The Keyboard: Your new best friend

Take a (Keyboard) Shortcut

Regular users of any application tend to rely on a handful of keyboard shortcuts, and most of us are familiar with at least a couple. They’re are a great way to shave time off the tasks you perform most frequently—sidestepping the mouse, menu, and anything else that gets in the way.

Today, we’re listing five of our favorite keyboard shortcuts in Nitro Pro 7 and Nitro Reader 2 for those of you with nimble fingers that never leave the keyboard…

1.  Quick-launch Nitro 

Bypass the Start Menu or Desktop and launch Nitro Pro or Nitro Reader in nanoseconds using the Windows ‘Run’ command prompt.

1. Win+R to launch the ‘Run’ dialog
2. Type nitropdf (Nitro Pro) or nitropdfreader (Nitro Reader)
3. Hit Enter

2. Close Active Tab (Document)

Finished up with that PDF file? Close a single open tab without even looking at your mouse by hitting Ctrl+W

3. Enter Fullscreen View

Need to maximize your onscreen real estate and kill the clutter? Launch Fullscreen View with a single key: F11

4. Print Document

Sure, they’re digital documents—but most of us still make occasional use of the printer. Turn PDF to paper with Ctrl+P

5. View Document Properties

Want to know more about that PDF file, like where it came from? Check the author, initial view settings, security permissions, embedded fonts, and more. Just hit Ctrl+D

However, once you’ve created a PDF file, it can still be a strain on your hard drive or a headache to email if it’s too large.  Here are some handy tips from our blog archives to reduce the size of your PDF file and hopefully reduce the number of headaches you have in 2012!

1. re-create the pdf to reduce pdf file size

A handy trick for reducing PDF file size is to re-create or ‘re-fry’ your PDF. By creating the PDF again you can strip out plenty of unwanted objects, remove tags, and compress images further. You can do this with any tool that supports ‘print to PDF’ functionality. For this trick you can use our free Nitro Reader.

-Open the PDF file

-Click Fileà Print

-Select Nitro PDF Creator 2 from the list of printers

-Click the Properties button and select Web-ready Conversion Quality

-Click OK.

2. reduce pdf file size with ‘save as’

If you use a PDF editor like Nitro Pro you can make use of the ‘Save As’ functionality to trim some fat off your PDF files. Chris Dahl, our VP of Desktop explained it succinctly:

PDF files have something that is called incremental updates, where any changes that you make to a document is appended to the end of the file without doing a complete rewrite. This is why the Save feature is much faster than a Save As, and also why PDF files saved this way can be large. The Save As feature will rewrite the entire file and provide you with a smaller file size.

So, to shrink the PDF, do the following:

-Open the PDF in Nitro Pro

-Click File à  Save As.

3. remove unwanted objects

PDF files can contain a bunch of different objects, including bookmarks, links, annotations, form fields, JavaScript, Named Destinations and embedded fonts — all of which can be removed from an existing PDF file. Like tip two it requires a PDF editing tool such as Nitro Pro.

-Open the PDF in Nitro Pro

-Click File > Optimize PDF > Select the Remove Objects tab.

-Choose the objects to remove

-Click Optimize

4. shrink all images in pdf files

For PDF files that contain many images, downsampling all of them can make a noticeable difference.

-Open the PDF in Nitro Pro

-Click File > Optimize PDF

-Pick from one of the 5 preset image quality options or select Custom for further compression choices

-Click OK, then Optimize

The last thing you want is to put in the effort to make a large PDF document only to find out it’s too large to send to anyone. Luckily, you can save time and headaches with these simple, easy-to-use tips as well as working more efficiently with Nitro.  You can download a free 14-day trial of Nitro Pro here: www.nitropdf.com/try/.

But what about a document where you’ve got tens (or hundreds) of instances of text you want to redact – like the name, address, or sale price in a real estate contract? Finding and redacting every single occurrence is time-consuming, not to mention risky.

That’s where Search & Redact comes in, allowing you to identify multiple instances automatically, then easily go through each and apply the redactions individually, or all in one go.

In this example, we’ll look at hypothetical company balance sheet. Imagine, if you will, that it wasn’t actually hypothetical (trust us, it is!) and we wanted to remove every instance of the company’s name that appears in order to use it in these screenshots.

1. Go to the Protect ribbon and look for Redaction.
2. Select Search and Redact.
3. Enter the text you want to redact (in this case, “XYZ COMPANY LIMITED”) in the search field.
4. The search results will display total number of occurrences first.
   1. Click to expand and show each individual instance.
5. Click on the individual instances to see them as they appear in the document, and select the check-box to mark them for redaction.
   1. Or, select the check-box at the top to mark all instances for redaction.
6. Click Redact All Marks to apply redactions to every selected occurrence of the phrase you searched for.

