Book description
PDF--to most of the world it stands for that rather tiresome format used for documents downloaded from the web. Slow to load and slower to print, hopelessly unsearchable, and all but impossible to cut and paste from, the Portable Document Format doesn't inspire much affection in the average user. But PDFs done right is another story. Those who know the ins and outs of this format know that it can be much more than electronic paper. Flexible, compact, interactive, and even searchable, PDF is the ideal way to present content across multiple platforms.
PDF Hacks unveils the true promise of Portable Document Format, going way beyond the usual PDF as paged output mechanism. PDF expert Sid Steward draws from his years of analyzing, extending, authoring, and embellishing PDF documents to present 100 clever hacks--tools, tips, quick-and-dirty or not-so-obvious solutions to common problems.
PDF Hacks will show you how to create PDF documents that are far more powerful than simple representations of paper pages. The hacks in the book cover the full range of PDF functionality, from the simple to the more complex, including generating, manipulating, annotating, and consuming PDF information. You'll learn how to manage content in PDF, navigate it, and reuse it as necessary. Far more than another guide to Adobe Acrobat, the book covers a variety of readily available tools for generating, deploying, and editing PDF.
The little-known tips and tricks in this book are ideal for anyone who works with PDF on a regular basis, including web developers, pre-press users, forms creators, and those who generate PDF for distribution. Whether you want to fine-tune and debug your existing PDF documents or explore the full potential the format offers, PDF Hacks will turn you into a PDF power user.
Publisher resources
Table of contents
- PDF Hacks
- SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
- A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
- Credits
- Preface
-
1. Consuming PDF
- Introduction: Hacks #1-14
- Hack #1. Read PDFs with the Adobe Reader
- Hack #2. Read PDFs with Mac OS X's Preview
- Hack #3. Read PDFs with Ghostscript's GSview
- Hack #4. Speed Up Acrobat Startup
- Hack #5. Manage Acrobat Plug-Ins with Profiles on Windows
- Hack #6. Open PDF Files Your Way on Windows
- Hack #7. Copy Data from PDF Pages
- Hack #8. Convert PDF Documents to Word
- Hack #9. Browse One PDF in Multiple Windows
- Hack #10. Pace Your Reading or Present a Slideshow in Acrobat or Reader
- Hack #11. Pace Your Reading or Present a Slideshow in Mac OS X Preview
- Hack #12. Unpack PDF Attachments (Even Without Acrobat)
- Hack #13. Jump to the Next or Previous Heading
- Hack #14. Navigate and Manipulate PDF Using Page Thumbnails
-
2. Managing a Collection
- Introduction: Hacks #15-23
- Hack #15. Bookmark PDF Pages in Reader
- Hack #16. Create Windows Shortcuts to Online PDF Pages with Acrobat
- Hack #17. Create Windows Shortcuts to Local PDF Pages
- Hack #18. Turn PDF Bookmarks into Windows Shortcuts
- Hack #19. Generate Document Keywords
-
Hack #20. Index and Search Local PDF Collections on Windows
- 2.7.1. Search PDF with Adobe Reader
- 2.7.2. Index and Search PDF with Windows XP and 2000
- 2.7.3. Windows Indexing Service: Installation, Configuration, and Documentation
- 2.7.4. Prepare to Install PDF IFilter 5.0
- 2.7.5. Install and Troubleshoot Adobe PDF IFilter 5.0
- 2.7.6. Using Start → Search → For Files and Folders
- 2.7.7. Searching PDF Using Windows 98 and NT System Tools
- Hack #21. Spinning Document Portals
- Hack #22. Spinning Collection Portals
- Hack #23. Identify Related PDFs
-
3. Authoring and Self-Publishing: Hacking Outside the PDF
- Introduction: Hacks #24-31
- Hack #24. Keep Your Source Smart
- Hack #25. Convey Your Document's Value with Good Design
- Hack #26. Create Charts and Graphs from Raw Data
- Hack #27. Become a Publisher
- Hack #28. Print at Home, at the Office, or at Kinko's
