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It might be assembled from individual sections and then compiled into a larger report. Individual pages might be copied into a personal reference document. Sections might be replaced as new information becomes available. Some documents are aggl...

For example, the author might permit printing pages but prohibit making changes to the document. Here, we continue from [Hack #2] and explain how pdftk [Hack #79] can encrypt and decrypt PDF documents. We'll begin by describing the Acrobat...

Let's streamline these security operations by adding handy Encrypt and Decrypt items to the PDF context menu. The encryption example simply applies a user password to the selected PDF, so nobody can open it without the password. The decryption ...

A typical PDF contains fonts, images, page streams, annotations, and metadata. It turns out that you can pack anything into a PDF file, even the source document used to create the PDF! These attachments enjoy the benefits of PDF features such...

Tables usually contain the most valuable data, yet they are the most difficult to extract from a PDF [Hack #7]. Give readers what they need, as shown in Figure 5-4, by automatically extracting tables from your source document, converting the...

Wire pdftk [Hack #79] into Windows Explorer so that you can pack or unpack attachments using PDF's right-click context menu. 5.7.1 Create the Attach File Context Menu Item In Windows XP and Windows 2000: In the Windows File Ex...

However, an automatically generated index still can be very helpful. Use automatic keywords [Hack #19] or select your own keywords. This hack will locate their pages, build a reference, and then create PDF pages that you can append to your ...

For simple illustrations such as charts and graphs, they are also more efficient than bitmaps. However, when preparing a PDF for online distribution, you will sometimes find an intricate vector drawing that has tripled your PDF's file size. Wit...

This means you can make page content appear larger on-screen by cropping away excess page margins, as shown in Figure 5-6. Cropping has no effect on the printed page's scale, but it might alter the content's position on the printed page. ...

You started with two or three PDFs, combined them, and then cropped them. Before going any further, consider running your assembled PDF through Distiller. This refrying can reduce duplicate resources and ensures that your PDF is optimized for...

Let's combine the old PDF's navigation features and forms with the new PDF's pages to get a lightweight, interactive PDF. Here's how: Open the old PDF file (the one with the bookmarks, links, or form fields) in Acrobat.In Acrobat 6, sele...

Read [Hack #67] to learn about the additional features required for serving individual PDF pages on demand. 5.13.1 Document Initial View If your PDF has bookmarks, set your PDF to display them when the document is opened. Otherwi...

Ideally, your document's headings would have been turned into PDF bookmarks when it was created [Hack #32] . If you ended up with no bookmarks or the wrong bookmarks, you can add or change them using Acrobat. Here are a few tricks to speed t...

But you can add anything you want, such as the document's revision number, category, internal ID, or expiration date. PDF can store this information in two different ways: using the PDF's Info dictionary [Hack #80] or using an embedded Ex...

Figure 5-14. Integrating your PDF with the Web using a navigation bar Creating a PDF navigation bar in Acrobat and then duplicating it across several (or all) document pages is easy. Links can open external web pages or internal PDF pages...

Sometimes, it is too good. Perhaps your readers are paying customers, and you don't want them to make copies for their friends. Perhaps you want people to read your work only from your web site, not from a downloaded copy. These kinds of cont...

If a reader desires to read a single page from your PDF, she shouldn't be stuck downloading the entire document. A large document download will turn her away. The easiest solution is to configure your PDF and your web server for serving indiv...

You can prevent confusion by ensuring your readers get the Save As . . . dialog when they click your Download Now PDF link. Here are a few ways to do this. Keep in mind that any online PDF can be downloaded. If your online PDF is hype...

A simple link to a PDF document is not enough, though, because a single PDF might hold hundreds of pages. It is like handing a haystack to somebody searching for a needle. The solution is to modify the HTML link so that it takes the reader di...

You have probably experienced it, too. My research has brought me to this point where I must now download a large PDF before I can proceed. The problem isn't so much with the PDF file, but with my inability to gauge just how much this PDF mig...

By splitting a PDF document into PDF pages we shift it into HTML's paradigm where we now can program the document like a web site. Let's start with a basic document skin, shown in Figure 5-17, which gives us a cool look and handy document nav...

You can also share these comments via email or by configuring Acrobat's Online Comments. These collaboration tools require all contributors to have Acrobat; they do not work with Reader. And, in general, all contributors must have the same ve...

Which topics do readers find most useful? Use our PDF skins [Hack #71] to track hits to individual pages. Then, use our hit_report script to map these page hits back into your document's headings, as shown in Figure 5-19. You'll see topic...