Re: PDF File Alteration

[Bruce Smith <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

PDF files are mostly plain text and can be modified with any text editor.

I have a copy of the official Adobe PDF reference manual at work, and I
can bring to the next meeting if you want to take a look at it.

I'd look up the answer for you, but I'm in Wisconsin now and the manual 
is at my work.  (and I won't be back until Tuesday)


> I have some PDF files of what apparently were PowerPoint (a registered trademark
> of the Microsoft corporation) presentations.  I can convert each of these pages
> to a PBM with "pdftopbm" (output OK, but not great),  and I can also open them
> in GIMP (something I discovered by accidently openning the PDF instead of the
> PBM, and they look great).  What I need to do is plaster several PDF files,
> images, text documents, etc... into one file that users can request be printed
> on a B/W laser via a web form, whatever... (probably will turn it all back into
> a PDF or Postscript file).  My dillema is that these PDFs look great on the
> screen but print terrible as they are white letters on a pale blue graphic
> background.  I'm wondering if anyone knows of a way (command?) to remove the
> background from a PDF?  I don't even know if PDFs store the background seperate
> from the text, etc.... so maybe I'm grasping at straws.  If so, just whack me.


--------------------------------------------
Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
System Administrator / Network Administrator
Armstrong International, Inc.
Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
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