- Hack #29. Publish POD and E-books
- Hack #30. Sell Through Amazon
- Hack #31. Sell Your Book, Sell Yourself
-
4. Creating PDF and Other Editions
- Introduction: Hacks #32-50
- Hack #32. Create Interactive PDF with Your Word Processor
- Hack #33. Create a Printable, On-Screen Edition from Word
- Hack #34. Multipurpose PDF
- Hack #35. Create an HTML Edition from Your Word Processor
- Hack #36. Create a Handheld Edition from Your HTML
- Hack #37. Convert Documents from Tools You Don't Own to PDF
- Hack #38. Acrobat Distiller and Its Profiles
- Hack #39. Print to PDF with Ghostscript and RedMon on Windows
- Hack #40. Save As PDF with Mac OS X
- Hack #41. Maximize PDF Portability
- Hack #42. Configure Distiller and Ghostscript for Your Purpose
- Hack #43. Embed and Subset Fonts to Your Advantage
- Hack #44. Share a PDF Network Printer with Samba
- Hack #45. Print to Image and Other Rasterizing Options
- Hack #46. Print to SVG
- Hack #47. Print Over the Internet
- Hack #48. Create a PDF Album of Your Digital Pictures
- Hack #49. Print to Fax on Windows
- Hack #50. Convert Incoming Faxes to PDF on Linux
-
5. Manipulating PDF Files
- Introduction: Hacks #51-73
- Hack #51. Split and Merge PDF Documents (Even Without Acrobat)
- Hack #52. Encrypt and Decrypt PDF (Even Without Acrobat)
- Hack #53. Add PDF Encryption Actions to Windows Context Menus
- Hack #54. Add Attachments to Your PDF (Even Without Acrobat)
- Hack #55. Easily Attach Your Document's Tables
- Hack #56. Add PDF Attachment Actions to Windows Context Menus
- Hack #57. Create a Traditional Index Section from Keywords
- Hack #58. Rasterize Intricate Artwork with Illustrator or Photoshop
- Hack #59. Crop Pages for Clarity
- Hack #60. Refry Before Posting Documents Online
- Hack #61. Copy Features from One PDF to Another
- Hack #62. Polish Your PDF Edition
- Hack #63. Add and Maintain PDF Bookmarks
- Hack #64. Get and Set PDF Metadata
- Hack #65. Add a Web-Style Navigation Bar to PDF Pages
- Hack #66. Copy-Protect Your PDF
- Hack #67. Support Online PDF Reading
- Hack #68. Force PDF Download Rather than Online Reading
- Hack #69. Hyperlink HTML to PDF Pages
- Hack #70. Create an HTML Table of Contents from PDF Bookmarks
- Hack #71. PDF Web Skins
- Hack #72. Share PDF Comments Online (Even Without Acrobat)
- Hack #73. Tally Topic Popularity
-
6. Dynamic PDF
- Introduction: Hacks #74-92
- Hack #74. Collect Data with Online PDF Forms
- Hack #75. Serve Filled-Out PDF Forms
- Hack #76. Drive PDF Forms with Your Data
- Hack #77. PDF Form-Filling Sessions
- Hack #78. Permanently Merge a PDF Form and its Data
- Hack #79. Tool Up with pdftk
- Hack #80. Decipher and Navigate PDF at the Text Level
- Hack #81. Edit PDF Code Freely
- Hack #82. Integrate pdftk with gVim for Seamless PDF Editing
- Hack #83. Modify PDF Hyperlinks at Serve-Time
- Hack #84. Tailor PDF Text at Serve-Time
- Hack #85. Use HTML to Create PDF
- Hack #86. Use Perl to Create PDF
- Hack #87. Use PHP to Create PDF
- Hack #88. Use Java to Create PDF
- Hack #89. Assemble Pages and Serve PDF
- Hack #90. Superimpose PDF Pages
- Hack #91. Generate PDF Documents from XML and CSS
- Hack #92. Create PDF with XSL-FO and FOP
-
7. Scripting and Programming Acrobat
- Introduction: Hacks #93-100
- Hack #93. Modify or Convert Batches of Documents
- Hack #94. Script Acrobat Using Visual Basic on Windows
- Hack #95. Script Acrobat Using Perl on Windows
- Hack #96. Customize Acrobat Using JavaScript
- Hack #97. Tool Up for Acrobat Plug-In Development
- Hack #98. Explore the Acrobat SDK Documentation and Examples
- Hack #99. Use Acrobat Plug-Ins to Extend PDF
- Hack #100. PostScript and PDF Games
- Index
- About the Author
- Colophon
- SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
- Copyright
Product information
- Title: PDF Hacks
- Author(s):
- Release date: August 2004
- Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
- ISBN: 9781449362201
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