HERE’S HOW

Mastering PDFs: How to create,

convert, and search
PDFs are very handy, but they have some quirks. Here’s how to become an expert at
handling them. BY ANDERS LUNDBERG

W
hen it comes to The format was based on and is
preserving any type of essentially a simplification of postscript, a
document in a format that programming language developed by
anyone can later open Adobe 10 years earlier to describe
and be sure it looks right, it’s hard to beat documents for printing in a technology-
the PDF format. PDF, or portable document neutral way. PDF and postscript use code to
format, was developed by Adobe in the describe where text, images, and graphic
early 1990s to make it easy to share elements should be placed on a page. A
formatted documents regardless of the rasterizer turns the code into either pixels on
sender’s and receiver’s systems. a screen or dots in a printout.

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 PDF files are extremely
common and are used for all
sorts of things: as an archive
format for scanned and
digitized documents of various
kinds, as a standard format for
scientific articles, for digital
contracts, and to save
something for later printing,
just to name a few examples.
Acrobat Reader DC is a good and relatively fast program.
READ PDF FILES
Windows still has no built-in program for safe to stick with the original, and it’s a good
viewing and editing PDF files. The default and relatively fast program that’s particularly
program for opening a PDF in the system is suitable for those who need to fill in forms, for
Microsoft Edge, which like most browsers, example, but it uses a lot of resources and can
has a built-in PDF viewer. It works really well be a bit cumbersome if you don’t have a new,
for just reading, with the basic features you fast computer.
would expect. For example, you can view the A free program that is much more
table of contents and click on sections to lightweight is Sumatra PDF (fave.co/
jump directly to them, and mark up the files 33TMoBt), which also handles ebooks in epub
with tools like a marker pen and text format and various other file types. Sumatra is
annotations. You can also
save and print.
If you want more
functionality than that, you’ll
have to install a third-party
program. If you don’t need
more-advanced editing
features, there are many free
alternatives. Adobe, who
originally developed the
format, has Acrobat Reader
DC (fave.co/3GB5FHF). It’s Sumatra PDF is fast even on older hardware.

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HERE’S HOW MASTERING PDFS

fast even on older hardware, and unlike some files with text that can be selected, searched,
other freeware, it’s not full of adverts and and labeled. This is true, for example, if you
doesn’t try to push any paid features on you. save a web page as a PDF. From Word it
Other popular options include Foxit (fave. seems to work better, but Word can already
co/3RBMYK0), PDF Gear (fave.co/3TknKkB), save as a PDF via Save as. Fortunately,
PDF-Xchange (fave.co/46Sfyvc), and the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox now have a
open-source software Okular (fave.co/ built-in Save as PDF function that you can also
3GEDnMm). access via the print dialog box. Select the
Save as PDF instead of Microsoft Print to PDF
SAVE AS A PDF VIA and it will save with text that you can select,
PRINTING copy, and search.
Windows 10 and 11 have a built-in feature to For other programs, you can experiment. If it
save almost any document as a PDF via a doesn’t work well with Microsoft’s virtual printer,
virtual printer. As long as the program you install another option to see if it works better.
want to save from can print, you can select the Cute PDF Writer (fave.co/3t9kQ7P), for instance,
PDF printer and get a PDF file. The printer is works the same way, but you choose Cute PDF in
called Microsoft Print to PDF. the printer dialog instead of Microsoft.
The problem with this solution for saving
as a PDF is that it does not always produce CONVERT OTHER FORMATS
TO PDF, AND
VICE VERSA
In addition to saving a PDF via
the print dialog, some
programs can save directly to
PDF via Save as. This works
differently in various programs,
so the result is sometimes
different from printing but
sometimes identical.
Whichever method you use,
you will need to save
documents in the program’s
Windows 10 and 11 have a built-in feature to save almost any own format to be able to open
document as a PDF via a virtual printer. and edit in that program again.

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 co/47PEvZD) and PDF
Converter (fave.co/3NrbwD5).

COMPRESS PDFS
If you save a document as a
PDF via printing or a built-in
function, the resulting file is
often very large. If you don’t
need high-resolution color
You can convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and JPEG at images even though you will
Acrobat online (fave.co/3TrahYe). print the file, you can compress
it considerably using one of a
Another method of creating a PDF from a wide range of tools for this purpose. When a
file of a different format is with PDF test article on PCWorld was saved via
converters. They take files of all possible Chrome’s built-in print function, the file went
formats as input and spit out a PDF file. For from 1.2 to 0.17 megabytes. On really large
some file formats, it works almost identically files, the reduction can be tens of megabytes,
to the print method, but for others it can give and if you have many PDF files, it will make a
different results. Which is better varies, so it’s noticeable difference.
best to try both. Here it may be appropriate to use one
There are also converters that take a PDF of the many online PDF tools available.
file as input and convert the content to Adobe has it online, although compression
another format. The most common are is otherwise only included in the paid
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) version of Acrobat. It is also available
and images (JPEG, PNG) but there are also at ILovePDF.
others, such as PDF to EPUB for books.
The easiest way to convert single files
to or from PDF is with an online tool. There
are many similar sites with slightly different
sets of features. Adobe also has a number
of tools under the name Acrobat online
(fave.co/3TrahYe), including converters to
and from Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and
JPEG. Other sites include ILovePDF (fave. Compressing a PDF significantly reduces its file size.

