Paste pages side by side

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bitwyse
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Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Hello

I have a PDF file with two pages A4 portrait.
I want to create a new file with these pages copied and pasted side by side each at A5 size on a single page A4 landscape.
(So it would be like a double page view but permanent.)
The pages must remain editable text (not just 2 screen capture images).
I haven't found a way to do it. Can anyone help?
(If I split an A4 landscape page I get the two halves vertically one above the other...)
Regards
Willy Van Nuffel
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

End of June this year, we had a similar question:
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/forum3 ... 5&p=115308

Because it is far too long to read that whole thread, I will try to explain in short:
- to paste two or four or even more pages onto one sheet of paper, you currently have to print your PDF document towards a new PDF document
- you can best do this on the hand of the "PDF-XChange Lite Free" printer
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/produc ... hange-lite
Take care: the "PDF-XChange Lite" printer that you have with PDF-XChange Editor is NOT the same.
If you do not have the Free version, then first download and install

In PDF-XChange Editor, open your PDF and then via File > Print,
>> at the printer's "Name", be sure to select the "PDF-XChange Lite" printer
>> click "Page Setup", select "Landscape", click OK
>> at "Page Range", select All
>> at "Type" select "Multiple pages per Sheet"
>> at "Pages per Sheet" select "Custom" 2 by 1
>> Page order = Horizontal
>> do not activate any of the check boxes
- click Print
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bitwyse
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Hello Willy
Thank you for your reply.
Will this really procuce an editable PDF document (with text, separate images, etc) and not just an image of the pages?
(I need to strike out or highlight text, add post-its, etc).
Best regards
Christophe
Willy Van Nuffel
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

The resulting PDF will depend of the original PDF.

You will get the best result when there are NO embedded fonts in the original PDF.
You can verify this via File > Document Properties > Fonts.
If you see "Embedded Subset" behind the font names, then chances are low that the resulting text will be editable.

If you should have the document (like Word for example) that was used to create the original PDF, then it is even better to start from there.
You can then immediately print from within Word towards the PDF-XChange Lite printer.

If it goes about a public PDF document (= not private, confidential or secret), then you can always post it to this forum if you like.
So, we can have a look, and test.

NOTE:
I have attached examples of a PDF (generated from MS Word 2010 via File > Print > PDF-XChange Lite) with two pages and the result of it printed on one page. When you verify the different fonts, you will see that NO one of the fonts is embedded (= the font set/file is not saved in the PDF).
In this way the text keeps perfectly editable.
Attachments
Microsoft Word document - different fonts - two pages.pdf
(9.5 KiB) Downloaded 65 times
Microsoft Word document - different fonts - one page.pdf
(9.18 KiB) Downloaded 59 times
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bitwyse
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Thanks, Willy, for your advice. Understood.
I don't use Word, sometimes export PDF from Libre Office - that only uses fonts that are installed on the computer, so I suppose that will be OK because they don't need to be embedded.
Actually it's mainly PDF files received from elsewhere that I need to process - so I have no control over what fonts have been used but I could substitute other similar ones commonly available.
I'll get to understand it better by experimenting.
(an example of what I want to treat attached - just page 1 of 4)
Best regards
Christophe
Attachments
Linky CPL.pdf
(1.06 MiB) Downloaded 53 times
Willy Van Nuffel
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

When verifying your example PDF, I see that it goes about a scanned document (just an "image" or photo of the page) with an (invisible) text layer that has been created via OCR (= optical character recognition).
In this way the PDF has become "searchable" (you can search for words in the text).

This does not mean that you can "edit" the PDF. You can only add annotations/comments.

When you print such to a document to a new PDF, you only keep the scanned version (= the image of the page).
The text layer is lost. Even though by running a new OCR on it, you can restore the text layer.
In that way, it is again ready for annotations/comments (again, NOT for editing).

I have attached the result after re-processing.
Attachments
Linky CPL - two pages on one.pdf
(1.25 MiB) Downloaded 58 times
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Very interesting, Willy.
I opened the same document that I uploaded last time and was able to edit it like this... (new attachement).
(and that's what I need to do - but with two pages on one)
I should explain: I want to put the first document uploaded (the original) on the left; with the second document uploaded (with the post-its) on the right - on the same page.
Regards
Attachments
Linky CPL.pdf
(1.08 MiB) Downloaded 59 times
Willy Van Nuffel
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

I see the following solution:
- first, print the page towards a new PDF so that you have two identical pages on one sheet (follow the settings in the attached print screen)
- run OCR again (via the Convert ribbon > OCR pages /or/ via the Document-menu > OCR pages)
- make your annotations on the duplicate page at the right

The other way around (first making your annotations and then print will NOT work).

Best regards.
Attachments
Print two pages on one.png
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bitwyse
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Thanks Willy - I'll try that tomorrow (it's late evening here).

Best regards
Christophe
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

:-D
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
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http://www.tracker-software.com
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bitwyse
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Hello
I tried to install PDFXchange Lite (I hadn't installed it wirh Editor).
It asked me for Microsfoft Essentials, which I downloaded (XPSEP XP 32 bit.msi) but the installation failed.
I read that it needs XML core services so I downloaded msxml6.msi - but that won't install because I already have a later version (SP2). I tried
to clean up - first I removed MSXML4 but I can't uninstall MSXML6 SP2.

I installed PDFXchange Lite anyway - but it doesn't appear anywhere.

[Windows XP SP3]
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Hello again

Actually I have found a simple, direct way to do what I want within Editor!
1. Open original document (4 pages A5 portrait).
2. Redimension pages to A4 landscape -
a. first the odd pages, margin left zero
b. then the even pages, margin right zero
3. Now select everything on each even page, copy and paste it to the previous odd page (it will be in the right position).
4. Delete all even pages.
I now have two pages A4 landscape with two A5 pages on each.

All the best!

Regards,
Christophe

PS - it's not exactly the same as what I described first, but it's easy to go from one to the other.
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and good to read that you have found your own way to solve the problem.

:-)
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by bitwyse »

Thanks to you, Willy.
I've been a programmer for [a long time] but I didn't need to use PDF until recently so I'm just learning.
Knowledge is meant to be shared - most of my personal work is distributed with a GPL.
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Re: Paste pages side by side

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

:)
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
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