access where you transferred my question?

[~graffiti]

You're there now. You just answered in your thread. It is at Editing & Exporting PDFs  to be specific.

[bobl48378084]

Where's the help???

[~graffiti]

Hi Bob.

Sorry nobody has had any answers for you. This is a volunteer forum so it depends on someone finding your post and also having an answer to give. You can bump it up by replying occasionally (like you just did) but try not to do it too often.

Since you have Distiller, what happens when you "print" to a pdf file? If that doesn't work, what happens when you print to an actual printer?

[bobl48378084]

All my "pdf" documents print perfectly.  It's when I convert the drawings over to "Word" that they become distorted on-screen, and print the same way.

[Document Geek]

Yes, that's correct. PDF files weren't designed to be easily editable. Just because there's a menu option for converting a PDF to Word doesn't mean it will work well for every document. Sorry. Please see my above answer about using the proper software for the task.

[bobl48378084]

Thank you for your response to the issue I'm having Document Geek.  I'm going to download a "Free" version of Adobe Illustrator and see what success if any I have with that.

You're correct that the pdf drawings I'm attempting to convert are "CAD drawings".  I, nor the people in my office were aware of these difficulties beforehand.  I will try Adobe Illustrator and see if I have any success with this.

All the best!

[Document Geek]

You may also want to try downloading a trial version of Acrobat and see if that will work for you. Strange things can happen when you open a PDF in Illustrator. The technical folks at Adobe give stern warning about editing a PDF in Illustrator. But the marketing folks advertising how easy it is to edit a PDF in Acrobat. I feel that making edits in either programs requires a stern warning. The only thing that's really foolproof is to edit the file inits native application and reexport the PDF.

Good luck!

[Document Geek · Accepted solution]

Converting a PDF CAD Drawing to a Microsoft Word document will never work as you expect it to. Drawings are generally made in some sort of autoCAD program. Word is a word processing programming. You cannot expect a word processing program to be able to edit a CAD drawing. I've had reasonable success opening these types of PDFs in Illustrator (although the official Adobe position is that is not supported).

I would recommend editing the file in it's native program. And if you don't have access to that, try using Acrobat to edit the PDF. And if you don't have Acrobat, you'll need to find a working professional with the tools you need to help you get the job done. If it is a simple edit that will only take a minute, I am sure that some folks here on the forum would be happy to help. But if it's something you'll need to edit on an ongoing basis, you'd have to hire them.

We would need to know how the PDF was created, what changes need to be made to it, and how you expect to use it in the future.