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How to import text-edits to update PDF when no original Word Doc

EACS
Registered: Feb 25 2009
Posts: 3

I have inherited a project where I have a set of PDFs (booklets) in various European languages which are being updated by native speakers using the comment and review process by email.

I have received the comments and imported them into the pdf but I want the text to be updated when this is done.

I have confirmed them in the PDF etc but the next step appears to be to export them into the original Word document. HELP - The original Word documents no longer exist (it wasn't me !)

The pdfs are such that trying to create a Word document from them to support this process doesn't work as I get vertical text and bizarre distribution of content.

If I try to use the advanced text editing toolbar and copy and paste the comments that doesn't seem to work either and even if it did it looks like I would not be able to delete the comments form the PDF afterwards.

Does anyone have a way of doing this or am I expecting miracles?

I will be forever grateful to anyone who can get me out of this mess.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 9.0, Windows
UVSAR
Expert
Registered: Oct 29 2008
Posts: 1357
Afraid you're stuck - Acrobat is not intended to be a word processor, so while it has very basic touchup tools it can't cope with major edits (reflowing text, etc.)

Depending on the layout of the PDF, it may end up quicker to export it as text and recreate it in Word. It sounds like the PDF isn't optimized for web view, so the text isn't stored as a flowing block (that's why when you try and export it, the text appears in random chunks), so you'll still have some work to do. There are other options to extract any artwork (for example Photoshop will import PDF pages or images and save out as a bitmap Word can understand).
EACS
Registered: Feb 25 2009
Posts: 3
Hi,
Thanks for your prompt if depressing reply. I think I undestand mostly what you mean. However, when you say export as text do you mean export to a .txt file and then re-lay it out in Word.

I can see this might be the logical answer but my problem is the languages. I could do a few but then I'd be stuck.

There aren't any images in it as such but there are tables and flowcharts although these don't seem to be a major problem when exported to Word but would disappear when exported to text?

Obviously I was trying to make the job as uncomplicated as possible but this doesn't seem to be possible.