Everyone receives PDF files that require editing, whether it be at work on a more personal level, I’m sure you have reached hair-pulling status within just a few minutes. You may or may not possess the proper permissions to edit said file with Adobe Reader, mostly because the program wasn’t entirely created to change files, but to allow you to read them.
Do you have a copy of Adobe Illustrator? Lucky you! (If you don’t you may grab a trial version here). Simply go through the following tutorial, and you will be on your way to editing PDF files like a pro!
DID YOU KNOW?! Illustrator allows you to use the file’s original font!
First things first.. open up Adobe Illustrator!
Next, open up your PDF file… you will have to work page by page!
MAKING A REPETITIVE EDIT? Don’t forget to create an action!
In this case, I am missing font Optima, and Illustrator is giving me a substitute (which works rather well).
Using keyboard shortcut “t”, hover your cursor over the line you wish to edit.
Type wherever, whatever, or change preexisting text!
Saving is pretty easy. Because you are working with individual pages, you can simply hit “ctrl” + “s” to save each page, or use the “Save As” function as indicated below.
And that’s it! Make sure to comment on how this worked for you! You may be able to use different versions to produce the same effect. Thanks for reading!
QUICK TIP! If you are making the same changes over and over to multiple changes, create an action! The action box is generally located at the top right corner of the user interface (depending on the chosen layout). Click the “new” icon to make a new action. Then, hit the record (round) button to begin recording your actions (don’t worry it isn’t time limited!). This feature records each change you make (even changing the word “awesome” to “frawsome” if your heart desires). Save your action and hit “play” after you have opened any particular page, viola!
What Did I Use for This Tutorial?
Program: Adobe CS4 Illustrator
PDF: Magento Design Guide, page 11
Ericka Sheppard 