Question

How do I convert PDF into Quark and InDesign formats in C#?

Asked by: raheelasadkhan

I need to convert PDF documents into Quark and InDesign formats. Any ideas on how to achieve this programatically?

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Asked On
2009-09-01 at 12:38:13ID24699222
Tags

PDF

,

Quark

,

InDesign

,

conversion

,

C#

Topics

Adobe Acrobat

,

Quark XPress Publishing Software

,

C# Programming Language

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
10

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Answers

 

by: mguentherPosted on 2009-09-01 at 14:22:34ID: 25236317

Hi, raheelasadkhan,

both applications allow you to export as PDF (under File menu).

There are scripting languages (e.g. AppleScript) to automate this.

Additionally both applications have an API from where you can control this.

Or another option is QuarkXPress Server, a "user interface less" application that is multi-threaded and queueable to automate QuarkXPress tasks.

For QuarkXPress, here's support on getting access to the API: http://quarkalliance.com/quarkalliance_developer.html

Matthias

 

by: raheelasadkhanPosted on 2009-09-02 at 09:47:11ID: 25242901

I'm looking for a commercial library that can achieve both tasks. This library will be called from a C# web application.

 

by: mguentherPosted on 2009-09-02 at 10:17:33ID: 25243227

Hi, raheelasadkhan,

there wil be no library available for sure as these are commercial products.

What you can do is OEM e.g. QuarkXPress Server and feed it XML. QuarkXPress Server can make QuarkXPress documents out of XML and then make PDFs out of them. Or you feed it XML and get a QuarkXPress document.

Matthias

 

by: raheelasadkhanPosted on 2009-09-02 at 10:34:27ID: 25243448

Thanks for your input. The problem at hand is to generate Quark and InDesign from PDF so I'll have to find a way to export PDFs to XML which would require a separate library and complicate the process. I will look into it though.

If a single library cannot do that, I would need at least a reference implementation using multiple libraries since I have no experience with Quark or InDesign and very little with PDFs.

So far the only solution seems to be using the PDF or Acrobat SDK to convert PDF to XML and XML to Quark and InDesign. Yikes!

Any help would be appreciated.

 

by: mguentherPosted on 2009-09-02 at 11:07:49ID: 25243810

Hi, raheelasadkhan,

to get a PDF into anything editable if you are interested in content AND geometry is already an extremely difficult task.

Where does the PDF come from? It might be easier to export before it gets frozen into PDF.

Also, why do you need it to be QuarkXPress or InDesign? Do you just want to edit text or do you really want to change layout?

Matthias

 

by: raheelasadkhanPosted on 2009-09-03 at 00:24:45ID: 25248453

That's the problem. I do not have access to the document source. Only compiled PDF documents.

Regarding QuarkExpress and InDesign, I do not need too much control. Just so long as compatible documents can be created. I do not need every vector translated. Everything can be rasterized.

 

by: mguentherPosted on 2009-09-03 at 06:08:07ID: 25250227

if you need the PDF just rasterized, then just create two documents, one QuarkXPress, one InDesign, create a picture box as large as the page and link it to any PDF. Now you just need to rename the PDFs and the QXP and ID documents will link to the new PDF.

Is that sufficient? (I can't imagine, but if you really just need it as a picture then this is working).

Matthias

 

by: raheelasadkhanPosted on 2009-09-03 at 06:45:27ID: 25250571

That can work but the question is how to achieve this programatically.

 

by: mguentherPosted on 2009-09-03 at 08:20:20ID: 25251587

If that would work then programatically you just have to do a "file rename".
QuarkXPress and InDesign reference pictures by file path (absolute or relative).

So you would create OEN document with a picture box, reference to a PDF called "picture.pdf" in the same folder as the QXP/INDD and then you are done.

So when you need to send the next document to your custoemr, you woudl have to rename your acme.pdf to picture.pdf and send off the two files (the QXP and the PDF).

Matthias

 

by: therealteunePosted on 2009-09-03 at 13:27:54ID: 25254612

At my work they use PDFlib (can also run as a Webservice) with .Net C# to rasterize a PDF and send for print to copyhouse. http://www.pdflib.com/download/ and we use TallComponents for a preview of the PDF in the browser: http://www.tallcomponents.com/pdfthumbnail.aspx

You can setup the save options to your likes like cPDF etc. It's a lot of work to program but quite handy.

Good luck

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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