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List:       openoffice-discuss
Subject:    Re: [discuss] edit PDF
From:       James Lee <jameslee () openoffice ! org>
Date:       2002-02-26 19:17:24
Message-ID: 20020226.19172400.81299008 () celery ! jamesipoos ! com
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Hi Timon,

> > PDF is not designed for editing.
> True, but what it was designed for originally needn't matter later on.

There exists PDF that you won't be able to "edit" without OCR or a pixel 
editor.


>> You can extract 
>> strings but essentially PDF (and PostScript) are graphics formats. You 
>> can use OCR
>
>If I'm not completely mistaken (correct me if I am) there are way easier
>ways to recover the Text, which is still in there as such.

This is the whole point, the "text" needn't be in there. Even if it is, 
the letters can be in a muddled order. Only when it's painted on a 2D 
page will the image necessarily become clear.

Of course much PDF has strings that you can recognise but StarOffice's 
own PS converted to PDF is a good example of where this doesn't happen.


>> but the important thing to remember is import of PDF is 
>> nothing like export. It's like suggesting an image editor should edit
>> the text sometimes found in JPEGs.

> I don't think this comparison is valid but would like to find out more.

It's entirely valid, especially when your know that JPEG compressed data 
can be included in a PostScript or PDF file. Look up the DCT filters, the 
decode filter reads JFIF file data directly. A PostScript file can just 
be a wrapper around JPEG data.


>> By all means create an easy way of outputting to PDF.
>> I think this already exists via printing to file.

>KDE users already have this for all their apps. Building this into OOo 
so
>that users on any plattform, particularly the win users who can't be
>bothered to set up ghostscript etc., can use it out of the box makes 
sense
>in my eyes.

Agreed fully. This should be much easier for the non computer savvy 
users.

Don't underestimate what GhostScript is doing. PDF needs interpreting. I 
think the best hope is to use GhostScript as a plug-in to OO for all EPS 
and PDF includes.


James.


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