Convert a folder of PDF files to DOC using Solid Converter PDF

Our last post focused on quickly converting multiple PDF files to DOC using Solid Converter PDF to Word. But what if you have dozens or even hundreds of PDF files in a folder that you need to convert to DOC? This kind of situation may call for a batch file.

What is a batch file? Simply put, a batch file is a script that can control programs on your computer. Solid Converter PDF has several options that can be controlled via batch files, including converting PDF files to DOC.

Convert all of the PDF files in a folder to DOC

To see this in action open up Notepad (Start | All Programs | Accessories | Notepad) and copy the two lines below into a blank page:

set scpdf="c:\Program Files\SolidDocuments\SolidConverterPDF\SCPDF\SolidConverterPDF.exe"
for %%p in (*.pdf) do %scpdf% /i ./%%p /n

Next, save the file in a folder that contains PDF files that you want to convert to DOC. We recommend using a name ending in .bat such as bulk_pdf_converter.bat.

You can then open My Computer, browse to the batch file you just made and double click it. A command prompt will appear and Solid Converter PDF will attempt to convert all of the PDF files that are in the same folder at the batch file to DOC.

More Information

If you want to learn about the command line options of Solid Converter PDF please visit the documentation page for it. You can learn more about batch files at http://www.computerhope.com/batch.htm.

PDF Timesavers: Convert Multiple PDF files to DOC using Solid Converter PDF

Normally in Solid Converter PDF you'll use a wizard menu to convert PDF files to DOC. As you progress through this wizard many conversion options will be made available to you. This is useful if you convert PDF files infrequently, as it reminds you what options are available and provides an idea of what they do.

The downside to this is that if you have to convert several files (5, 10 or even more) you have to click through the wizard for each and every PDF file. This obviously isn't optimal.

A better solution is to disable the wizard in Solid Converter PDF to Word when you need to convert several PDF files to DOC. You can then select a range of PDF files in a folder and convert them all at once.

Convert Multiple PDF files to DOC using Solid Converter PDF:

1. Open Solid Converter PDF and go into Options General Uncheck "Use Wizard" and "Launch Editor", then click OK.

2. Browse to a folder with several PDF files, use ctrl+click to select the PDF files you wish to convert and click the Convert button:



3. Select the folder you wish to place the converted Word DOCs and click OK. Your PDF files will be automatically converted to DOC.

If you're happy with the conversion you may wish to go back into the Options menu and re-enable the options you disabled in step 1.

Optimizing Your Conversion Output Using Solid Converter PDF

When it comes to PDF conversions, one size does not fit all. Converting a 100-page long document that you want to revise extensively is different from converting a two-page form. Solid Converter PDF to Word provides numerous conversion output choices that help you get the results you need.

Why Should You Care?

Let's say you're converting a 20-page document and want to remove many paragraphs and large sections of text. If the text is in text boxes (what is made when using Exact Reconstruction mode), that means that content won't automatically "flow" once you've made your edits. If you want to move the contents of page 19 in your converted Word DOC to page 5, this could take you a very long time.

Reconstruction Modes

• Flowing. Recovers page layout, columns, formatting, and graphics, and preserves text flow. This is the best selection for most documents, particularly for those to which you want to make extensive revisions.
• Continuous. Does not retain the exact layout of the document. the Continuous mode correctly reconstructs the text order but will only recover paragraph formatting, graphics, and text flow.
• Plain Text. Displays text without any formatting or layout (as in a .txt file) . This mode will not recover formatting 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. It is most useful for short artistic or brochure-like documents. This is also your best choice if you want to convert a fill-in form and type entries into the form using Word. If you n
  

Reconstruction Modes can be selected at the bottom of the main screen in Solid Converter PDF as well as in the conversion wizard.

Other Options The vast majority of the documents we work with will convert correctly using the above settings. When you really need to be particular about how our software converts a document, you'll want to look at the extra settings below:

• Recover or Remove Images. You can choose how you want your images anchored in the document - automatically, with the page, or with the paragraph. If you wish, images can be removed entirely.
• Detect Tables. Solid Converter PDF can automatically recognize tables and convert them into table objects in the Word document. (Note: this option only works in Flowing or Continuous modes.)
• Select Page Range. Need pages 10-20 from a 100 page PDF converted to DOC? This feature will quickly become your friend.
  
• Convert Headers and Footers. If the PDF contains headers and footers you can convert them to Word headers and footers, convert them as normal text, or have them removed.

Creating Fillable Forms using Solid Converter PDF

Given how digitized most workplaces have become, printing out a PDF form and filling it in with a pen seems odd (and time-consuming). Why did you print it out? Because someone sent you a PDF file that you cannot fill out in Adobe Reader.

