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Help for Solid Converter PDF 

Product Overview

Solid Converter PDF is a utility for converting portable document format (PDF) files to and from other file formats. PDF is a universal document standard for creating universally readable documents that maintain document integrity. However, PDF is not easily edited. By converting the document to other formats, Solid Converter PDF makes the content from your PDF document editable.

Solid Converter PDF Version 3 can be purchased as one of the following packages:

  • Standard: Converts PDF files to and from Microsoft® Word, extracts images, and extracts tables to Microsoft® Excel. 

  • Professional: In addition to the features of Standard, Professional creates PDF documents from any Windows application.

Starting Solid Converter PDF 

To convert a PDF document to another format: 

There are the following ways to start SolidConverter PDF:

  • Double click on the Solid Converter PDF desktop shortcut

     

  •  Use the Start menu to launch the program - or -

     

  • Use the Open PDF button from the toolbar in Microsoft Word (Standard and Professional versions). 

You can convert from PDF to other formats from the Windows Explorer menu or from a command prompt. (See the sections at the end of this document for details.) 

To create a PDF from a Windows document:

  • Use the Create PDF button from the toolbar. (In Standard, this feature is available in Microsoft Word only. In Professional, this feature is available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.) - or - 


  • Use the Create PDF selection from the menu to launch the program (available in Word for Standard version; Word, Excel and PowerPoint in Professional version) - or -

  • From the Windows Print menu, select Solid Converter PDF

Selecting Program Options

To ensure that SolidConverter PDF works to your specifications, click the Options button before using the program. Check the settings and make any changes necessary. 

The options you can choose from are:  

  • Launch Microsoft Word - Controls launching of an application in Microsoft Word after a file is converted. If For Single file is active then the default application will be launched only when you are converting single files. The For Multiple Files setting will launch the appropriate application when converting multiple files.

  • Output Path - Tells the application where to save the new files. You can choose to browse to a folder before saving, save to the same source folder as the original image(s), or save to the most recent folder. 

  • Output File Format – Defines the default file format to which the PDF content will be saved (DOC , RTF, or XML). 

  • User Interface Language – Selects the language in which the user interface will display. 

  • Keep progress window open - Causes the conversion progress dialog to remain on the screen until you close it. 

  • Use Wizard – Specifies default behavior. If you select Yes, the wizard will always display whenever you do a file conversion. If you select No, the Save As dialog appears. 

  • Warnings – Controls whether certain warnings display during file conversion: 

    • No Text in File – Displays if there is no text in the converted file. The most common reason for this is that the document consists entirely of bitmap image pages. 

    • Hidden text in File - Displays if there is a page with hidden text (covered with bitmaps) in the converted file. The most likely reason is that it is a scanned document which consists entirely of bitmap images pages and machine-recognized text covered with this images.

    • Symbol fonts – Displays if the converted document contains non-standard encoding.

    • Microsoft® Office version - Displays if the version of the Microsoft Office currently installed is less than Office XP.

You can also choose from among the following Converter Configurations. These settings display the default behavior of each item: 

  • Reconstruction Mode – Controls layout, formatting, and text flow recovery. You can choose one of the following as the default Reconstruction Mode: Flowing Continuous, Plain Text, or Exact. 

  • Detect Tables - Table detection applies when page layout is recognized using flowing or continuous reconstruction mode. 

  • Image Handling – Controls how images will be recovered and anchored within the page. Choose from Remove Images, Automatic Anchoring, Anchor to Page, or Anchor to Paragraph

  • Keep Character Spacing – Retain the character width and spacing from the original PDF file. 

  • Prompt for Page Range – Provide the option to specify a range of pages to be converted from the original document. 

  • Extract Text/Line Length – Controls the maximum number of characters per line in extracted text. 

