57
72 Chapter 4
Scanning Directly
to PDF
Using Acrobat, you can scan paper docu-
ments directly to a PDF file. Acrobat can
operate any scanner with a TWAIN driver
or a Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
driver. Most scanners install on a computer
with one or both of these drivers.
Remember that if you scan a text docu-
ment, the result is a picture of the text,
not the text itself; the resulting document
isn’t searchable. Acrobat can use Optical
Character Recognition (OCR) technology to
convert the scanned text to real text; you’ll
learn how to do this in Chapter 17.
To scan a page directly to PDF:
1. On the Quick Tools toolbar, click the
Create button and choose PDF from
Scanner from the drop-down menu
A
.
The Acrobat Scan dialog opens
B
.
2. From the Scanner pop-up menu,
choose the scanner you want to use.
This menu lists all the TWAIN and WIA
scanners visible to your computer.
A
The Quick Tools toolbar lets you scan a paper
document directly to PDF.
B
The Acrobat Scan dialog lets you control how
your scanned document is converted to PDF.
3. Choose the settings for the scan:
> If your scanner can do double-sided
scans, choose Front Sides or Both
Sides from the Sides menu.
> If you want to convert scanned text
to searchable text, select the Make
Searchable check box.
The remaining controls in this dialog are
best left at their default settings. Check
Acrobat Help for a description of them.
4. Click Scan.
Acrobat scans your document and
opens the resulting file in a new PDF
document window.
5. Choose File > Save As to save your new
PDF file to your disk.
You can select the Append radio but-
ton in the Acrobat Scan dialog to add your
scanned page to the end of an existing PDF
file. I use this sometimes when scanning
receipts that need to be added to a PDF-
format invoice.
45
Creating PDF Files 73
Converting Web
Pages to PDF
Acrobat can convert a Web page or an
entire Web site into a single PDF file. The
result is a self-contained PDF version of
the original Web page, with all images and
graphics intact and with functioning links.
I use this feature to convert online manuals
and other documentation into a PDF file
that I can keep, read, and search offline.
To convert a single Web page to PDF:
1. On the Quick Tools toolbar, choose
Create > PDF from Web Page.
Acrobat presents you with the Create
PDF from Web Page dialog
A
.
2. In the URL field, type the complete Web
address of the Web page you want to
convert to PDF.
3. If you want to capture part of the entire
Web
site
(that is, not just a single Web
page), click the Capture Multiple Levels
button, which reveals some additional
controls
B
:
> In the Get Only field, type the depth
to which you want to convert the site.
(See the sidebar “Web Site Conver-
sion Settings.”)
> Select both “Stay on same path” and
“Stay on same server.”
continues on next page
A
The Create PDF from Web Page dialog lets
you specify the URL of a Web page you want to
convert to PDF.
B
If you click the Capture Multiple Levels button,
you get additional controls that limit the scope of
the Web page conversion.
40
74 Chapter 4
4. Click Create.
Acrobat displays the Download Status
dialog
C
, showing you how the conver-
sion is progressing.
When the conversion is finished, Acro-
bat displays the converted Web page
or site in a document window. Note
that there will be some differences in
the text and graphics when they are
converted. These changes are usually
comparable to how a page’s appear-
ance changes from one Web browser
to another.
Web Site Conversion Settings
The controls in the Create PDF from Web Page dialog
B
have the critical purpose of limiting the
scope of your Web capture. At the extreme, they keep you from inadvertently trying to convert the
entire World Wide Web into a single (large!) PDF file.
. Get only n level(s). Here you specify the extent to which Acrobat should grab Web pages that
are the target of links on your selected Web page. A value of 1 says to get only the Web page
whose address you have specified. A value of 2 says to get that Web page and any pages
linked to by that page. A value of 3 additionally captures pages linked to by those pages, and
so forth. Keep this number small. Very small. The larger the number of levels you specify, the
exponentially longer the conversion will take.
. Get entire site. As it says, this option converts the entire site to PDF. I strongly recommend
against selecting this option, because it can take an amazingly long time.
. Stay on same path. Like all files, the HTML files that make up a Web site reside in a directory
on a hard disk—in this case, the Web server’s disk. This option prevents Acrobat from follow-
ing links that reside outside the target Web page’s location or its subdirectories. I recommend
choosing this option.
