Re: PDF File Alteration

[Jason Hackney <unicycle@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Is this what you're looking for?
http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/acrosdk/docs/PDFRef.pdf

Adam Williams wrote:

> >PDF files are mostly plain text and can be modified with any text editor.
>
> Yes,  but I think these PDF files where generated by a M$ product, as
> the code looks like taillings from a coal mine,  so I can't intuit
> anything about the background.
>
> >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.
>
> That would be great.
>
> >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)
>
> Finally,  something you can't do remotely with a Linux box.  (Maybe if
> we got one of those robotic arms from Radio Shack...)
>
> Is this document available on-line anywhere?  A cursory look didn't turn
> it up.
>
> >>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.
> --
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> Ximian GNOME, Evolution, LTSP, and RedHat Linux + LVM & XFS
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