This can be a pain, but it doesn't have to be. You can use Solid Converter PDF to Word to convert the PDF file into a Word DOC which may be filled in like any other DOC file.

Converting your PDF form to DOC:

Right click the PDF file and select Solid Converter PDF | Convert using Wizard.

In the window that appears, set "Layout and Formatting" to Exact and click Last | Finish.


(click image for full size)

After the PDF is converted, the converted Word DOC should appear in Microsoft Word automatically (assuming that you haven't changed this default setting).

- If your PDF file was not made from a scanned document, you should be done at this point. Click into the fields that you want to fill in and type away.

- If your PDF file was made from a scanned document, you will likely have a series of flat images in your Word DOC.

By itself, this isn't very useful. However, after adding text boxes you'll be able to fill it in easily.

- In Microsoft Word 2003 go into Tools | Options | General | Uncheck "Automatically create drawing canvas..." and click OK:



Next, go into Insert | Text Box | Click and drag where you want to draw the text box, then release.

- In Microsoft Word 2007 go into Insert | Text Box | Draw Text Box | Click and drag where you want to draw the text box, then release.

- In both Word 2003 and 2007 A text box will be created that you can fill in. Unfortunately, it isn't transparent and it has a black border.

Type some sample text into the text box ("Type your text here", for example), then right click one of the edges of the text box and select Format Text Box.


(Selecting Format Text Box in Word 2003)

In the Window that appears, go into the Colors and Lines tab. Under Fill set Color to "No Fill" ("No Color" in Word 2007) and under Line set Color to "No Line" ("No Color" in Word 2007) .


(The Format Text Box window in Word 2003)

Click OK. You text box will be transparent, excluding the sample text you entered.

Right click the edge of the text box and select Copy, press escape twice and go into Edit | Paste (Home | Paste in Word 2007). Move the text box to a field and resize it if needed.

Keep pasting and moving text boxes until you have text boxes over all of the fields in the document. After that you can fill in your document.

PDF vs DOC: When to Use Each

Adobe® PDF and Microsoft® Word DOC formats are two universally accepted document formats. Each has strengths and weaknesses. So which is the best for your documents? The answer is: It depends. We’ll take a look at each of these two popular formats and discuss when it’s appropriate to use each.

When to use PDF format

• Printing: When the goal is to produce a high-quality print job in which precise page layout and high resolution images are key, then PDF is the clear choice over DOC. PDF can create a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) file which assures you that what you see on your screen is exactly what you’ll see in your print. PDF files are accepted by professional printers, whereas Word DOC files usually are not. In addition, PDF’s print-ready file transfer makes it easy to send a print-ready file to a printer in another department or even another country with little or no rework needed at the other end.
• Online Content: PDF is useful for taking high-quality documents (newsletters, catalogues, manuals, technical papers, etc.) and making them available on the internet. Not only can you secure your PDF so that it can only be read and not altered, you can also be sure that it will display correctly every time. In addition, PDFs can have a table of contents, bookmarks, intra-document hyperlinks, and searchability, so you can make your PDF behave like a Web page.
• Archiving: When compressed PDF files can be very compact, so it is ideal for storage. File layout is retained and can be viewed on all platforms. Plus, PDF files are searchable, making archived documents and items much easier to find, categorize, and organize.
• Business and Legal Documents: PDF’s are essential for business and legal documents and forms that must retain their exact appearance. These important documents must retain their integrity and security. With the PDF format, you can secure your documents so that no one can change the wording of an application or the terms of an agreement.
• Combining Multiple Formats: PDF allows you to import text from a Word document, images of various formats, Excel® spreadsheets, vector graphics, and more into a single PDF document.
• Anyone Can View It: To view a Word document, you must have proprietary software (Microsoft® Office) installed on your computer. On the other hand, a PDF can be viewed by anyone who has the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader, which is easy to download and which comes standard on many computers running Windows operating systems. This makes PDF the preferred format for creating a document that many can view.
• File Exchange: PDF is ideal for document exchange between users. Not only is it a compact format, but it can also store metrics and information about its own appearance (layout, fonts, content, color, etc.) within the document itself. This means that it may not have to rely on the fonts and settings that may or may not be installed on a user’s computer to display properly.