. Stay on same server. Acrobat won’t follow links off your target page’s server. I strongly recom-
mend this option. Otherwise, for example, if the page you request has links to its sponsors, you
may find yourself trying to convert all of Microsoft’s Web site to a PDF file.
C
As Acrobat converts the Web site to PDF, it
shows you how the conversion is progressing.
46
Creating PDF Files 75
Converting Screen
Shots to PDF
PDF from Screen Capture is a Macintosh-
only feature. When it’s selected, Acrobat
lets you capture the contents of a window,
a region, or an entire screen to a PDF file.
This is convenient for people who write
computer documentation.
The directions below all send you to the
Create button in the Quick Tools toolbar;
keep in mind that these commands are
also available in the File > Create submenu.
To capture an entire screen to PDF:
1. In the Quick Tools toolbar, choose
Create > PDF from Screen Capture
A
.
After a moment, Acrobat presents you
with a document window containing an
image of the entire screen.
2. Choose File > Save As to save this file
to disk.
To capture a window to PDF:
1. In the Quick Tools toolbar, choose
Create > PDF from Window Capture.
The mouse pointer changes to a cam-
era
B
. As the pointer moves over the
windows open on the screen, the cur-
rent window turns blue.
2. Click the window whose contents you
want to capture.
A document opens, containing an
image of the window you clicked.
3. Choose File > Save As to save this file
to disk.
A
On the Macintosh, Acrobat can capture parts
of your computer screen and convert the image
to PDF.
B
When you capture a window,
the mouse pointer changes to a
camera. Cute.
27
76 Chapter 4
To capture a region of
the desktop to PDF:
1. In the Quick Tools toolbar, choose
Create > PDF from Selection Capture.
The pointer changes to a crosshair.
2. Click and drag a rectangular marquee
around the area you want to capture.
Acrobat uses a nonstandard marquee
with this tool: You drag out a light gray
area on the screen
C
.
Acrobat presents you with a document
containing the contents of the region
you enclosed
D
.
3. Choose File > Save As to save this file
to disk.
C
When capturing a part of the screen, you
drag out a light gray rectangle that indicates the
capture area.
D
The area of the screen you selected turns into
a PDF image.
52
Creating PDF Files 77
Merging PDF Files
Acrobat can combine multiple files into a
single PDF file. The component files can be
PDF files, TIFF files, EPS files, or files of any
format that Acrobat can convert to PDF.
This is extremely useful for combining, say,
all the files associated with an invoice—the
invoice itself, an expense report, scanned
receipts, justifications for your hourly rate,
letters from your lawyer—into a single file
you can email.
To merge several PDF files
into a single PDF file:
1. In the Quick Tools toolbar, choose
Create > Combine Files into a Single
PDF.
The Combine Files dialog opens
A
.
This dialog lets you choose a list of files
to combine.
2. Choose one of the following from the
Add Files drop-down menu
B
:
> Add Files lets you add individual files
to the list.
> Add Folders lets you choose a folder,
all of whose convertible contents will
be added to the list.
> Add PDF from Scanner and Add
Webpage run the scanner and Web
conversion features, and then add
the resulting PDF file to the list.
> Add from Clipboard converts the
contents of the clipboard to a PDF file
and adds the result to the list.
> Reuse Files lets you choose files
inside a PDF portfolio.
> Add Open Files allows you to choose
among all open files.
continues on next page
A
The Combine Files dialog lets you choose
several files of any type that you want to merge.
B
You can combine files of any
type, folders of files, data direct
from a scanner, Web pages slurped
up off the Web, or the contents of
the clipboard into a single PDF file.
50
78 Chapter 4
No matter which option you choose,
Acrobat displays an Open dialog appro-
priate to the task
C
.
3. Repeat step 2 as often as needed,
adding items to the list, until your list
iscomplete.
The list of files currently selected is
displayed in the Combine Multiple Files
dialog. You can click the Move Up and
Move Down arrows beneath the list to
alter the files’ order.
4. Select the Single PDF radio button in
the upper-right corner of the Combine
Multiple Files dialog.