In the image below, you can see that the company name at the top of each page in the Pages panel has been redacted, indicated by the black mark – it’s that easy!

Nitro Pro 7’s Redaction tools allow you to share documents that contain sensitive information, easily and securely – regardless of where they end up after you send them.

If you’re already using Nitro Pro 7, why not try some of the more advanced Redaction tools today?

If you’re using an older version, or one of our free products, download the free, fully functional trial and find out for yourself just how easy it is.

Choosing the right page layout setting is the key. The three different layout modes are designed to create Microsoft Word files that suit your needs every time.  Believe it or not your need can vary quite a bit!

Page layout modes explained

The page layout conversion modes provide you with options to choose the right balance between the output file’s editability as well as its visual accuracy when compared to the original PDF. The best choice comes down to what you intend to do to the Microsoft Word (or rich text) files you create.

• Highly editable (with layout). This option produces a file that is quite editable, while still retaining the look-and-feel of the original PDF.  Text formatting, graphics, and paragraphs are all recovered, and the output file is laid out in columns to maintain visual accuracy. We set this as the default PDF-to-Word conversion mode in Nitro Pro as it is likely to be the best mode for most people.
• Highly editable (single column). This option produces a file that is ideal for making major structural or layout changes to the Word document.  Text formatting, graphics and paragraphs are all recovered, but no columns are used in laying out the content.
• Precisely laid out. This option produces a file that accurately reproduces the look of the PDF, and uses text boxes to precisely layout all the content. When producing a Word/DOC/RTF file that must closely resemble the PDF, then this is the mode to use. Of course, because it uses text boxes and focuses on the precise layout of page content, the outputted Microsoft Word file is not as easy to edit.

Changing the output mode

When you have opened the PDF to Word tool in Nitro Pro and would like change the mode, just click on the Options button and make your selection.

Do you prefer a one of the conversion modes? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Red Cross: learn from their experience

The Red Cross organization is the world’s leader in emergency response, and since its founding in 1881 the group has documented invaluable plans and procedures resulting from first-hand experience with natural disasters. The assistance provided by Red Cross personnel has saved thousands of lives in conditions which many of us don’t even know about — and that’s a good thing — however we have all seen situations which chilled our blood just by watching the aftermath on the news. A perfect example is the recent earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster that hit Japan earlier on this year, with consequences that still plague the Japanese people till today.

When considering how effective the Red Cross interventions are, we should all be responsible enough to read what they recommend to families and businesses for being prepared in dire situations. Among their many documents, I highly recommend the following two disaster plans which can be downloaded as PDF files from the Red Cross website.

The Family Disaster Plan

This PDF document provides essential information to put together a family disaster plan and what to include in a disaster supplies kit.

Click the image to download the family disaster plan

The Business Disaster Plan

This PDF document provides valuable advice to businesses who want to protect their employees and customers during dangerous and life-threatening situations.

Click the image to download the business disaster plan

Now all you need is a great PDF reader

Remember, if you need an awesome + free + fully featured PDF reader to view all those ebooks, Nitro PDF Reader is only one-click away!

Your mouse’s favorite tools

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All the above mentioned tools are conveniently positioned in the Tools group, which is accessible on any tab of Nitro Reader’s ribbon. This gives you easy access to your essential tools regardless of which ribbon tab you’re using, allowing them to be always present throughout the many different editing features of Nitro Reader.

fig.01 - Reader's Tools

Easier access for smaller screens

When working on computers with smaller displays — such as notebooks and tablets — it becomes important to gain as much screen real-estate as possible, leaving the majority of your workspace free for your PDF documents. For that reason Nitro Reader allows you to minimize the ribbon, thereby increasing the size of the document pane.

So how does one access all the useful tools when the ribbon is minimized? The answer is simple: say hello to the Quick Access Toolbar (or QAT).

fig.02 - Adding to the QAT

Any tool in Nitro Reader’s ribbon can be easily added to the QAT. Simply right-click on any button, and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar. Similarly, the above screenshot also illustrates how to minimize the ribbon. Once again, right-click on any button and select Minimize the Ribbon.

Once your favorite tools have been added to the QAT, they will be instantly accessible at all times in a convenient and customizable ‘speed dial’ which will always be available even when the ribbon is minimized.

Wrap up

We often receive requests from Nitro users to create tutorials on how to use advanced tools, or to explain technologies in more ‘human readable’ terms. The more I dig deep into advanced features, settings, technologies, and PDF concepts, the more I realize how important it is to tie all these features into a simple and clean user experience.

