PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions

Exploring PDF Conversion On the Enterprise Level: Absolute PDF Server 3.0

Absolute PDF Server

We talk a lot about productivity and PDF conversion on the desktop, mobile, and cloud platforms. However, we never really covered the server platform where PDF conversion and productivity can occur at an even higher, much larger scale: the enterprise level.

At that level, the key point for companies is to manage resources, data and processes across the entire organization. Because it can be expensive and inefficient to have individual PDF applications for each employee, organizations typically turn to enterprise software as a solution.

What is Enterprise Software?

Enterprise software is different from what you’d normally experience from a program you buy, download, and use on your own personal computer. Enterprise software solutions are capable of catering to a large amount of users over a network, and are usually handled on the company’s backend servers.

Unlimited Users and Conversions Enterprise software applications usually handle business- or data- oriented tasks, such as info management, billing and accounting, order processing, and database management. Enterprise software is developed and offered by companies like Oracle, Sage, Microsoft, and IBM.

Moreover, enterprise workflows can differ and range from businesses and governments to schools and financial institutions. Naturally, each sector and organization has different needs. Thus, managers have to ensure that the enterprise software they choose works for their employees, the company’s IT system, and existing workflows.

Exploring An Organization’s Needs

In most cases, organizations can customize their enterprise software solutions “a la carte” according to their software strategy. Oftentimes, companies choose to use enterprise level software for tasks performed on a regular basis by the majority of its employees. Organization-wide solutions can offer workflows that are extremely effective at speeding up and controlling the task at hand.

PDF Document Conversion For The Enterprise: Absolute PDF Server 3.0

With PDF conversion, for instance, your IT managers can effectively automate a high volume of file conversions in one standardized framework. All they need is Absolute PDF Server.

Absolute PDF Server is the first enterprise-level document management solution to offer both PDF extraction and creation. It gives organizations the ability to perform both functionalities in one streamlined process.

Absolute PDF Server integrates technology from our Able2Extract PDF Server (used to convert PDF files into several other formats) and Sonic PDF Server (used to convert different file formats into PDF file format). As a result, you get quick PDF conversion to multiple formats and a tailored PDF creation process in one single location.

How Absolute PDF Server Works

How the process works depends on how your administrator sets it up. Essentially, you will either be able to email their document to a specified email address for conversion, or you can simply place your file into a watched folder (organized based on input format) which is monitored by Absolute PDF Server. In both cases, Absolute PDF Server will convert the files emailed or found within the folder, and the converted files will be sent back to you.

Converting via Absolute PDF Server Interface

You get your file properly converted while your IT administrators get full control over the process. They can manage, configure, and process the conversion queue from one user interface, ensuring that the conversion jobs are completed.

What Does Absolute PDF Server Have To Offer?

Although Absolute PDF Server is geared towards high volume conversion jobs for an entire company, it can still cater to individual conversion needs with the following features:

Convert and Create PDFs: Convert all native and scanned PDFs into MS Word, MS Excel and more; Create PDF from any printable Windows application
Customize PDF Creation: Brand your PDFs with watermarks; Manage fonts and colors; Combine multiple PDFs, split or join them.
Secure your PDFs: Set passwords, editing and printing permissions and choose from 40 or 128 bit encryption levels.
Schedule PDF Tasks: The server can be set to operate at specific times and dates. Files can be processed in middle of the night if desired.
Set Up Monitored Folders/Sub Folders: Automate PDF creation by specifying a folder for placing input files.
Email Integration: Converted files are processed and the result is emailed back to the sender.
Job Ticket Creation: The Job Ticket Editor is used for specifying PDF creation and extraction settings.

Given the features above, using Absolute PDF Server naturally comes with a few fringe benefits:

Increases Productivity. Improve the enterprise’s productivity and efficiency by managing processes on the backend.
Creates A Standardized System. IT Administrators can schedule, monitor, and keep track of tasks from one location. Document management is streamlined organization wide.
Unlimited Number of Users & Conversions. That’s right, unlimited. This means multiple users can convert as many files as they need, when they need.
Cost Effective. Absolute PDF Server is sold on a per license, per server basis. No individual licenses or subscriptions required. There are no extra modules or add-ins to buy later on.

So is enterprise-level PDF conversion right for your company? Find out. Get your IT manager to test out Absolute PDF Server’s features before taking the plunge! We offer a free 30-day trial for organizations.

For more details, contact our support team directly.

How To Work More Efficiently On Your Desktop With 4 Simple Tips

Computer Desktop with Shortcuts

Image Credit: Anders Sandberg

We all spend a good part of our time on the computer, and as paperless workers, we’re conditioned to find the fastest way to get things done. But are we ever working as effectively as we could? Probably not.

And it’s not because we don’t try. It’s just that we often overlook the most common place where we can tweak our routines to make them even more efficient. It’s the one place where we all start from: the desktop.

With a few simple changes and customizations, you can eliminate the seconds you spend on extra desktop clicks, searches, and toggling. Take a look.