Overview of Conversion Methods

Solid Converter PDF gives you numerous ways to convert files from one format to another:

  • Using the Wizard. The wizard walks you through the process of opening a PDF file, explaining the steps in detail and allowing you to choose from different formatting and file saving options. 
  • Using the “Save As” Dialog. Instead of using the wizard you can set the program to use the Save As dialog box to save your files. You can set this up by setting Use Wizard to No in Options
  • Saving to a Single Format. If you already are familiar with the document formatting options, you may want to use this method for converting files from PDF to a DOC or RTF format. This is the fastest method.

There are also two special conversion options:

  • Extract Images Using Wizard. If you want to preserve only the images contained in a document, Solid Converter PDF gives you that option. Before starting your conversion process, select one or more files to use by clicking the filename. You can select multiple files by holding down the CTRL key before clicking. 

  • Extract Tables to Excel. You can extract all data formatted as tables to Excel. The tables are saved as separate worksheets in a single Excel (*.xls) workbook file.

Convert PDF Files to Word

Using the Wizard to Convert PDF Files to Word

  1. Open Solid Converter PDF using one of the following methods: 

    • Desktop. Double-click on the Solid Converter PDF icon

       

    • Windows Start menu. From your Microsoft Windows Start Programs menu, select Solid Documents|Solid Converter PDF|Solid Converter PDF. 

    • Open PDF button. The Open PDF button is available in Microsoft Word. 


  2. In the SolidConverter PDF window, browse to the folder containing the PDF file(s) you want to convert. Select one or more source files to convert (you can hold down the CTRL key to select multiple files), then click the Convert button to begin the wizard. 




  1. Select your Reconstruction Mode. Options are: 

    • Flowing. Recovers page layout, columns, formatting, and graphics, and preserves text flow. 

    • Continuous. Does not retain the exact layout of the document. Correctly reconstructs the text order but will only recover paragraph formatting, graphics, and text flow. 

    • Plain Text. Displays text without any formatting or layout. This mode will not recover formatting (characters or paragraphs) or graphics but will recover text flow using column and page layout analysis. (Note: You must use the wizard when converting a PDF file to plain text.) 

    • Exact. Uses Word text boxes to ensure that the text and graphic layout in the Word document is the same as the PDF file. This mode should not be used if you need to make lots of edits to the recovered content. It is most useful for short artistic or brochure-like documents. After making your selection, click Next.


    Tip: To skip individual steps and go directly to the conversion, you can click the Last button at any point in the wizard. 

     

  2. On the Image Recovery screen, select how you want your images anchored in the document – automatically, with the page, or with the paragraph. You can also optionally choose to have all images removed. Click Next to continue. 

  1. On the Table Detection screen, select the Detect Tables check box if you want the program to recognize tables. Table detection applies when either the Flowing or Continuous reconstruction mode is used. This option is ideal for text documents but not for documents with specific layout requirements such as brochures. Click Next to continue.

  2. On the Document Format and Output Path screen, select how you want the document preserved – as a Microsoft Word document (.doc), Rich Text Format document (.rtf),  Microsoft Word XML format (.xml), or unformatted text document (.txt). (Note: The .txt option may not be available if your PDF document uses complex page formatting.) If desired, you can choose a different folder and/or filename for saving the RTF output file; the default is the folder containing the PDF document. If you want the document to immediately open for editing, select the Open document for editing after conversion check box. Click Next to continue. 

  3. For Page Range you can select All to convert all pages in the document or Pages to specify a range of pages to convert. If you select Pages, boxes will display that allow you to enter a page range. Click Next to continue. 

  4. Your conversion options are displayed. Click Previous if you want to change any of the settings. 

When the settings are correct, click Finish. A message will display that will notify you when the conversion is finished. The document can then be opened in another application (or will automatically open if you selected the Open document for editing after conversion check box earlier).


Note: If you are converting multiple documents and have chosen to have the documents open after conversion, you may need to return to the program after each document is converted to walk through the wizard again. You can do this by clicking the SolidConverter PDF button on your Windows taskbar (bottom of screen).

Using the "Save As" Dialog to Convert PDF to Word

In Options, if you select Use Wizard|No, a Save As dialog box will display when you click the Options button.