This is why I’ve gone back to basics with this article, but I also want to invite you to send in your feedback about usability and the overall experience of working with Nitro Reader. How would you simplify a complex task? Do you feel that a feature or button would be more useful if it were moved to a different area?

Send in your comments, and help us shape the future of our free and feature-complete PDF reader.

Among the new features, one of the most popular requests from Nitro Reader users was the addition of a browser plugin enabling you to view online PDF files directly inside your web browser. Although the plugin is designed to work straight out-the-box, sometimes a bit of manual tweaking is required to disable other stubborn plugins running in the browser. The following guide will walk you through the simple steps to manually enable Nitro Reader’s browser plugin when it doesn’t happen automatically

Nitro Reader's browser plugin

Mozilla Firefox

1. Go to Tools > Options, and click on the Manage Add-ons… button
2. Go to the Plugins section, and check that Nitro PDF Plug-In is listed and enabled
3. If there is another PDF viewer plug-in enabled (e.g. Adobe PDF Plug-In), you should disable it on this dialog
4. Restart Firefox and click here to test the plugin by opening a PDF file

Google Chrome

1. In the address bar (sometimes called the ‘omnibox’), type about:plugins and press Enter
2. Check that Nitro PDF Plug-In is listed and enabled
3. If there is another PDF viewer plug-in enabled (e.g. Adobe PDF Plug-In), you should disable it on this dialog
4. Restart Chrome and click here to test the plugin by opening a PDF file

Internet Explorer

1. Go to Tools > Internet options, and click on the Programs tab
2. Click on the Manage add-ons button, and when the dialog appears, select to view All add-ons
3. If there is another PDF viewer plug-in enabled (e.g. Adobe PDF Plug-In), you should disable it on this dialog, Make sure Nitro PDF is enabled.
   
4. Restart Internet Explorer and click here to test the plugin by opening a PDF file

So to balance my introduction against a more positive note, an important and reassuring statistic is that more and more people are increasingly becoming aware of what they eat and how they live. There are many resources for those in search of a greater understanding of how to live healthily, however it is not as common to find unbiased information delivered on solid grounds from certified experts.

The good news is that Natural News is here to help.

Natural News and their 25 amazing food facts

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce an amazing – and at times shocking — PDF document highlighting “25 amazing things you never knew about the stuff you eat”.

NaturalNews.com is a non-profit online resource full of informative, inspiring, and revealing articles about anything related to personal health in our contemporary society. Their “25 facts” PDF document is an eye-opening list of facts about foods which we take for granted in our everyday life, and after reading this guide I guarantee that you won’t look at certain things in the same way.

Here are some teasers from the guide:

• The secret ingredient in commercial breads and pizza dough that’s made from human hair!
• The miraculous anti-cancer medicine found inside the pit of everyday peaches — and why this medicine has been banned in America.
• The shocking truth about a dangerous chemical used in microwaveable popcorn that actually causes a crippling lung disease.

Downloading the guide is a simple process. Click on the above image, or head over to http://www.naturalnews.com/RR-25_Amazing_Facts_About_Food.html, and enter your email address to receive the link. When this guide was recommended to me, I was also sceptical about giving Natural News my email address; however I can assure you that you’ll love their newsletters which are always full of articles essential to anyone in the pursuit of a healthier life. If you’re not happy with the newsletters you can always opt out at any time.

Pick up a powerful PDF viewer

Now that you’ve downloaded this useful guide from Natural News you’ll also be needing a PDF viewer to open and read the PDF report. Here are the two contenders for your choice:

• Nitro PDF Professional: create, convert, combine, edit, sign and share industry-standard PDF files for superior results – and savings.
• Nitro PDF Reader: Create PDF files, collaborate and review, fill and save forms, add text to pages, QuickSign ^TM documents, and more…

So let’s assume you got your hands on a PDF file containing important information you need to reuse, but you instantly hit a road block when you try running it through Nitro PDF Professional’s Convert To Plain Text tool. So why isn’t the text recognized?

fig.01 - Image Based Text

Image-based text and OCR

In the professional world, many businesses create PDF files made from scanned documents, which means that the text in the PDF is essentially an image – or photograph – of the original text. Image-based text cannot be recognized as actual text and therefore it cannot be extracted. Before giving up, you can use a powerful tool designed to recognize image-based text and convert it to fully editable text – OCR, or Optical Character Recognition to the rescue.

What is OCR?

