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Faster Searching in Big PDFs

Does this sound familiar: You open a huge PDF and need to quickly find the page containing the topic you're interested in. (We'll assume this PDF has no bookmarks or a linked TOC that will suffice.)

Our Google-ized instincts immediately reach for the Find (Command/Control-F) field to enter the word or phrase we're looking for. Acrobat (or Reader, doesn't matter) finds the first couple of instances in a reasonable amount of time, but soon it slows to a crawl as we click Find Next one too many times and it hits a dry patch.

The little read-out says, "Searching 342 of 575 ... 343 of 575 ... 344 ....345 ...346 ... " Two minutes later and we're still staring at the page progression, hypnotized, waiting for a hit: "517 of 575 ... 518 ...519...520..."

Agh! Snap out of it, man!

By choosing one little command in Acrobat Pro v8, you can put an end to this misery for yourself and for anyone else who wants instant finding or searching, even in the most massive of PDFs.

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Embed an Index
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Using Acrobat Pro, you can create a full-text index of the contents of a single PDF, similar to how Google indexes all the text in the pages of a web site, and (new to v8) embed it into the PDF. Then when you Find or Search, Acrobat or Reader searches the *index,* not the PDF. Since the index file is much smaller, operations are lightning-quick. And, since the index knows which page numbers its words appear on, the end result is the same.

We've been able to create indexes in Acrobat Pro for many versions now, always using the Catalog command. PDF content providers typically index a folder full of PDFs so that a single Search (Command/Control-Shift-F) can hunt down the search text in a whole collection of PDFs. And I suppose you could use Catalog to create an index of a single PDF too, though I never bothered.

All that is still possible in Acrobat Pro 8, and the old ways of associating an index with a particular PDF still work.

But as I mentioned, Acrobat Pro 8 added a new twist: Indexes are embeddable in a PDF. Once they're embedded, you no longer have to keep track of the separate .pdx and .idx files generated for each PDF's index, making sure they always travel with the file. End users don't have to figure out how to tell Reader to use the index during Finds and Searches, since Reader 8 and Acrobat 8 automatically use it if it's embedded. (Earlier versions of Reader and Acrobat ignore the embedded index.)

Cool, huh? Best of all, it's dead-simple to do.

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro 8 and choose Advanced > Document Processing > Manage Embedded Index.

2. The resulting dialog box will tell you that the "the document does not contain an embedded index." Ignore that and click the Embed Index button.

3. An alert pops up, saying that Acrobat is about to 1) Save and close the document; 2) Build a search index for it; 3) Embed the index; and 4) Reopen the document. Click the OK button if you want to proceed ... yes indeedy, you do, so click!

The PDF closes, and after a few seconds of watching a progress bar create the index, it opens right back up again.

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Before and After
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For my guinea pig test file, I downloaded the InDesign CS3 "full documentation" PDF from Adobe's web site:
http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/indesign_incopy/

This puppy tips the scales at 46.35 MB and 762 pages. Whoa, mama!

Before I indexed it, I ran a search (Edit > Search) for the term "blend" and timed it. On my late-model Compaq, Acrobat Pro 8 took 24 seconds to display the 153 matches in its Results window.

After embedding the index (which added 2.8 MB to the filesize), and purging the Search cache (see below) to keep things fair; I ran the same search. This time, Acrobat took about, oh, a nanosecond to display the same 153 matches. I had the same blink-of-an-eye results in Reader 8, on both platforms.

You can bet that from now on, I'll be routinely embedding indexes in all of the larger PDFs on my hard drive, especially all those software documentation ones I keep needing to find things in.

If you post large PDFs for your customers to download, like catalogues or periodicals, you might want to do the same.

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About that Search Cache
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Both Acrobat and Reader already do something similar when you're repeatedly hunting for terms in the same PDF. They cache the text and save it in a file so that subsequent Finds and Searches are fast. You can adjust the size of the cache, or purge it, in Preferences > Search.

