Converting PDFs

Converting to PDF is dependable, because the layout has already been decided. Converting out of one is a reconstruction. These articles are about the difference.

OCR vs converting a PDF to WordWhat is the difference between OCR and converting a PDF to Word?OCR reads the pixels of a scanned page and guesses the text. PDF to Word rebuilds an editable file from text the PDF already contains.
Converting a PDF to Word without losing the formattingWhy does my layout fall apart when I convert a PDF to Word?Why converted documents reflow, what a converter can and cannot recover, and how to get the closest possible result — including when the PDF is a scan.
JPG or PNG for a PDF?Should I use JPG or PNG with a PDF?Which image format to use when building a PDF from pictures, and which to ask for converting pages back out. Photos and screenshots differ.
How to get text and images out of a PDFWhat is the best way to get content out of a PDF?Four ways to pull content out of a PDF and what each one actually gives you — plain text, page images, recognised text from a scan, or an editable document.
Converting Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDFWhat happens when I convert an Office file to PDF, or back again?Converting to PDF is reliable; converting back is a reconstruction. What each Office format loses in each direction, and how to avoid the loss.
Saving a web page as a PDFWhy does a web page saved as PDF come out badly?Web pages have no pages, so something has to decide where to cut. Why the result often looks broken, and how to get a clean one.
PDF to JPG: which resolution?What resolution should I use when converting a PDF to images?A page has no pixels until you choose a number. What to pick for screen, print and archiving, and which format to ask for.
What “Print to PDF” actually doesIs printing to PDF the same as saving as PDF?Printing to PDF and exporting to PDF take different routes and produce different files. What the print pipeline drops, and when printing still fits.
Why a table from a PDF comes out wrong in ExcelWhy does my table come out as a mess when I convert a PDF to Excel?A PDF does not contain a table. It holds text placed at coordinates, and lines drawn near it. Everything a converter gives you is reconstructed from that.

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