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orysia38666244rb2b
Participant
July 17, 2024
Question

How to question

  • July 17, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 666 views

Please help.
The question is probably related to multiple Adobe Products. 

I have a PDF in Landscape mode (attached below) that I need to convert to Portrait mode (it should be exactly 8.5 by 11). Is there a way to do it in InDesign or any other Adobe product where the text on PDF would be readable (not too crowded)? ChatGPT gives me instructions on how to do it in InDesign, I have downloaded a trial, but it does not work when I do it and is not very intuitive. 

 

Thank you!

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4 replies

creative explorer
Community Expert
creative explorerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 18, 2024

@orysia38666244rb2b I agree with everyone, if you have the original file you can totally re-create to look so much better than what I am going to show you in a few seconds...there is a few different ways, but I personally would NOT do it because it isn't professional looking. It would look so much better 'portrait mode' and you could add more rows to the tables and comments section

1. Object - Fitting - Fit Content Proportionally : the content is fit proportionately and not distorting the frame in itself. 

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2. Object - Fitting - Fit Content to Frame : the content is distorted to fit the frame in itself. 

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So, as you can see, 'yes' you can take a PDF from landscape to portrait mode in InDesign, but in this case, it definitely isn't pretty. And I 'feed' the instruction into ChatGPT, and yeah, editing the file as it suggested, it likely take longer than my guess-estimation. If I had to guess-estimate on how long to re-do it from scratch, maybe between 2-3 hours with workable fillable forms. Give or take a fewminutes here and there! 



m
leo.r
Community Expert
leo.rCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 18, 2024
I'm sorry I couldn't resist... ChatGPT will often tell you whatever you want to hear. Here's the transcript:
 
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how to explain to a novice user that PDF document cannot be changed from Landscape to Portrait in InDesign?
 
ChatGPT

Explaining to a novice user why a PDF document cannot be changed from Landscape to Portrait in InDesign involves breaking down the technical reasons into simple terms. Here's a straightforward way to explain it:

Explanation for Novice User

Understanding the Basics:

  1. PDF vs. InDesign:
    • PDF: A PDF (Portable Document Format) is a final version of a document. It's like a printed paper – once it's created, you can't easily change its layout.
    • InDesign: Adobe InDesign is a tool used to create and edit documents before they are finalized into PDFs.

Why You Can't Change PDF Layout in InDesign:

  1. Nature of PDFs:

    • When you make a PDF, it's like taking a snapshot of your document. This snapshot is fixed and doesn't have the flexible properties that your original InDesign file had.

  2. Fixed Content:

    • The content in a PDF is locked in place. To change from Landscape to Portrait, you would need to move and resize all elements (text, images, etc.) on the page, which isn't possible directly in a PDF.

  3. InDesign Workflow:

    • InDesign is designed to work with its own file format (INDD) where you can freely edit and rearrange content. The PDF is meant to be the end product, not a file for further editing in layout.

What You Can Do Instead:

  1. Edit Original InDesign File:

    • If you have the original InDesign file, open it in InDesign and change the page layout from Landscape to Portrait. You can then adjust your content accordingly and export a new PDF.

  2. Using Acrobat for Minor Adjustments:

    • For very minor adjustments, you can use Adobe Acrobat to rotate pages in a PDF, but this won't reformat the content; it just changes the page orientation.

Summary:

  • Think of a PDF as a "finished product" that can't be easily edited for layout changes.
  • Use InDesign to make layout changes before creating a new PDF.

This approach helps the novice user understand the limitations of PDFs and the proper workflow for making layout changes using InDesign.

Robert at ID-Tasker
Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
July 17, 2024

@orysia38666244rb2b

 

You should rather get the original INDD file - if possible - or start from scratch... 

 

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
July 17, 2024

OP doesn't seem to have any Adobe tools, and if a simple rotation does the job...

 

If the rotated and thus shrunk table isn't suitable, all of the above is in play and a more complex workflow (probably starting with InDesign) will be in order.

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
July 17, 2024

Any of the major Adobe tools (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) will get you from one orientation to the other, with varying processes and simplicity. Acrobat Pro will rotate and scale the PDF; if that's not good enough by itself, I believe the page can be extended top and bottom to make a full portrait letter-sized sheet.

 

Acrobat Pro is a paid/subscription tool It's bundled with almost every Adobe subscription, and can be had on its own as well.

 

I don't recommend any, but there are third-party PDF tools that might have the features you need, and be available for outright purchase (or even a trial period) at a more moderate cost.

O
orysia38666244rb2bAuthor
Participant
July 17, 2024
Thank you for your answer! Any third party tools you could name please?
James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
July 17, 2024

Google "PDF editor" and away you go. (Not being coy; there are many and I can't think of one that stands out above the rest.)

Mike Witherell
Community Expert
Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 17, 2024

The quick answer is no. You will have to redesign it in InDesign and also build the form fields.

An export to a word doc from Acrobat Pro can get you the complete text. Then you would rebuild the form and arrange the text in a portrait mode.

 

InDesign 2024 (Beta) can convert a PDF (only one made from InDesign) back into an InDesign layout, but you will still have to redesign the layout of the form fields and make decisions on the amount of space given to each column.

Mike Witherell
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