But embedding an index in a PDF ensures that Finds and Searches are always fast in Reader 8 or Acrobat 8, regardless of the state of the user's cache, even if it's the first time they need to find something quickly.

The Convenient Way To Search Adobe Acrobat Files

Adobe Acrobat files are actually known as PDF or Portable Document Format files. These files are popularly used all over the world nowadays. This is because using this type of file makes it very convenient to store text and images that you use for forms, reports, brochures, magazines, and just about other materials that have complex designs on them. In fact, the usage of PDF files has brought online reading right into its interactive state today. What's more, it is not the media alone that makes use of PDF files. The academe makes use of such files as well in the form of instructional materials, such as dissertations and theses. The typical textbooks are no longer popularly used because the in-thing right now is actually the e-book, which also makes use of PDF files. In these alone, you can definitely see just how important this type of file format is.

However, there just may be times when you would need to locate a keyword or key phrase in the instructional materials that we read. When we read the usual textbook, this can be done very easily. All you have to do is find the keyword or key phrase and highlight it, using the usual highlighter. But this method of locating keywords and key phrases in physical files is just not possible with PDF files. Thus, there is a need to use another type of medium to search Adobe Acrobat files for certain keywords or key phrases. And this is where the importance of third-party search engines enters the picture.

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you use a third-party search engine in searching for keywords and key phrases in PDF files, you no longer have to worry about browsing through all of these texts and images just to find what you are looking for. The search engine will do this for you, with very easy steps to take. All you actually have to do is just key in the keyword or key phrase that you are looking for into the program. Once you have this keyed in, the search engine will then browse through the whole of your system in detail, to find relevant results. What is actually returned are either file names or locations of PDF files that have these keywords or key phrases. This way, you no longer have to browse through each file in each folder in each drive that you have in your whole system. And the use of such a search engine does not end there.

You can also use the same application to search Adobe Acrobat files that you can find on the web. The same process is done; you just have to key in the significant words for your search. This is way more convenient than when you use the regular search engine. When you use the ordinary one, it actually gives you back the whole file that contains the keyword or key phrase. Yes, this can be efficient, to some extent. But imagine being given back a whole file that's about 2GB in size, and only a chapter contains the keyword or key phrase. And you would have to download the whole file, not just the chapter! In this aspect alone, it is clearly understandable why third-party search engines are really needed to search Adobe Acrobat files.

Evaluating JavaScript using Acrobat's console

If you have incorporated JavaScript into your PDF documents, chances are that you'd like to make sure that it's valid before you post the PDF to your website. The good news is that Acrobat has a handy JavaScript console that allows you to do just that.

In order to test your JavaScript using Acrobat's console:

1. Open Acrobat.
2. Select Advanced > JavaScript > Debugger, or hit 'Control+J' on your keyboard.
3. Once you've typed your JavaScript code into the console, highlight the line/s of code you want to run and press 'Enter' only, to execute.

You're done! Simple, huh?

How do i convert PDF file to HTML

Before we look into how to convert a PDF file to HTML, let us take a quick look at what these terms mean. PDF is an acronym for Portable Document Format, a proprietary file format developed by Adobe Systems. Files in this format have a .pdf extension. This format makes two-dimensional documents portable - a PDF will look the same regardless of the hardware or Operating System. PDF is very popular in desktop publishing. Reading PDF files is facilitated by Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available as a free download from Adobe Systems.  Creating PDF documents may require you to buy the software from the makers.

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language and the files have a .html or a .htm extension. HTML is a language for describing the structure, semantics and the appearance of a document. HTML is mainly used to render web pages in browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla. The popularity of HTML can be attributed to the World Wide Web which has millions of web pages residing in servers and transferred whenever a surfer requests a page.

If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can still view PDF files as HTML pages as every computer comes with a web browser capable of handling HTML files.

There are many software packages available today that allow you to convert PDF files to HTML. One easy way to convert PDF documents to HTML is though the Adobe Systems website - You need to have the PDF file uploaded to a website as the URL of the PDF file is required for conversion. Once the file is converted it is displayed in your web browser.

