Merging PDFs

[Boncuk]

Hi All,

may be I've got the wrong software.

Here's the problem: I want to make a booklet containing a circuit description, schematics and PCB prints displaying the entire PCB, the solder side, component side and silk screen separately.

Using PDF-creator one picture requires an entire sheet of paper. Even a small PCB containing nothing but a SOT23-6 package with a DIP-06 adapter requires an entire sheet, although the true dimension is 1/2X1/2 inch.

Cutting and pasting parts of PDFs into Windows Word is not satisfactory when converting the *.doc to a PDF-file.

All schematics are almost unreadable and the PCBs look fuzzy.

For the PDFs I use PDF-Creator downloaded from https://www.ghostscript.com. Program authors are Philip Chinery and Frank Handörfer. Each PDF has a clear and distinctive look with all parts easily to identify by name and value.

There must be good way to cut PDFs to the required size and merge them into one file.

I highly appreciate any hint towards reasonable results.

Thank you

Hans

 

[dknguyen]

You'd have to use Adobe Acrobat to do that (the software that makes the PDFs in the first place).

 

[3v0]

Hans,

I generate excellent PDF graphics from Eagle and import them into open office text documents.

Generate images of schematics or boards from eagle by selecting PDF from the print dialog.

Open the PDF using adobe reader. Use Tools>Select&Zoom>Snapshot_Tool. The snapshot tool allows you to select all or any part of the pdf and save it to the clipboard.

Next use your favorite image tool (gimp here) and do a "paste as new image" sort of thing. At this point you should be able to save it in any format your tool supports.

Import it into you text editing tool.

 

[Sceadwian]

https://www.gimp.org/

The gimp works well, the last version I had installed loads PDFs directly though it does have to convert them to a raster format first.

 

[Hero999]

Inkscape can be used to convert PDFs into a vector format like .SVG or .WMF which doesn't become fuzzy when scaled.

PDF creator can merge the print jobs into one in order to make one PDF instead of several.

Checkout my Inkscape thread for an example of how I extracted a picture of a DIL8 package from the 741 PDF datasheet, coloured the legs grey, enlarged it and excported it to PDF.

When you print using PDF creator, click the 'Wait Collect' button, then when you print more they will appear as separte jobs instead of automatically being converted to PDFs. Highlight the jobs you want to combine and select combine from the menu bar (I can't remember which menu off the top of my head though), then click resume printing and it'll put them all into one PDF.

 

[Boncuk]

You'd have to use Adobe Acrobat to do that (the software that makes the PDFs in the first place).

Not quite the solution. Acrobat can't read Eagle files.

 

[Boncuk]

Hi hero999,

there seem to be several very different versions of PDF-creator. Mine is addressed like a printer and converts any file format to PDF. It is not able to merge files.

As I already posted this is quite unsatisfactory, because regardless of the object size it always makes a full page of it with the object accurately centered.

Hans

 

[Hero999]

I made a thread about the version I use.
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/anyone-tried-pdf-creator.41836/

It can merge printjobs to make one PDF but each job will appear on its own page. I think there might be an option to squeeze several jobs onto one page but I haven't needed to do that so I don't know.

If you want to extract elements from a PDF, scale and edit them you need a program that can rip: PDFs such as Adobe, import PDFs e.g. Inscape or convert them to a format your drawing package can open i.e Ghostscript with the PDF to vector plugin.

I use Inkscape, which I discussed in this thread.
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/have-any-of-you-tried-inkscape.42597/

 

[3v0]

To merge pdf pages try "pdf split and merge"

Part of the problem is that your original post title and body are in conflict. In the title you want to merge pdf's. In the body it sounds like you want to import pdf images into pdf.

What exactly is the problem.

 

[Boncuk]

To merge pdf pages try "pdf split and merge"

Part of the problem is that your original post title and body are in conflict. In the title you want to merge pdf's. In the body it sounds like you want to import pdf images into pdf.

What exactly is the problem.

Hi 3v0,

it wasn't my intention to screw somebody up. Please blame it on the partial language barrier.

To be precise: A project normally consists of a short description, a schematic, functional description of the overall circuit, PCB layout in total view, solder side, component side and silk screen, BOM and remarks about changing values if the circuit is used for different voltages and/or loads.

All that must be contained in a small booklet, allowing to add plain text, e.g. picture name.

I'm sure IC-manufacturers are using the same way to make a data sheet.

I'm just not satisfied with a lone IC-adapter socket on a DINA-4 sheet. Also, a PCB layout can be made occupying one single sheet for different views if it is small enough to allow for placing within that one sheet.

Kind regards

Hans

 

[3v0]

Are you insisting that the final document be pdf ?

If not what I am doing works well in either oo or ms word.

 

[Boncuk]

Are you insisting that the final document be pdf ?

If not what I am doing works well in either oo or ms word.

I don't insist on PDFs. I tried ms word, and the schematic is almost unreadable.

Also, the Eagle version I'm using (version 3.55) does not export PDFs.

Hans

 

[Hero999]

Does Eagle allow you to export in .WMF or .EMF?

MS Word allows you to import both of the above.

If not, print the schematic using PDF creator, open it with Inscape, edit as required, save as a .EMF and import it into Word.

 

[3v0]

I don't insist on PDFs. I tried ms word, and the schematic is almost unreadable.

Also, the Eagle version I'm using (version 3.55) does not export PDFs.

Hans

Eagle lets you have several version installed at the same time. I suggest installing V5 and using the PDF from the print dialog, the results are excellent.

3v0

EDIT: The one down side is that V5 will want to update the older files to V5 format. Make a copy and print from that.

 

[Boncuk]

Hi hero999 and 3v0,

no, that version of Eagle is about 17 years old and doesn't export anything.

Also using Eagle 3.55 drawings require to have them passed through version 4.16 prior using them in any later version.

Eagle upgrades are simply too expensive. The latest offer I received from CadSoft upgrading from version 3.55 to 4.16 was 850€. Evaluating the improvement I don't see a reason why to purchase small changes for big money.

Hans

BTW. I've checked several PDF-splitters and all of them do basically the same - everything except for splitting. The term "splitting" leaves enough room for interpretation. Mine is: Split a PDF just to the required size, not a whole sheet.

 

[Hero999]

Split a PDF just to the required size, not a whole sheet.

Sorry, I still don't understand what you mean.

Do you mean you want to extract objects from the PDF in a scalable format?

 

[Boncuk]

Sorry, I still don't understand what you mean.

Do you mean you want to extract objects from the PDF in a scalable format?

Hi Hero999,

assume you want to have a picture of an adapter socket SOT-6 to DIP06 which has the size of 7.62X7.62mm. This little socket occupies a whole DIN-A4 sheet when converted to a PDF file from Eagle using PDF-creator. I've found no way how to make it fit for the required size and fit it into a page with more objects.

The size might be left unchanged for the viewer to know the real dimensions.

Hans

 

[Hero999]

Why not extract it from the PDF, paste it into Word, scale it down to the required size and export it back to PDF?

 

[Boncuk]

Why not extract it from the PDF, paste it into Word, scale it down to the required size and export it back to PDF?

That's why not.

Hans

 

[Hero999]

Then use Inscape like I've being trying to tell you for half of the thread.

It's a drawing package which can import/export PDFs and export them to EMFs which can be imported to MS Word.

Just to show you what it can do, I've taken your drawing, removed the border, rotated it and added some text.