Add value to image PDF files with pdfsandwich
Scan Doctor
Use this handy tool to make your scanned PDF files zoomable and searchable.
The Portable Document Format (PDF) is surely one of the very few file formats that every user of digital devices has used at least once, knowingly or not. In spite of its popularity, however (or maybe because of it?), the PDF is also too often misused. This article describes the problem and how you can solve it with a tool called pdfsandwich [1].
Purpose and Limits of PDF
In general, and simplifying a lot, the purpose of PDF is to make sure that the visible and printable versions of a digital document always look the same on both screen and paper, no matter which hardware and software render it. The PDF version of a text file configured to print on A4 sheets, for example, will always keep that form factor, regardless of that of the screen that displays it.
For the same reason, the PDF version of a spreadsheet will surely show the numbers in each cell with whatever font, font face, and color its author chose. However, it will not show the formulas that generate those numbers and, just like its printed version, it will not allow you to, for example, reorder the rows in any way.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.
-
Mecha Systems Introduces Linux Handheld
Mecha Systems has revealed its Mecha Comet, a new handheld computer powered by – you guessed it – Linux.
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.
-
Gnome Says No to AI-Generated Extensions
If you're a developer wanting to create a new Gnome extension, you'd best set aside that AI code generator, because the extension team will have none of that.