Another way to convert PDF documents to HTML is to locate a good freeware, shareware or commercial software package to do the conversion for you. The problem with freeware or shareware conversion tools may be the inclusion of advertisements in the resulting HTML file or a restriction on the number of pages that can be converted.

Most converters either do a straight PDF to HTML conversion or convert the PDF document to an intermediate format like MS-word format or Rich Text Format (RTF) and then convert to HTML.

Some converters extract the text alone from the PDF documents and return it to you as a text file. In this case, if you know how to use HTML, you can edit this text file using notepad and add the required html tags and save the file with a .html extension. This will allow you to view the contents as a web page but there may be considerable conversion loss.

Download free PDF ebooks

How many times have you read this offer all over the internet? What is your first thought? If you were like me, it used to go like this, "Ah, someone wants to send me some computer file/stuff, and maybe there is like a virus or something, but PDF files are cool." I would fail the 2-question pop-quiz. 1. " What does PDF stand for?" Answer went like this: "Adobe electronic output thingie". 2. "Who is the biggest user of PDF files?" Having spent more than anyone in a higher education setting, the answer was a fast-and-hard no-brainer: the educational/college system.

The correct answers, in order, are Portable Document Format and the Federal Government. If you are like most people, you have probably encountered your first PDF document when downloading tax forms from the IRS. As I came to learn, that is no due process of business. Adobe developed the original PDF format for the Federal Government who was in search for a way to store its legal files.

That’s all interesting, but why should we care? Below are the reasons why for the reader and the sender:

For the Reader:

*Easy Download: Anyone doing their thing around the Internet realizes these files are easy to download, and readable on almost any platform. Once again, this isn’t some casual occurrence. Files are smaller (quicker transfer), and compatible with PC’s and Macs alike, and by design.

*Free Reader-ware: Some publishing programs don’t open later or earlier versions of their programs, like MS Publisher, meaning, they are not cross compatible with each other. Upgrades cost money, the cost being plus/minus $150.00 or so. That is all you get for your $150.00. As most already know, PDF can be accessed with free reader, updates too, software. That means: free AND cross-platform compatible.

*Viral Resistance: As a reader, my biggest concern when I download from the net, is the transference of viruses. I do have virus and spyware protection, and I’m all set to have this check out my transfers when I see "Download Free Ebook". It’s a great peace of mind, but so is this fact. PDF files are highly virus, worm, and Trojan horse resistant. And for those of us with full versions like Adobe Acrobat Standard, when we see a file ending .pdf.pdf or doc.exe, we to delete it if our virus protection program hasn’t got it already. So, I see ‘download free ebook’, and sometimes ‘download pdf file’, which is better, I know I’m not setting my computer up for digital mayhem.

For the Sender:

*Security: PDF files are a great way to protect my intellectual property. First, a PDF file is a read-only document. If it is changed or edited in anyway, it leaves an electronic footprint. I can prove originality, and it is admissible, in a court of law. Secondly, other security features, easy to use, watermarking, and securing the document behind a password (very cool).

*Same as Above: I am sending a document that is easy to send, virus-resistant, easy to read across any platform, and tamper resistant.

*Easy Store- PDF is the economical format, and if it applies, allowing them to be stored like on company servers instead of placing a demand for additional hard-drive space. The format is also practical in the sense they can be integrated into any network.

Ok, now we know this is a cool set-up. Not all PDF files are created equal. How many times did an ebook/pdf file open up magnified so large that each page could easily be fitted to a side of a barn? The other problem that seems to go with that is that the receiver sometimes doesn't realize how many pages have been sent, particularly if receiving "a PDF file" by email. With ebooks, the reader is expecting numerous pages, and will often just look in the bottom left hand corner for the page count. But what if I need to make it clear my file has numerous pages? Here is the nifty, easy-breezy solution: Once you have your pdf file in Acrobat, go to File > Documents > Open Options. In Open Options choose Initial View. Choices are Page Only, Bookmark and Page, Thumbnails and Page. (Choose Thumbnails and Page). Choose page #. Choose magnification, and Choose layout. Click OK. Save and close out. Check to see if initial opening of your file is what you expect. Result should be another example of a reader-sender win-win digital situation.