To use this feature, first select one or more source files and click the Convert button. 

  1. If a single file is selected the converter will prompt with a Save As dialog to allow you to specify the target folder, file name, and format. 

  2. If multiple files have been chosen the program will prompt with a Browse for folder dialog box so that you can specify the target folder. The target format for multiple file conversion is specified by your Target Format selection in Options.

Saving to a Single Format  (DOC, RTF, Microsoft Word XML)

  1. Open Solid Converter PDF using one of the following methods:

    • Desktop. Double-click on the Solid Converter PDF icon

    • Windows Start menu. From your Microsoft Windows Start Programs menu, select Solid Documents|Solid Converter PDF|Solid Converter PDF. 


  2. In the SolidConverter PDF window, browse to the folder containing the PDF file(s) you want to convert. Select one or more source files to convert (you can hold down the CTRL key to select multiple files). 

  3. At the bottom of the window, select your Reconstruction Mode. Options are:

    • Flowing. Recovers page layout, columns, formatting, and graphics, and preserves text flow.

    • Continuous. Does not retain the exact layout of the document. Correctly reconstructs the text order but will only recover paragraph formatting, graphics, and text flow. 

    • Plain Text. Displays text without any formatting or layout. This mode will not recover formatting (characters or paragraphs) or graphics but will recover text flow using column and page layout analysis. (Note: You must use the wizard when converting a PDF file to plain text.) 

    • Exact. Uses Word text boxes to ensure that the text and graphic layout in the Word document is the same as the PDF file. This mode should not be used if you need to make lots of edits to the recovered content. It is most useful for short artistic or brochure-like documents. 

      If desired, you can select the Detect Tables check box to recognize the tables in the PDF file (Flowing and Continuous modes only) and import them as Word table objects. You can also selest Prompt for Page Range if you only want to extract specific pages from the PDF file. 


  4. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Convert button and select one of the following:

    • Save as DOC. Saves the new document as a Microsoft Word document. 

    • Save as RTF. Saves the new document as a Rich Text Format (RTF) document. 

    • Save as Word XML. Saves the new document as a Word XML document. (Note: This option can only be used with Office XP or later.)


  5. If you have selected the Prompt for Page Range option, the Convert Pages dialog box displays. Select the Pages From button, enter your starting and ending pages, and click OK


  6. A message will display that will notify you when the conversion is finished.

Extracting Images Using Wizard

  1. Open Solid Converter PDF using one of the following methods:

    • Desktop. Double-click on the Solid Converter PDF icon. 


    • Windows Start menu. From your Microsoft Windows Start Programs menu, select Solid Documents|Solid Converter PDF|Solid Converter PDF.


  2. In the SolidConverter PDF window, browse to the folder containing the PDF file(s) you want to extract images from. Select one or more source files (you can hold down the CTRL key to select multiple files), then click the down arrow next to the Convert icon and select Extract Images Using Wizard

  1. Select your Image Format (Same as original, BMP, JPG, PNG, or TIF). Next, click Browse to choose the folder where you want the files to be saved. (If you do not choose a path, the new files will be saved in a subfolder under the original.) Click Next to continue.

    Tip: To skip individual steps and go directly to the conversion, you can click the Last button at any point in the wizard. 


  2. Select All to convert all pages in the document or Pages to specify a range of pages to convert. If you select Pages, boxes will display that allow you to enter a page range. Click Next to continue

  1. Your conversion options are displayed. Click Previous if you want to change any of the settings.

If the settings are correct, click Finish. A message will display that will notify you when the conversion is finished.

Note: If you are converting multiple documents and have chosen to have the documents open after conversion, you may need to return to the program after each document is converted to walk through the wizard again. You can do this by clicking the SolidConverter PDF button on your Windows taskbar (bottom of screen).

Extracting Tables to Microsoft Excel

  1. Open Solid Converter PDF using one of the following methods: 

    • Desktop. Double-click on the Solid Converter PDF icon. 