Commonly in professional environments — such as legal offices — hundreds of documents are scanned regularly for back-up and archival, however the text in the resulting files consists of mere images, as opposed to ‘live’ text, which cannot be manipulated or searched. Optical Character Recognition — or OCR – is a software technology that recognizes text inside an image, based on the shapes of individual characters.

You can think of OCR software as a virtual eye that uses artificial intelligence to look at a scanned image and identify text characters through pattern recognition algorithms. Once the text has been recognized, OCR then allows you to save a new file based on two output options:

• Searchable text: the document will look the same, but an invisible text layer is applied over the image allowing you to search and highlight text.
• Editable text: the document no longer contains an image, but the identified text is rewritten using real text which you can edit, delete, or elaborate.

Using OCR in Nitro Pro

fig.02 - The OCR Button

1. Open a PDF file which contains image-based text.
2. On the Create and Convert tab, in the OCR group, click Recognize Text.
3. In the Recognize Text using OCR dialog, choose the pages you want OCR to process and then select Editable Text from the Output menu.
4. Click OK, and you will be prompted to name the new PDF file and choose where to save it.
5. Your new PDF file can now be converted to plain text, and you can manipulate its text as you require.

OCR limitations, and how to work around them

OCR is a very advanced and useful utility, but its success is also dependent on the quality of the images it processes. The following list highlights some of the common scenarios which OCR finds problematic:

• Processing images containing very small text (smaller than 10 points).
• Images scanned from stained, crumpled, or colored paper.
• Low quality images with grainy or faded text.
• Images with skewed or warped text.
• Images with mixed content (text, images, and graphics all in the one page).

The following best practices and workarounds ensure the final output is consistent with the scanned original:

• Set the scanner color settings to Grayscale, or Black and White if the text is black against a white background.
• If supported by your scanner, adjust brightness and contrast to achieve deep blacks and bright whites.
• Set the scan quality (resolution) to 300dpi or better.
• Start with a good original document. Wrinkles and creases might hinder OCR accuracy.
• Ensure scanner glass is clean and free from smudges.
• Keep your pages as straight as possible during scanning. Skewed pages require more processing in the OCR engine.
• Depending on the quality of your scanner, you might need to attempt several scans of the same document to process the best resulting image.
• If your text is on a patterned or colored background, try to obtain another version on a plain white background. Text against colored backgrounds or gradients will require several attempts with different settings until the right configuration for successful OCR is found.
• Some smudges can be manually repaired by using white correction fluid to cover unwanted artifacts.
• If supported by your scanner, enable the despeckle setting to remove noise from your image.
• If supported by your scanner, increase text smoothing to remove harsh blends and grain.

Get working with OCR

Nitro PDF Professional comes packaged with OCR technology developed by IRIS, one of the industry’s leaders in intelligent document recognition technology. To see how OCR can really help you make the most of your PDF files, head over to Nitro’s OCR page and download your free trial today.

This feature is useful when you want to focus the reader’s attention on a particular item by positioning it in the center of the page-view at the right enlargement. A practical example of this is a company’s organization chart which includes a bookmark structure enabling you to zoom in to a particular person’s portrait, which is quite useful when you’re a new employee and you need to find someone.

fig.01 - Zoomed in via bookmark

This little trick can be used to provide an easy way to locate anything on the pages of your document. Email addresses, images, links, and even text. The great feature of configuring homing bookmarks is that they work independently from the other bookmarks, allowing you to return to your previous view by clicking on another bookmark, or by using the viewing history.

Homing bookmarks in five easy steps

The quick way to create homing bookmarks does not require the use of any dialogs or hidden settings. This is how easy it is:

1. In the Tools group of Nitro Pro’s ribbon, click the Hand tool.
2. Locate the item you wish to associate with a bookmark, zoom in to it, and center it on the page-view by clicking the page and dragging the Hand.
3. In the Tools group of Nitro Pro’s ribbon, select the Edit tool and click once on your target object to enable its bounding box.
4. Click the Insert and Edit tab in the ribbon, and then click the drop-down menu of the Bookmark button, found in the Navigation group.
5. Select New Bookmark from the menu, and give it a name in the Bookmarks pane.

fig.02 - The Steps

It couldn’t be easier. Here are a few suggestions for when this feature can come in handy:

• Zooming in to a street on a map
• Centering specific sections of a large engineering drawing
• Centering someone’s image on an organization chart or family tree
• Bringing your contact details into focus
• Anything else your mind can conjure

So easy you might just want to try it!

Getting a free — and fully functional — trial of Nitro PDF Professional is just as easy as following this tutorial. Simply follow the link to download Nitro Pro: http://www.nitropdf.com/professional/trial.asp.