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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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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.
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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.
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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.)
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I think Affinity Publisher can open PDFs in editable form. Then you can re-do your form to fit the desired size there.
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You should rather get the original INDD file - if possible - or start from scratch...
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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.
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@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!
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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:
Understanding the Basics:
Why You Can't Change PDF Layout in InDesign:
Nature of PDFs:
Fixed Content:
InDesign Workflow:
What You Can Do Instead:
Edit Original InDesign File:
Using Acrobat for Minor Adjustments:
Summary:
This approach helps the novice user understand the limitations of PDFs and the proper workflow for making layout changes using InDesign.