    • Windows Start menu. From your Microsoft Windows Start Programs menu, select Solid Documents|Solid Converter PDF|Solid Converter PDF. 


  2. In the SolidConverter PDF window, browse to the folder containing the PDF file(s) you want to extract tables from. Select one or more source files (you can hold down the CTRL key to select multiple files), then click the down arrow next to the Convert icon and select Extract Tables to Excel


  3. Select All [__] Pages (where [__] is the number of pages in the document) to convert all pages in the document or Pages From: to specify a range of pages to convert. The boxes will allow you to enter a page range. Click OK to continue and convert the document. 

Using Solid Converter PDF  from Windows® Explorer®

To convert one or more PDF  files from Windows Explorer, right-click the file(s) and select how you want the document converted. If you select Convert using Wizard, the target file will be located in the same folder. 

Using Solid Converter PDF from Adobe® Acrobat®

Solid Converter PDF will add a plug-in to Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher (standard or professional versions). (Note: This feature is not available for the free Reader program. To use this functionality, open a PDF file in Acrobat, then convert to Word through the toolbar or the File menu (see below). 

Creating PDF Files from Windows Programs 

You can create PDF files from within Microsoft Word® with the Solid Converter Create PDF feature. (Note: In the Professional version, this feature is also available in Excel and PowerPoint.) 

Toolbar Buttons in Word and Excel

Create PDF can be found on the File menu in Word or on the Solid Converter toolbar. The Create PDF dialog allows you to configure PDF creation features including document security .

Using the Windows Printer Driver (Professional version only)

To create PDF files from any Windows program, select File|Print, then select Solid Converter PDF as your printer. This will open a dialog that allows you to save the document to a PDF file.

Using SolidConverter PDF from the Command Prompt

To use Solid Converter PDF  from the command prompt, navigate to the directory that contains the executable file for Solid Converter PDF. (The default storage location is C:\Program Files\SolidDocuments\SolidConverterPDF\SCPDF. ) In the directory containing the executable file run SolidConverterPDF.exe /? from the command line to see options. 

Usage example: 
SolidConverterPDF.exe [h]/i Input[/o Output][/w argument][/y][/n]
[/c argument][/f argument][/s][/a argument][/p xxx-yyy][/pwd ["password"]]

You can use the following options: 

/h - To view command line help. 
/i - To specify file or files to be converted. This parameter takes wildcards (*.*). 
/o - To specify the target file name or directory. 
/w - Silent mode (hidden progress dialog is default). Arguments: /w + to always show progress dialog, /w x to automatically close progress dialog when successful. 
/y - To force overwriting of existing files. 
/n - To force the converter to not overwrite existing files (i.e. if the file exists, it will not be overwritten). 
/c - To specify format options (the default is Flowing). Arguments: /c tbl for extracting Tables to Excel, /c cont for Continuous, /c txt for Text, /c exact for Exact, or /c img for Extract Images Only.
/f - To specify the target format. Valid types are rtf (/f rtf) , doc (/f doc) and xml (/f wordml). Arguments for extracting images: BMP (/f bmp), JPG (/f jpg), PNG (/f png), or TIF (/f tif).
/s - To ignore character spacing. 
/a - To specify image placement mode. Arguments: /a g for Page Anchoring, /a p for Paragraph Anchoring, or /a r for Remove Images.
/p xxx-yyy - To specify the page conversion range. xxx specifies the start page number (must be greater than 0) and yyy specifies the end page number. 
/pwd - To enter a password for encrypted files. If no argument specified, you will be prompted for a password for each file. "password" (with the actual password entered between the quotes) will specify a password to use. If the file is protected by an empty password, simply use double quotes ("").

PDF File Security

Solid Converter honors the security settings created in the PDF file. PDF files can be set up to restrict viewing, printing, editing and copying. If security settings are set in the PDF file that you are recovering, you will be prompted for the password. 

 

   

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