Hi,

My name is Steve. Im have a PDF of the Orange County Florida paperwork.
I'm trying to recreate it in word just so that I can recreate it as a PDF again.

It was scanned from a copier to a PDF, then the text recognized partially incorrectly. I want to add from fields but the original does not actually leave room for some long address. So I want to reconfigure each page slightly, leaving room for long fields. It’s so hard to actually edit it in acrobat that I finally decided to just recreate it in word. Then move it back to acrobat and do the fields.



To make a long story short I'm having problems with things like font, indents and just general weirdness that I dont no how to overcome. I don't expect anyone to do this for me. But I would like some help when I run into these problems.

I'm going to take it one page at a time.

On page 1 why are the prices 185 and 10 a little off from the descriptions? how do i fix that?

Attached Files

EvictionNO FORMS.docx (211.5 KB, 14 views)

Office 2013 will open and convert PDF files created from documents, but those created from a scanner are simply graphics and to convert those you need OCR software. OCR software is never going to result in a perfect reproduction of the original.

Some OCR software is better than others. I have, for example, had good results using Finereader. But none is perfect and even the best will need educating.

This means that whatever you do, starting from this point, you are going to have to recreate the document virtually from scratch, using whatever you can recover from the graphical image.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Some points to consider:
1. In most cases PDFs such as the one you're trying to recreate as a Word document can be exported from the PDF as a Word document, using products such as Adobe Acrobat Pro (v.8 is available as a free download from http://www.techspot.com/downloads/46...at-8-free.html - note the serial# mentioned there), without the need for an OCR process.
2. From a cursory check, it appears some or all of the documents are available in such a PDF format at: http://www.escambiaclerk.com/clerk/coc_evictions.aspx
3. If you contact the people who produced your PDFs, they may be willing to provide a copy in a Word-compatible format, which would obviate the need for you to work with PDF conversions. The PDFs at the above site, for example, were produced using WordPerfect and Word can open those files.
4. Your OCR software has apparently tried to replicate some of the document structure via a multi-column page layout, whereas a multi-column table may have been more appropriate in some cases.
5. It is not clear that you need formfields to make the document usable as a form. The long-address issue, for example, could be handled via the use of a table cell with a fixed height and width, sufficient to accommodate the longest addresses. With such a cell, the page layout won't be dependent on the length of the address. In any event, you may find content controls more flexible than formfields.
6. You also mention moving the final product back to Acrobat. Neither formfields nor content controls will survive the conversion - PDF forms use an entirely different kind of field, unique to that format.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thank you for your response. I personally created the PDF from
a copier. My wife helped with the recognition. But must have rushed it.
Leaving some errors.

I do realize that fields will not survive the conversion back. Im just
Trying to get the underlying text correctly placed where I want it.
Ever so slightly different from the original. Then I will place fields.
Im doing more than just using fields im configureing it to auto
Propagate throughout the entire doc then print desired eviction with
The click of a button.

If the aim is just to fill a paper form, then scan the form to a graphic, such as JPG, format. Then insert the image full size in the header view of a plain document. Set the wrap to 'behind text'. Close the header view then (preferably) using a borderless table fill the form in the main document layer. Repeat for each page. Print on your pre-printed form with the option not to print graphics set. It is simply not worth the effort otherwise - unless you have Adobe Acrobat to create a form from yoir PDF.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

I do have arcbat and the form fields ready to go copy, paste and adjust
Into the new PDF. Also I have a script to print certain pages

I have no idea what is going on

why I can not edit the word Date on the bottom

it looks like this
Dat
e

but when i go to correct it it goes screwy on me

the same with other parts of the page?
what is going on with page and how do I remove all this screwy stuff and just have a regular page with text and useing tabs

Attached Files

whats wrong with this.docx (39.5 KB, 8 views)

The behaviour is a by-product of the columns your conversion process is adding to the document. At that point, it has a two-column layout, with the first column's width being set to 0.36" and a space of 3.14" between that and the next column, which has a 4.16" width. A quick fix is to click on 'Date', then drag the left edge of the column-separator on the ruler as far as possible to the right.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

are the columns on the whole page
what happens if I remove all the columns

The sections with multiple columns are delineated by Section breaks before & after. Any time you delete a Section break, the Section preceding the former break adopts the latter Section's layout. Thus, if you delete a Section break before the two-column portion, the preceding Section will adopt a two-column layout. Delete the break after the two-column Section and it will adopt the following Section's layout (typically a single column. If you delete both Section breaks you'll end up will all three 'merged' sections having the last one's layout. Your first page alone has seven Section breaks, plus column breaks. Without any columns, column breaks function as page breaks, pushing whatever follows to the next page. If you click on the ¶ symbol on the Ribbon's Home tab to display the formatting marks, you should be able to see all the Section breaks. Switching to Draft view will also make the column breaks more apparent.

On the whole, the document is a real mess (a by-product of your OCR process) which I why I suggested using Adobe's own export-to-Word functionality or, better still, obtaining the original documents from which the PDFs were created.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Oh by "obtaining the original documents" you dont mean the paper, you mean the original electronic file. i doubt the Government is going to give that to me

Ill try to just export the image scan to a word doc without the OCR.

By "the original documents" I mean the original electronic versions, as described in point #3 of post #3.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

thanks for your help.
now that I know what is happening. Ive found it easier to just cut and paste without formatting.

Now that you know what Im looking to do. It there a way to adjust the prefferences to best suite just when Im working on this document? something about profile? (sorry Im a noob)


I dont see where to set this documents default font and size?
and how many tabs = the middle of the page?
a way to insert a pre determined ammount of underscores? as a signitures line
I see when pasting back that the original document has a theme how do i edit this?
Is there a easier way to select entire page?

Attached Files

page3.docx (12.5 KB, 7 views)

The whole document is formatted with the normal paragraph style Currently Verdana 12 point. Change the font size in that style to (say) TNR 10 and it will affect the whole document, but only when you remove the manual formatting (CTRL+A then CTRL+Space)

Having changed the style, you can create other styles for each different paragraph. I have added a couple, and used the techniqes described in the first part of your document. Once you have the required styles in your template, it is a simple matter to apply them as required.

If you click the ¶ button on the Home tab, you will be able to see the formatting.

If you want to tab to the middle of the page, add a centre aligned tab location at the middle of the page and use a single tab to align on that.

To insert the 'underscores', use instead a tab with an underline tab leader. And tab to that point.

Attached Files

page3 revised.docx (17.2 KB, 9 views)

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Thanks I really do appreciate your responces.
but when you say you added some styles none of them that i click on makes my documen look the way it did before you revised it.
why did you center the
Plaintiff (s).
Vs.

Is there a way like in some other apps where you can "Select Page" without useing the mouse to physically seletct