When to use Word format

• Reusing Images: Images in a Word document are easy to extract and reuse. This can’t be done with a PDF, because its images are embedded.
• Word Processing: Microsoft Word is a word processor. Adobe® Acrobat® is not. Therefore, when it comes to written documents such as business letters, memos, etc., Word is much better suited for writing the actual composition. Word documents provide the benefits of spell-checking and grammar-checking, among many other useful writing tools.
• Editing: There’s no doubt that Word is a powerful document editor. It contains intuitive formatting and compositional tools that allow you to format your document as you create it. Using Word and the DOC format, it is easy to edit large areas of text, change the flow between pages, and change font sizes and styles, among other things. With a PDF file you can only a few words at a time and have very limited editing options. When it comes to editing documents, Word is a much more powerful and pliant format than PDF.

Conclusion: Which is the best format?

The best strategy is one that incorporates the use of both of these formats. The Word format is clearly the best choice for editing and making changes to works-in-progress while the PDF format is the preferred option for viewing and sharing documents. Thus, you can maintain your original document in Word format and then convert your document to PDF when it’s finished and you are ready to share it with others.

What if you’ve got a document that’s in PDF format that needs major editing? The best idea is to convert it to Word format, and make your edits. Then create a PDF from that Word document. Not only does this strategy allow you to use the powerful features of each format, but it also allows you to edit and create high-quality customized PDFs using Microsoft Word. Our Solid Converter PDF program was designed specifically for this purpose.

Advanced Table Handling in Word

Solid Converter PDF to Word version 3 features new and improved table handling capabilities. Tables are now imported and formatted as Word table objects, making them easy to edit and preventing retyping of data. You can use Word’s table manipulation tools to make changes and save the results as a Word file, PDF file, or both.

To import tables into Word, when you convert your PDF file, make sure you select Detect Tables. You can either do this in the Conversion Settings on the main user interface...

…or in the wizard on the Table Detection screen.

When your new Word document is opened, your tables will appear as Word table objects*. You can perform any of the actions you can do with tables in Word, including:

• Tabbing between cells
• Changing data
• Changing borders and shading
• Adding or removing columns or rows

*Note: In rare instances, where a table is highly complex with irregular elements, Solid Converter PDF may not be able to recognize a table. In that case, the table will be converted with text boxes rather than as a table object.

Top 5 Tips for Successful PDF Conversions

When using Solid Converter PDF to Word to convert a PDF file into a Word DOC, you may have questions about the converted result.

For example, why does my document convert to an image instead of text? Why doesn’t it look exactly like the original? Here are five ways to improve your PDF savvy and enjoy success with your PDF conversions.

1. Understand Font Matching
   Sometimes when you receive a PDF from another source the fonts in the conversion output could look different from the original. This is often because your computer does not have the same fonts that were used when creating the original. If that happens, Solid Converter PDF will look for the closest matching font and substitute it for the original. If you need to use the exact same font, you can either (a) obtain the font and load it on your computer, or (b) use Solid Converter PDF on a computer that has those fonts loaded and perform your conversion on that computer.
   
   (Another suggestion to improve font conversion: if you have not done so already, get a copy of Solid Converter PDF v3, which features new and improved character formatting, font handling, and font matching capabilities!)



2. Select the Right Conversion Option
   When converting a document to Word you have four choices of Reconstruction Mode: Flowing, Continuous, Plain Text, or Exact. If you need to retain the key elements of a document but plan to do substantial editing, generally Flowing is the best mode to choose. If you need the PDF output to look as close to the original as possible, generally Exact is the preferred mode. Continuous and Plain Text modes remove even more formatting for those instances where you do not want to retain the formatting elements of the original PDF.



3. Detect Tables
   In the new version 3 of Solid Converter PDF (Standard or Professional) you can select the Detect Tables option. This will enable the program to locate tables within your PDF and convert them as Word table objects. The table objects can be edited and changed using Word’s table features. You can then easily change rows and columns, update data, add colors and shading, and so forth.



4. Not All PDF Files are Created Equal
   There is a definite difference between PDF files. Some are created by Solid Converter® PDF, Adobe® Acrobat®, or other PDF creation programs. These files contain information that allows us to convert to a clean, editable Word document. Others are created through optical scanning. This saves each page as an image, so when the PDF is converted to Word the output consists of one or more images. These images cannot be converted to text with PDF conversion technology.
   
   Granted, you don’t always have a choice as to which type of PDF you start with. If you must create a document out of a scanned PDF, you need to obtain an OCR (optical character recognition) program, available through other vendors. Keep in mind, however, that OCR is an imperfect technology so your output may require a lot of work afterward!



5. Get the Correct Password
   Solid Converter PDF supports Adobe’s PDF password protection standards. We will not “crack the code” on confidential documents that have been password protected. Solid Converter PDF will prompt for a password before converting protected PDF files.
   
   If you receive a PDF that requires a password to open or edit, you will need to contact the creator of the document or other person who knows the specific password(s) and get the password before attempting a conversion.