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HERE’S HOW MASTERING PDFS

PASSWORD-
PROTECTED FILES
The PDF format supports
protecting files with
encryption and a password. It
uses the AES encryption, and
it is secure provided that the
password is long. The vast
majority of PDF programs can
open and save encrypted
files, so it is rarely a big Kika is similar to Apple’s Overview feature in macOS.
problem that a file is
password protected. selection to other files and view those
If you have a password-protected file but instead. If you prefer a different keyboard
you don’t want to have to fill in the password shortcut, you can change it in the PowerToy
every time you want to open it, you can either settings. The preview of PDFs in Kika
open it and print it to PDF, making a new supports tables of contents with links to
password-free copy of it, or use a third-party chapters or sections. You can highlight and
program that supports it. Adobe Acrobat Pro copy text and even print directly from here,
works, of course, but you can also try PDF so in many cases you can get by without
Gear (fave.co/3TknKkB), for example. opening the file in any program.
A third-party tool that works with more file
FAST, SMART PREVIEW types is Quicklook, available for free on
WITH POWERTOYS Github (fave.co/41hup0W).
Microsoft PowerToys is a program that brings
together a number of interesting and MANAGE PDFS WITH
sometimes very practical features that are a bit SCANNED TEXT
experimental or too much in the niche for A common use of the PDF format is for
advanced users to be included in Windows. scanned multi-page documents, books, and
One of the most useful, Kika, is basically a other originally handwritten or printed
copy of Apple’s Overview feature in Mac OS. materials. Because they have been scanned,
Select a file in Explorer and use the they are images and not digital text, so it is
keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Space to preview the not possible to highlight text and copy or
contents. Use the keyboard to move the search them.

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 The solution if you want to be able to do For PDFs saved directly from Word or
something with the text in such files is other programs, this is rarely a problem, but
software with OCR functionality. Several free for scanned and OCR-read files, it can be.
programs have this built in, such as PDF Gear This is especially true when text is in columns,
(fave.co/3TknKkB) and PDF-Xchange (fave. tables, lists, or text boxes. Try selecting two
co/46Sfyvc). The best is probably the open lines of text and see what happens—more
source program OCRmyPDF (fave.co/ often than not the selection continues in the
46NBcAR), but it is a command-line program wrong place. It can also cause problems for
and the installation procedure is somewhat the search function—for example, when a
complicated. For those who frequently word has been hyphenated and no longer
handle scanned documents and books, it has all the characters next to each other. The
may be worth the effort, especially since it’s word “text document” hyphenated to “text-”
easy to bake into automated workflows to and “document” will not appear in the search
process hundreds or thousands of files. For results for the full word.
everyone else, it’s easier to use an online So if you don’t get a hit with a word you’re
service like ilovepdf.com. looking for, you can try entering just part of
the word, preferably a bit that normally comes
SEARCH IN PDFS before or after any line breaks and is as unique
Since PDFs are often used for large as possible. In the above example, you can try
documents, such as long manuals and course both text and document, or just “docu” as it is
literature, it is common to have to
search them. Unfortunately, this is
not always as easy as in Word
documents, for example. The
reason lies in the way the PDF
format works. Unlike in text
document formats, the text does
not lie as a block of unformatted
text to which formatting is
applied, but as a stream of
characters, together with
information about where they are
placed on the page, what font Searching PDFs is not always easy. Often the PDF reader finds
they are in, and so on. results where it shouldn’t, for example.

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HERE’S HOW MASTERING PDFS

not a letter combination that is included in possible like your handwritten signature (also
many other words other than document and known as an electronic signature), and fully
words formed from the same root. digital signatures.
The former is used for many kinds of
FILL IN PDF FORMS documents both between individuals and
One thing that sets PDFs apart from most between organizations and individuals: for
other file formats is that they can be made example, on a rental contract where there is
interactive. Many organizations send forms also plenty of documented communication
as PDFs to be filled in. These can include to prove that an agreement has been made.
input fields for text such as name and Acrobat Reader DC has a built-in function for
address, tick boxes, and sometimes even this, and you can sign with a scanned image
multiple choice menus. of your signature, a signature you draw
How well such forms work with PDF directly on the computer, or just your name.
programs other than Adobe Acrobat Right-click in an open PDF file and select
(including Reader DC) varies. Some work well “Sign yourself.”
in most programs, while others do not work at The latter has a higher level of security,
all. Therefore it may be a good idea to have and the person signing must prove their
Acrobat Reader DC installed on your identity. The EU has developed common
computer even if you do not have it set as the rules for valid digital signatures, and in
default program for opening PDF files. Sweden the most common way to
If the preset fields don’t work well, one authenticate yourself is with Bank ID. This is
tip is to use the markup tool to add text used, for example, to sign contracts for
yourself. This works even on forms that have property sales and other important matters.
no text fields.

SIGN PDF
DOCUMENTS
A special class of PDF forms are
documents that need to be
digitally signed. Here it is
important to distinguish between
two different types of signatures:
images or vector graphic
elements that look as much as Signing a PDF.

110 PCWorld JANUARY 2024

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