How to Convert a Postscript Document to a Word Document

D

Douglas McKibbin

How can I convert a postscript document to Word? I need to be able to
open the document and edit it .... something I cannot do in Preview (
OSX 10.4.6)
 
C

Chris Ridd

How can I convert a postscript document to Word? I need to be able to
open the document and edit it .... something I cannot do in Preview (
OSX 10.4.6)
Click to expand...

Convert it to PDF, and attempt to edit the pages of the PDF using
things like Illustrator, or Acrobat (the commercial version). Forget
Word for this job.

The reason your idea won't work is that a Postscript document is a
program that when run (for example by a printer, or by Preview.app)
produces as a side-effect a number of pages with marks on them. There's
no guarantee the text on the page will be inside the Postscript file in
any particular order. There's not even the notion of paragraphs or
sentences or words in Postscript!

If you've got significant changes to make (like text to add or delete)
then you will probably have to recreate the document. Very simple
changes (like changing a letter) are possible in the commercial version
of Acrobat etc.

Cheers,

Chris
 
P

Phillip M. Jones, CE.T.

Chris said:
Convert it to PDF, and attempt to edit the pages of the PDF using things
like Illustrator, or Acrobat (the commercial version). Forget Word for
this job.

The reason your idea won't work is that a Postscript document is a
program that when run (for example by a printer, or by Preview.app)
produces as a side-effect a number of pages with marks on them. There's
no guarantee the text on the page will be inside the Postscript file in
any particular order. There's not even the notion of paragraphs or
sentences or words in Postscript!

If you've got significant changes to make (like text to add or delete)
then you will probably have to recreate the document. Very simple
changes (like changing a letter) are possible in the commercial version
of Acrobat etc.

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...


Actually, Acrobat Pro 7.05 and up will allow you to save the file as a
Word Document.

it does convert end of line breaks into sentence Breaks (as if you
placed a period. so you will have to turn on the menu that like a
Backwards P with an extra line and change the line brakes to spaces.

Then you can edit as will and save as PS again if you need to when finished.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto:p[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>
 
C

Chris Ridd

Actually, Acrobat Pro 7.05 and up will allow you to save the file as a
Word Document.
Click to expand...

I just took a look at www.adobe.com and couldn't see them listing a
feature like that. What're they calling it?

If it works, then it sounds like just what the OP needs!

Cheers,

Chris
 
J

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]

Hi Chris:

It's simply called "Acrobat" these days. What used to be called "Acrobat
Reader" is now named "Adobe Reader"; the name "Acrobat" is reserved for the
editor.

Phillip is correct: Acrobat 7 will save the document as a Microsoft Word
Document, or as RTF, which Word can read (and in a variety of other formats
as well).

There are two cautions:

1) It's expensive... There are freeware alternatives.

2) The "quality" of the result may not be what you expect. PostScript
does not usually contain enough information to reproduce a Word Document.
What you will get is a file that Word can edit, but the formatting will be
quite strange compared to the way you would normally expect a Word document
to be produced. You will be able to edit it, but the way the file is
constructed may be a little odd.

If the file you have is a PDF, then Adobe Reader will enable you to copy the
text out (without any formatting) page by page. It's often quicker to do
this and simply reformat it from scratch in Word.

Cheers

I just took a look at www.adobe.com and couldn't see them listing a
feature like that. What're they calling it?

If it works, then it sounds like just what the OP needs!

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410
 
P

Phillip M. Jones, CE.T.

Drop the .PS file on Acrobat or Distiller (not Reader) Acrobat or
distiller converts to to a PDF.

Then when the resultant Pdf is opened look to see if all the formatting
is close.

Next go to File > Save As and choose Word document or RTF,and save that
file.

Now open the newly created Word document and and replace all line feeds
with spaces except that end in periods or are at end of Paragraphs.

Now you can edit at will and resave as PS or PDF.
Hi Chris:

It's simply called "Acrobat" these days. What used to be called "Acrobat
Reader" is now named "Adobe Reader"; the name "Acrobat" is reserved for the
editor.

Phillip is correct: Acrobat 7 will save the document as a Microsoft Word
Document, or as RTF, which Word can read (and in a variety of other formats
as well).

There are two cautions:

1) It's expensive... There are freeware alternatives.

2) The "quality" of the result may not be what you expect. PostScript
does not usually contain enough information to reproduce a Word Document.
What you will get is a file that Word can edit, but the formatting will be
quite strange compared to the way you would normally expect a Word document
to be produced. You will be able to edit it, but the way the file is
constructed may be a little odd.

If the file you have is a PDF, then Adobe Reader will enable you to copy the
text out (without any formatting) page by page. It's often quicker to do
this and simply reformat it from scratch in Word.

Cheers
Click to expand...


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto:p[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>
 
D

Douglas McKibbin

Thank you John, Chris, and Phillip.
Preview can conveert the PS document to PDF. I'll have to try Acrobat
Reader, copy, and paste into Word.... then reformat.
 
P

Phillip M. Jones, CE.T.

Ithink Preview can also save as Word or RTF as well.

Douglas said:
Thank you John, Chris, and Phillip.
Preview can conveert the PS document to PDF. I'll have to try Acrobat
Reader, copy, and paste into Word.... then reformat.
Click to expand...


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto:p[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>
 
P

Paul Berkowitz

No it can't. Preview only saves as various graphics formats (tiff, jpeg.
etc.) and pdf. (You're probably thinking of TextEdit.)

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.
 
P

Phillip M. Jones, CE.T.

Yep your right!

Paul said:
No it can't. Preview only saves as various graphics formats (tiff, jpeg.
etc.) and pdf. (You're probably thinking of TextEdit.)
Click to expand...


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto:p[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>
 

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