Audit Your Shortcuts

First thing to deal with is icon clutter. Everyone suffers from it. It’s easy to rack up stray shortcuts over time via software installations and quick saves to the desktop. If there are ones that you don’t need on a regular basis, delete them. Shortcuts are only good for tasks or software you access on a daily or weekly basis.

Desktop Shortcut Icons

Image Credit: jeanbaptisteparis

Second, consider the type of shortcuts you create. Ones that help you perform repetitive tasks are the most efficient. Consider email reports you send on a daily basis. If they all contain the same formatting and the same outline, create a template for it and then generate a desktop shortcut to quickly call it up (right-click on the template file and select “Create Shortcut”). A desktop trick like that can shave minutes off your routine.

Organize Your Desktop(s)

Dexpot Virtual Desktop Thumbnails

Did you know that you don’t have to stick to just one desktop? Dexpot is a handy tool that will let you set up multiple virtual desktops. It’s perfect for anyone working on more than one project at a time. Each desktop is kept separate, but easily accessible via hotkeys, thumbnails and across different monitors, as well.

Fences Video Demo

You should also consider putting your desktop real estate to good use. Categorize and organize your icons. Tools like Fences and Nimi Places keep your desktop shortcuts organized into different zones for quick access. Both tools come with customization features like filtering options that can keep your work area in order at all times.

Or you can take things up a notch by cleaning up your desktop completely. RocketDock can give you a minimalistic work area by keeping all your favourite shortcuts, folders, and applications in one neat and tidy dock you can easily access when you need it.

Customizing WindowsTaskbar

Then there’s your Taskbar. You can adjust and customize it through the Control Panel. Auto-hide it, group similar buttons together, or show window preview thumbnails. Make it work with your everyday tasks. For example, if you take a lot of tutorial screenshots, you may want to auto-hide the taskbar completely so you don’t have to crop it out later on.

Customize Your Desktop Wallpaper

A desktop can also be effective in other ways. Starting on a new task? Create a flow chart or cheatsheet reference image of the process and set it as your wallpaper. Or download a motivational image for those times when you need an extra push. Your desktop can be more than just a dumping ground for shortcuts and files.

Make Programs Instantly Accessible

Having quick access to programs is a necessity. While the desktop allows you to avoid the hitting Start menu button, you can get even more efficient with a desktop app like Launchy. Like its name suggests, it will let you launch applications from it just like you would with the Start button, but it can also launch documents, files, bookmarks, folders and more.
Chrome App Launcher

You can launch your daily web browser apps right from the desktop. Browser apps usually require an opened browser to access them. However, a tool like Chrome App Launcher, will not only let you access Internet based Chrome web apps directly, it will also let you access packaged Chrome apps that “run as separate, standalone software that can also be used offline, unlike traditional browsers,” according to PCWorld’s review.

It may seem like an insignificant thing to reorganize your desktop. You may even think that small details like desktop shortcuts won’t matter. But it’s the little things that add up. So keep your desktop in order. It can either make or break your productivity!

4 Great Ways To Make PDF eBook Navigation Easy

PDF eBook Reading

In this day and age of DIY e-publishing, the PDF is an invaluable format. If you’ve ever downloaded an eBook resource from a website or blog before, then you know how convenient it is to have all the information and content you need in one single PDF. Yet sifting through all that content in lengthy PDFs can be a nuisance.

PDF navigation may seem like a small issue, but believe it or not, there are PDF files that don’t come as well-structured as they should be. Make it as easy as possible for your readers to navigate through your PDF eBook.

Here are a few quick tips to start you off.

1. Add Bookmarks

Bookmarks are perfect for breaking up your PDF into manageable chunks. Your readers can get a visual overview before they even start scrolling through the PDF. Most PDF creator applications will let you manually create bookmarks. In other cases, your PDF bookmarks will automatically be created if the formatting of your source document (such as MS Word) uses paragraph default styles, like “Heading 1,” to format your content.

PDF bookmarks for eBooks

For eBooks covering big topics that are broken down into smaller sections, create nested bookmarks. Nested bookmarks create a hierarchical parent/child list that can be easily expanded or collapsed, pointing your readers to even more specific locations in your eBook. Just remember to generate bookmark titles that are simple, consistent and descriptive.

2. Add Internal Links

Where possible and appropriate, insert links into your PDF eBook. If done properly, a page link can be an extremely effective way of directing your readers to relevant sections. This is especially handy in eBooks that are dense with information. You can direct your readers to the necessary sections.

Whether it’s to a glossary, an illustration, or to related sections, a link in the right place can go a long way. You can even use links within your Table of Contents and make it a one-click process to get to a section. Internal links are a great way to boost the organization and reading flow of your content.

3. Include A Table Of Contents

Depending on the amount and type of content in your eBook, a bookmark list might enough to guide readers along. But when in doubt, it’s always good publishing practice to include a Table of Contents where you’ll have more than 10 pages.

PDF Table of Contents Keep in mind that PDF files can be either viewed on screen or read in printed form. In cases where users wish to print up a 100 page eBook, they’ll need a Table of Contents page for off-screen reading. Just don’t forget to include page numbers in the footers/headers of your PDF eBook!