When you download a free ebook, or free pdf file, you know are getting a safe and quality product. If you decide to send any sort of pdf files, now you can do so with a bit of presentation skill and expertise making yourself more compatible with your screen readers.

What can PDF Format Do for Teachers

Only blackboard and books are not enough for today’s education. Teachers are facing the challenge of finding the creative ways to teach. However, many of teachers’ time are taken by preparing for classes, and many teachers have not found the best way to share information and knowledge. Having a good command of PDF technology can solve many problems. Creating PDF and converting PDF to Office applications are the basic skill of using PDF format.

Create PDF for Class

In the past, it took almost a week for teachers to prepare for class. They needed to create course guide, homework, test paper and so on, most of them are on paper. They had to printing out thousands of materials and handed to the students. Obviously, half of the time and energy are taken up with paperwork. With the development of computer and Internet, many materials are in electronic format. PowerPoint presentation is a must-have in classroom, Word document is the basic requirement for both teachers and students.

But there is another problem, how can the students open the Word document or PowerPoint without Microsoft Office? Students’ budget is always tight, Microsoft Office is not as cheap as paper. So saving the Word document or PowerPoint files as PDF files, let students view class material with free PDF reader is the best solution.

As we know that Microsoft Office 2007 has added a new function of ‘save as PDF’, just install the add-on from Microsoft Office’s official website for free, creating PDF is not a problem. If teachers are using the former version, such as 2003, 98 and so on, some free PDF creators, such as cutePDF are available. Open the PDF file, click ‘print’, and then you can see PDF format is in the options.

After PDF creation, share the PDF related to class on the Internet or via E-mail, or upload to FTP. Students only need to install a free Adobe reader. Then everybody can get, everybody can read.

Convert PDF Back to Word or PowerPoint

To help the students understand better, teachers need to collect more related resources from other books, the Internet.

Usually, useful information are save in PDF format, some of the PDF files are even restricted from copying or printing. So that teachers need to copy and paste page by page or retype again in Word document or PowerPoint files. It is really time-consuming. Is there an easier way to get the content from PDF files?

With AnyBizSoft PDF to Word converter, teachers can easily convert the whole PDF file into Word document, so that they can edit or copy easily. Or they can even convert PDF to PowerPoint files using PDF to PowerPoint Converter, share the PDF directly in PowerPoint presentation in classes. Like I mentioned above, PDF to PowerPoint Converter is also useful for students. Those students who have Microsoft Office can convert the PDF given by teachers back to PowerPoint, so that they can highlight the content, add comment and so on.

Or teachers can just upgrade to the 4-in-1 PDF Converter developed by AnyBizSoft Studio. It supports convert PDF to Word, PowerPoint, HTML and Text, which is really a time saver.

If they found some information from a book, they don’t have to retype the content from again, just scan the book to PDF format and convert it to Word document using OCR converter. Some online services such as the ocrterminal.com are free.

In conclusion, PDF format is a great assistant for teachers. With PDF technology, teachers can work more efficiently, so that they could put more energy actually in teaching and doing research.

10 Wise Ways To Make Money With Adobe PDF

1. Write an ebook and sell it

Obviously this is the ultimate method of making money – your own book in digital downloadable format.

There are many excellent courses on the Internet showing you how to write your own ebook.

The major advantage is you can have an army of affiliates promoting it for you.

The downside is writing it.

2. Create an OPC ebook

OPC means Other People’s Content, and it’s about the fastest way to get an ebook on the market. Instead of taking months to write a book, you can have one ready in a few hours.

The strategy is simple: Create a book from a collection of existing articles where the authors have granted reprint permission.

