Need pdf editor for schematic drawings

[frankreid]

I'm working on a large number (182) of electronic schematics which are in the form of .pdf files. I'm able to capture the areas I want and save them as .png files so I can manipulate them in Autocad. This is for those files that need to be redrawn. Now, for those which don't need to be redrawn, I need a tool to edit the .pdf file directly, particularly to remove the title block and border and then crop it tight to the schematic. This will also be converted to a .png. A simple crop works sometimes but others the title block or other extraneous boxes are above the bottom of the lowest components.

What are you using? I can do it with Acrobat Pro but I don't have it and it's expensive. I've tried with my favorite, Foxit Reader, but it has no cut feature.

Any help is greatly appreciated.




Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.

 

[amb2002]

You might try PDF-XChange Viewer:

http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer

I've only used the the free version, but it does most of what Acrobat does. The PRO version is only $35.50.

 

[frankreid]

Thanks. I'll give it a try.



Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I use pdf2cad - about $129 bucks.

You can load up all the files you want and let it rip - takes a few moments for each drawing but seems to work like a champ.

Probably can find a free one a Download.com

 

[frankreid]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I need a pdf reader or editor for doing three things:

1. Delete selected portions of the drawing
2. Crop tightly in to the drawing
3. Save As a .png file.

This is really all I need. I'm doing it with two programs, I'm trying to find one that will do it all. I don't mind buying the software if it's not too expensive ($30-$50).

I'm currently using the customer's license of Adobe Acrobat (not Reader) but have also used Foxit Reader but it won't delete portions. I downloaded the Foxit PHantom and I'm using it in the 30-day trial period. It costs about $110.

I don't want or need just a "Reader" as it won't do what I want. I hope I can find something more robust which is in my budget range. I probably won't need it again.



Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

OOPS!!

 

[FrancisL]

Have you tried Windows Paint:
Open the PDF, copy and paste into Paint, edit in Paint and save as
.png
Free

Francis

http://www.controldraw.co.uk

http://www.s88control.blogspot.com

 

[raptors076]

Try to convert your PDF drawing to DWG drawing. If youd use torrent, the software is available free. Google PDF to DWG convertor.. it is available on Isohunt website.

Once you convert it into Auto CAD file you can easily edit it.

 

[FrancisL]

" If youd use torrent, the software is available free"
Not free, stolen

Francis

http://www.controldraw.co.uk

http://www.s88control.blogspot.com

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Why are you removing the title block???

Are you pulling some shenanigans??

 

[frankreid]

Mike,

Are you pulling some shenanigans??

Shenanigans. Hmmm. That word dates you a little. I haven't heard it for a long time. But what exactly are you meaning with the "shenanigans." Do you mean making other changes? I do want to edit the drawing by cutting away parts of it. No I'm not doing something illegal or unethical. They are electronic schematic drawings that were made to support a piece of hardware for the USAF.

The drawings need to be in .png format for the programmers and graphic illustrators to use as a background. The final drawings will be displayed on large 5-foot screens for training. These drawings cannot have any information other than the schematic itself. No border, no title block, no other visible things. I put the title of the drawing at the top in a special place. The drawings came without any CAD files and were given to the company in the form of B-size paper prints in ten 3-inch, 3-ring binders. Someone here takes them and scans them to a .pdf file. Many are not straight in the original and are skewed out of square.

Since Autocad LT 9 can't read a .pdf they have to be converted into a .png. Then I can bring them into ACAD and put them on a special layer and redraw them. I could make them a .jpg but ACAD doesn't allow manipulating: rotating, moving, resizing of a .jpg.

Some of the drawings are excellent and can be used as-is if I can just remove borders, crop tightly, and save them as a .png
Someone suggested above and asked "Have you tried Windows Paint:"
Then suggested, "Open the PDF, copy and paste into Paint, edit in Paint and save as .png

Let's see. Open the PDF. In what? Adobe Reader is on the computer and I can open it with that. But is has no editing capability, It won't crop it. If I try to copy and paste it into Paint I will get the entire file which defeats the purpose. I first need to edit (cut and remove parts of) the drawing then it can be saved in some other format.

It's a lot of work. It's amazing what some people will do for money!

Whew! I'm sure wordy. Sorry.

Frank Reid

Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.

 

[FrancisL]

Frank
You can copy the graphic in a PDF file just using Adobe, any part or the entire page.
Then paste into Paint where you can remove the bits you do not want.
You may well however lose resolution
By the way I think you have very little chance of converting a scanned image to an editable AutoCAD diagram.
It might be easier to stick white paper on the parts of the diagrams you do not want before you scan (or photograph?)them!

Francis

http://www.controldraw.co.uk

http://www.s88control.blogspot.com

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I don't mean to offend - but I have had drawings "stolen" by doing basically what you are trying to do.

One of the largest entertainment groups in the US would ask us for "bid" drawings on a project relying on our excellent engineering and techniques. Then they would "cut" off the title block and send those out for bids!!!

We started copyrighting the drawings and "reminded" them that the fine is $100,000. They stopped.

 

[frankreid]

Mike, Thanks for the info. This is interesting information for those who need it, but I don't.

This company is a military contractor with a presence on a local US Air Force base. They have branches at many AF bases all over the world. Security is the least of my problems, they take care of all that.

The company produce training hardware and software with many images displayed on large screens. Some of the images are electronic schematics with colored lines drawn on them for the training. My job is to create the schematic drawings for the background so the graphic programmers can add the color and include it in the software.

All we have to work with is 11x17 paper drawings on the Air Force's own drawing formats. There are no electronic files until we hand scan the drawings to produce pdf files. Then I start my part. Some of the drawings are clean, legible, and easy to read.

But most are very badly printed, skewed, stretched, with poor line quality and are nearly unreadable. These have to be drawn. The tool they gave me is Acad LT 9. With this I make the drawings into a high quality image. I have no troulble producing a pdf of each one, nor in converting this to .png.

The easy ones that require no drawing at all are edited in the pdf file reader. We use Adobe Acrobat to remove unwanted parts, crop out the Air Force border and title block then save it as a png, ready for the programmers.

Why png? Because the graphics programmer's tools can only see and use this format - not pdf, not bmp, not jpg - Only png. The company only has one copy of Adobe and are very strict about the licensing - as they should be. I would like to find another .pdf file editor whitch will do those few things. I'll even buy it myself, if needed and it's under $50.

I am a local business owner and work both in my office over the internet and at the customer's sites. I have worked many years with all the local large companies and many small ones.

Sorry for the long explanation but it seems that those replying are giving me information that is not usable. They didn't read my first message. Oh well...

Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah

Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.

 

[amb2002]

Frank,

Did you try the PDF-XChange viewer I recommended? You cannot crop with the free version, but it will allow you to export the pdf to a png file. Then you could do your erasing and croping in an image editor such as Paint as FrancisL indicated. Another free and more powerful image editor is gimp, available here:

http://www.gimp.org

 

[frankreid]

Gimp is a great program and I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.

Frank

Frank Reid
Reid Engineering Services of Utah
-
You'll never know what you are worth until you learn to say NO.