4. Integrate Interactive Navigation

In addition to the default navigation controls of PDF readers, you can insert navigational controls such as page buttons directly into the PDF content itself. Sounds hard, but with the right software you can create a navigable PDF button from linking a specified trigger area (button) with a target action to a page.

This is a perfect fit for eBooks containing multimedia and other dynamic content. However, just remember that what icons or controls may be intuitive to you, might not be to other users. Thus, if your navigational controls go beyond flipping from one page to the next, include a discreet legend.

In short, the easier it is to get through your PDF eBook, the better! What do you do to make your PDF eBooks easy to navigate? If we missed a tip or two, share it in the comments!

Able2Doc 7.0 Tip: Taking A Snapshot From PDF Documents

Despite the pressing need to work with PDF content, PDF conversion, despite all its benefits, might not always be what you need. Think of those times when you need just a snippet of PDF content in a document, like when you conduct research with PDF files, for instance.

Copying and pasting on your computer is probably the first thing that comes to mind. It’s a common, yet often messy, way of getting text or images into MS Word documents quickly. However, the results you have to edit afterwards are one major reason why PDF conversion is usually the better option.

But knowing that our users may still want the option of doing so, our desktop converters include a Snapshot feature. It gives you a way to create a proper snapshot of selected PDF content. For a more detailed look, here’s a walk through on the feature and how you can take a snapshot with Able2Doc 7.0.

1. Open your PDF file in Able2Doc 7.0

2. Go to Edit> Take Snapshot. This will activate the feature and let you select a portion of the active PDF to be saved to the Clipboard as an image

Take Snapshot feature in Able2Doc

3. Using your mouse, select the image or content that you would like to save as an image, as you would normally select an area for converting PDF content

Selecting PDF content for Snapshot

4. Once the selection has been made, you’ll get a popup letting you know that the content has been saved to the clipboard

Copying PDF content to clipboard

5. Go to the file or document where you need to insert the content. Then simply paste the content from your clipboard using CTRL + V or by selecting Paste from the right click context menu.

Pasting PDF content in Word

This tip is also applicable to Able2Extract PDF Converter. For scanned PDF documents, the only selection method available is area-based selection (this option enables data to be selected on a column-by-column or section-by-section basis rather than line by line).

So if you ever find yourself needing a quick image of your PDF content, the snapshot feature can get the job done easily.

How To Export Open Office Files To Google Docs

Working via the cloud is unavoidable these days. Thanks to mobile devices, we’re finding more efficient ways of working while away from the office. In fact, a common productivity habit these days is to send the document you’re working on to Google Docs so you can edit them from anywhere.

Well, if you’re using Open Office to create those documents, we’ve got a great productivity tip for you. In addition to helping you convert PDF to Open Office, we came across an Open Office extension that will let you instantly export your Open Office files to Google Docs: OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs (OOo2GD).

OpenOffice.org2Google Docs is an extremely handy plug in that allows you to export, import and update your Writer, Calc, and Impress files to and from Google Docs.

The best part about this extension is that it simplifies the entire process and lets you do it right from within the Open Office suite itself. Take a look.

Installing OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs

To start exporting your files, you’ll obviously need to install the plug in first. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Download the OOo2GD extension by clicking on the Get it Now button. Save the extension to a location you will remember.

2. In Open Office Writer, go to Tools>Extension Manager…

Accessing OpenOffice Extension Manager

3. In the Extension dialog, click on Add. Then browse, locate and select the OOo2GD extension you saved in step 1.

Once installed you should see it enabled in the extension list:

OOo2GD Toolbar AddOn

4. Restart Open Office. You’ll find the OOo2GD Add-On ready for you to add to your regular toolbar for quick one-click access to the functionality. Place it on your toolbar by clicking and dragging it to an empty spot on your toolbar.

OOo2GD Toolbar AddOn

Note: This is toolbar is optional. You can also access the functionality via File > Google Docs & Zoho.

How To Export Your Open Office Files to Google Docs

Now that you have the extension installed, you’re ready to start exporting your files to Google Docs. We put a quick step-by-step tutorial to help guide you through the process. To export your Open Office document,

1. Open the file you wish to export and click on the Export to Google Docs button:

Exporting OpenOffice to GoogleDocs

2. In the pop up dialog, enter your Google Docs Account credentials

Entering GoogleDocs Credentials

3. Select Convert to Google Docs format and Autoupdate. This will allow you to automatically set your file up for syncing and editing within Google Docs.

4. Click on OK. OOo2GD will then start uploading your file to your Google Drive.

5. Sign into your Google Drive account and locate the file

OpenOffice file in GoogleDrive

6. Click to open the file and you can then edit the document as needed within Google Docs

Editing OpenOffice in GoogleDocs

You can also quickly import Google Docs into Open Office in a similar manner. After clicking on Import to Google Docs, just input your credentials, click on Get list and you can select which file you want imported. Click on Open.

This extension is perfect and convenient for worker bees who need to take their work home with them. It eliminates the hassle of a USB key and toggling back and forth between saved copies. Do you have a favourite OpenOffice extension yourself? Which one helps you out the most?