(You can get tens of thousands of these articles from 'article banks' - just type “article bank” or “article directory” into Google and take your choice.

Give the ebook a snappy title, market it to the right target group, and hey presto you’re in business.

You make your money either by selling the ebook, or from commissions via affiliate links within the ebook, or both.

TIP - It may be worthwhile sending an email to the author of each article, letting them know what you’re doing and getting their agreement. This avoids any misunderstandings later.

3. Write a downloadable tips guide

Short, practical easy-to-follow information will always be in demand.

Write a series of quick tips related to your business. Then compile them into Adobe PDF format so the reader can have a handy reference guide on her desktop.

Include a link to your website or an affiliate link to someone else's.

4. Offer a transcript from an interview

This is a great strategy for promoting affiliate programs.

Why not interview one of your merchant partners? Interview them over the phone, record it and get it transcribed into a PDF ebook.

If the merchant doesn’t agree to a phone interview, then ask if they'll do an email interview instead.

Use the interview ebook to build credibility for both you and the merchant, and to pre-sell the product to your prospects.

5. Create an online business card

Who says business cards have to be printed on stiff card? Why not have a downloadable one.

HINT - Give it a bit of a creative twist. Something that will get people talking and passing on to other targeted people.

6. Create a downloadable newsletter

“Start a newsletter.”

This idea is old hat to anyone who’s been marketing online for more than a week, but it’s worth considering anyway.

Unlike an email newsletter, PDF files have a much longer shelf life on the average customer’s computer.

If you haven’t got a newsletter then consider starting one. Weekly, monthly, quarterly. Whatever. Just give visitors something to remember you.

7. Make your company brochure downloadable.

Time is everything nowadays.

Don’t let your prospect have to wait for a brochure in the mail.

Don’t let them leave your website empty-handed either.

Let them download your brochure.

Make it printable, too. (Who knows, they might pass it around. Or take it to meetings.)

8. Create success stories related to your business

Think outside the “sell, sell, sell” box. Take a more journalistic approach to promoting your business. Give readers what they want. Good stories.

Everyone loves to hear happy stories, especially inspirational ones.

This could even become a regular newsletter. (Do the words “sponsored by” trigger any ideas…?)

9. Create a viral ebook for your affiliates

If you’re a merchant who runs an affiliate program, you can almost always create some kind of information product targeted towards your customers' needs.

Anyone selling golf clubs, for example, could write a “top 10 putting tips” mini-guide in Adobe PDF format.

Then let your affiliates brand it with their affiliate link and promote it to their lists.

10. Create a downloadable free resource

Heard about the mega-popular crafts website?

The company offer free downloadable crafts patterns in PDF format.

Of course the site also sells the materials needed to make the thing.

(Pretty ‘crafty’, huh?)

Essential Tools to Create PDF Ebook

Have you ever want to become an ebook writer and share your thought and feeling around the Internet? As we all know, PDF format is one of the best format for information transferring and storage. Why not write something and create your own PDF ebook, for sharing or money? Believe me, do not think only the people who graduated from literature of famous university can be good writer. Everyone can be a good writer as long as you write with your soul and inspiration.

Writing a book seems a difficult and complicated task. In the past, there must be publishers, budget, and bookstores and so on to deal with when you want to publish a book. But with the development of Internet, just a few tools and Internet can turn your dreams into reality.

Word Processor
A word processor is the essential tool for a writer. Writing your story down and save it in electronic document is the first step to create your own ebook.
When it comes to word processor, people will think of Microsoft Word immediately. That is the most popular software in the whole world. The features like word count and the spell check, and tons of fonts and so on, all of them are useful for writers. From Microsoft 2003 to 2007 and the upcoming Microsoft Office 2010, the Microsoft office can handle almost everything you throw at it.