We’ll discuss the alternative, PDF Port-
folio, in Chapter 6.
5. Click Combine Files.
Acrobat merges the files together and
displays a standard Save dialog.
6. Specify a name for the new, merged
PDF file and click OK.
Acrobat saves the new PDF file.
In
A
, you see three File Size icons in the
lower-right corner of the dialog; they let you
choose a qualitative file size (small, medium,
or large). These options mostly affect how
aggressively images in your document are
compressed. Clicking the “small” icon results
in the greatest compression. Unfortunately,
this compression also reduces the images’
quality, so you want to treat these icons with
a little caution. When in doubt, choose the
“medium” icon.
Note that if there are no images in your PDF
files, you probably won’t see much difference
among these options.
Acrobat creates bookmarks in the
merged file that take you to the start of each
of the original documents. (See Chapter 2 for
a reminder of how to use bookmarks.)
C
Each of the Add options (files, folders, scanner
output, etc.) presents you with an Open dialog
appropriate to that task. This dialog is what you
see when you add files to the list.
32
No computer is an island these days.
ThePDF files that you create will almost
certainly be shared with someone else.
To do this, you need access to a server
that lets you distribute your document.
Email requires a mail server to collect and
distribute your email; file sharing requires
a filer server to mediate the transfer of files
between you and your clients.
Acrobat.com is Adobe’s file sharing server.
Anyone can sign up for a free Acrobat.com
account and then upload files of any type
to be shared. Acrobat X is well integrated
with Acrobat.com to easily share files with
one person, a list of people, or the entire
online universe.
5
Sharing Files with
Acrobat.com
In This Chapter
Creating an Acrobat.com Account
80
Using the AcrobatX Share Pane
82
Using Acrobat.com
84
Sharing Files with Acrobat.com
87
Working with Workspaces
90
Applying Tags to Files
92
38
80 Chapter 5
Creating an
Acrobat.com Account
The first step in using Acrobat.com is to
sign up for a free account. You will need
your favorite Web browser to do this.
To create an Acrobat.com account:
1. In the Web browser of your choice, go
to Acrobat.com.
When the page loads, you will be
looking at a Flash-generated Welcome
page
A
.
A
Acrobat.com is Adobe’s online product that
offers cloud services, including free file sharing.
It Also Does This and This and
T
h
i
s
This chapter discusses how to use Acrobat.com to share files with the greater population: This is
the part of the service that has a direct bearing on Acrobat X use. However, Acrobat.com offers
a remarkably wide range of free services.
After you log on to Acrobat.com, you have access to the following free features:
. Create a shared workspace on which you and a team of people can store files associated
with a common task.
. Convert arbitrary files (images, Office files, etc.) to PDF without using Acrobat. This is just a
sample of the service, because you are limited to a total of five file conversions unless you
pay a fee (see below).
. Conduct live video conferences with up to two other Acrobat.com members. Coolly, you get
a virtual whiteboard that everyone can see.
. Use in-the-cloud applications, including a word processor, a presentation designer, and a
chart maker.
For a monthly fee, you can have a somewhat richer experience: unlimited PDF conversions, more
people in your Web conference, and online customer support. The “Pro” services are pricey
enough that they will be of interest mostly to corporate customers.
41
Sharing Files with Acrobat.com 81
2. Click the Sign Up button in the upper
right of the page.
You will be presented with a short form
that requests the account information
common to every online service you
have ever joined
B
.
3. Fill in the required information and then
click the Sign Up button.
Acrobat.com will work for a moment
and then present you with its Organizer
view
C
: The Organizer is effectively
your home page where you delete,
rename, and otherwise manage your
shared files. This is also where you
access Acrobat.com’s other features
(see the sidebar “It Also Does This and
This and This”).
We discuss how to manage your shared
files in the Organizer later in this chap-
ter. For now, let’s explore how to share
files from within Acrobat X.
Acrobat.com is built on Adobe’s Flash
technology. Consequently, you can’t access
it from an iPhone or iPad.
B
To sign up for a free Acrobat.com account,
just fill in the standard information and click the
Sign Up button.
C
The Organizer is
your Acrobat.com home
page. It shows you the
files and workspaces
you have on the server
and provides access to
the service’s features.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
