Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting April 10, 2007
Posted by Carthik in applications, guides, microsoft, office, ubuntu.trackback
I have often wanted to convert a PDF file to a MS Word (.doc) file or an openoffice.org file. Usually I just copy the text from the PDF file and paste it in the new word document. Soon, this gets pretty tiring.
Recently I found a way to convert a pdf file to other formats, including .doc and .odt which preserves the formatting of the text pretty well. It is not perfect preserved but it is way better than having no formatting at all.
The secret goes by the name KWord. KWord is a KDE application that has a pdf “import” feature which lets you import either entire pdf documents or just a few pages from a pdf document while preserving the formatting! Of course - this only works for pdf documents which are not scanned images of pages. I tried it out on files created using 
Start the import using the “File” -> “Import” option in the main KWord menu.
After you select the pdf file to be imported, you will see a window like the one above where you can specify the pages you want to import. I did not change the default selected options - changing them and seeing what happens is an exercise left to the reader. 
Of course, if you want to install KWord on your Ubuntu system, you can run the following command from the terminal window:
$sudo apt-get install kword
Then you can launch KWord using:
$KWord &
or by clicking the entry for KWord in the menu on your desktop.
This sounds useful. I’ve been trying to find a way to preserve the text alignment in particular….as it seems to forget where it was, break the sentences where they should wrap and think everything should be “left”……is this a left wing conspiracy???? lolololol
Convert/Import from PDF and Keep the Formatting
What a great thing - KWord from KDE Office seems to be the solution.
…
Wow! Really useful! You’ve saved me a lot of work with this.
This option should be implemented in OOo…
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oh freakin’ fantastic! i have been using kword pretty exclusively for six months and _never_ even thought about such a thing much less tried it out! i’m gonna go convert all my pdfs to .do^W.odt right now.
ok, maybe not all of them.
BTW, thanks.
lifesaver… cenebris is wright “This option should be implemented in OOo…”
ooh neat. thanks!
Anyone thought to let the OpenOffice peeps know about this feature, and request they add it in?
Dirk, so how’s you detective agency doing?
The experiment on the cat is still in progress, although I suspect he may be dead…..judging by the smell. lol.
So far, only two people have gotten the “Dirk Gently” reference. lol. I am thinking about doing two “about me” pages…..one about me, the other about Dirk Gently, as created by the late genius known as Douglas Adams.
I’ve often wondered why pdf isn’t openable and editable in every decent word processor. It’s been the de facto document exchange format for years, and we’re only now getting around to actually being able to edit it freely? Good grief. If a dinky little prog like KWord can seem to manage it, why can’t a behemoth like OOo?
Not to slight KWord or anything. Looks like a pretty capable prog.
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convert /import and keep pdf formatting and then there it is and i can edit. terrific appreciate the info and well enoughh written awith what to do and how to do it succinct. terrific.
alll-lrighttttteeee then.
Tried importing PDF into KWord on several occasions and the result is poor formatting and it will not import images from the PDF file. Not so great I would say!
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KWord is good if the PDF document you’re converting is text-only or has only one or two images. If the PDF document is more complex than that, you’re wasting your time with KWord. Thanks carthik anyways.
KWord is good if the PDF document you’re converting is text-only or has only one or two images.
great job, but 105mb, hmm my admin will punish me
“Of course - this only works for pdf documents which are not scanned images of pages.”… but that’s quite what I’m needing now, converting some scanned as images pages to text format (.odt or .doc might do.) anyone can give suggestions?
Thanks for the tip. Saved me a lot of work. I’m adding this to my personal Tip’s-n-Trick’s list.
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