However, Microsoft Word is not the only choice for an ebook writer. yWriter 4 is an easy-to-use program. It allows writers to juggle all kinds of writing projects and break them down into pieces so that users can easily manage and track. Or WordPerfect, which has a long history since 1980. Many experienced writers recommend it. WordPerfect can save to Word DOC, and it can open Word DOC, plus rtf, and a host of other files. yWriter 4 and WordPerfect is much cheaper than Microsoft Office.
There are some free service like Open Office, Google Doc as well. Just pick your favorite Word processor and finish your story.

PDF Tools
After finished your writing, create a book cover using Photoshop or something like this, then insert to your document. And the following step is to create your story from Word document to PDF files.

Create PDF ebook from Word document
If you have the Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010, you can easily save your document as PDF format. If you are using a lower version or other word processor, you need a PDF creator. If you have Adobe Acrobat, the conversion would be professional, but it’s too expensive for many casual writers. Just find a Word to PDF converter to help you with the PDF creation. Then your ebook is almost done.

Convert PDF to Word
As an ebook writer, often you need to convert PDF to Word to format your ebook, modify your content or add some images and so on. If you do not have a PDF editor, you can not edit the PDF files after you have created it. At this time, you need a good PDF to Word converter. What’s the standard of good PDF to Word converter? The original text, layouts, images should be exactly retained in the Word documents. And the converters should be easy-to-use. No one is willing to spend a whole day learning how to use software. So, accurate and easy is the most important features for a good PDF to Word converter. Further more, a good PDF to Word converter must support protected PDF conversion, In case you had set the restrictions for your PDF ebook and forgot the password or lost the original copy. AnyBizSoft PDF to Word converter wins my vote for the best PDF to Word converter.

With the word processor and PDF tools, you can make a professional PDF ebook. An excellent ebook should be promoted to the public. Now you can upload to your blog or website, submit the ebook to some ebook shop or websites. Share your thought, feeling and the fabulous story to the whole world. Anyone can be a great writer.

PowerPoint Movie

PowerPoint MVP Shawn Toh, has a new PowerPoint Movies section on his site.

His latest works include Shadow Fighter The Movie and Evolution Warriors

What is a PowerPoint Movie?

A PowerPoint Movie is an animated show or cartoon similar to those done using Macromedia Flash. It is animated using a series of custom animations such as motion paths and emphasis effects.

You can download and "deconstruct" any of these animations to learn the tricks of the trade.

In addition, Shawn's site, PowerPoint Heaven, has an extensive series of PowerPoint animation tutorials

How Do I Decrease the File Size of a Pdf File?

There are many factors that can affect the size of a PDF file. If you know these factors it would be possible for you to get the smallest possible file size of the PDF document that you create. The factors that affect the size of PDF files are the way the fonts are embedded, the images resolution and image type, and the version of the PDF and level of compression.

To make your PDF file smaller, Adobe suggests that you use "Save as" instead of "Save" every time you make a change in the PDF document you are creating. When you use the "Save" changes you make are appended to your file and this of course adds to the size. When you use the "Save as" you will overwrite the entire PDF and you are saving just the latest form of your document after the change.

Another thing that could add to the size of the PDF file is the named destination, every ten or so named destinations could add at least a kilobyte to the PDF size. So if you think that named destinations is not that necessary in your PDF document do not include them.

You can also use Adobe Acrobat's PDF optimizer to see which elements in your PDF document could take up the most space. To use the PDF Optimizer, click "Advanced" in the menu bar and select PDF Optimizer and then click on Audit Space Usage.

The elements in your PDF document that obviously add a lot to the total size of the final PDF are the images. as much as possible use vector-based graphics. Vector-based graphics are better than GIF in many aspects : they scale perfectly, look better, and take up lesser space. Avoid inseting bitmap graphics but if it could not be avoided, prepare it for maximum compression and minimum dimensions.

If you are creating PDF for the web and not for printing use RGB which has one less data channel than CMYK. As much as possible do not embed your fonts, fonts take up a lot of space.

Lastly, it is good to use newer versions of Acrobat because they have a more advanced compression system that can result in smaller PDF file size.