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mmerk2

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PDF to Word

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows a program that convert  pdf to
MS Word

Situation: we have a project where we need to scan 300+ pages (yes in paper) to pdf and somehow get it to Word so we can modify some of the text in those pages without having to re-type everything.

any idea?

Thanks
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John
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Can you add OCR to your scanner?  That would be much easier. If you cannot OCR and create a PDF picture, it may be a challenge to convert to Word.
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You can use Microsoft Office Word editor  by right click on the pdf file then choose edit,  or open Microsoft Word then open pdf
FYI:  You can edit a PDF with Adobe Acrobat and several other programs (Fox It, NitroPDF, etc.) If you must take it to Word. The newer versions will convert from PDF to Word(they say) probably with some formatting loss I would imagine.

OCR is an option if just an image page (OmniPage software good for this), but as a PDF I think you will have better results with software.

There are also online options--that I haven't tried, like https://www.pdftoword.com/.

Be aware that if you are converting sensitive information that is protected by HIPPA or otherwise or are company trade secrets and intellectual property that certain online sites could be capturing all of the information you submit to use for their on nefarious purposes.  That would be my real concern about converting online. Be careful.
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Joe Winograd
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If you are scanning from paper, you will have to do OCR, period. The best product I know of for that is OmniPage, but it isn't 100% either. It depends upon what you are doing an OCR. If it is just text--pretty darn good. If it is text and graphics, probably OK. Then there are forms and such or poor quality text  or hand written text. All of these will be more difficult.
Regarding SStory's comment, note that OmniPage is also from the Nuance folks and, in fact, the OCR engine that is built into PaperPort is the OmniPage Capture SDK. OmniPage is more difficult to use than PaperPort, but its OCR features are more robust (the engine accuracy is the same). The latest release, called OmniPage Ultimate (version 19 under the covers) includes a copy of PaperPort 14 Professional. If you get PaperPort 14.0, I suggest upgrading to 14.5 and Patch 1, as described in these EE articles:
PaperPort 14 - Free Upgrade to Version 14.5
How to install the Patch 1 update for PaperPort 14.5

Regards, Joe
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mmerk2

ASKER

Thanks so much for all the comments and suggestions.
 I will take note on the recommended tools to try - free first :) then might try with the others, to see what works better.
Already tried with the free version of pdftoword but did not work well.

Thanks again!
You definitely need OCR (as a number of us have said) and that is not likely free. But try OCR from one of the sources above.
> Already tried with the free version of pdftoword but did not work well.

Not a big surprise. As I said, it's tough stuff and it varies from doc to doc. If you're able to post a sample PDF (being careful about private/sensitive info), I'll be happy to convert it with many tools that I have to see if anything does a decent job.

Re John's comment, there are many free OCR tools, such as the one discussed in this 5-minute EE video Micro Tutorial:
How to OCR pages in a PDF with free software

But before taking the time to discuss all of them, let us know if your scanner/scanning software is already capable of performing OCR, thereby creating so-called searchable PDF files. Regards, Joe
I always do it online it is good and easy.
Not to offend Joe Winograd, but my experience in the past with Paper Port has been a real pain. It may be better now but in the past it always seem to be a resource hog and I avoided it like the plague. Your mileage may vary and I haven't used it in years.  I haven't had any problem with OmniPage. If the information is in no-wise sensitive, there are many online solutions that will do the trick.
> Not to offend Joe Winograd

None taken. I agree that PaperPort has its challenges, as do many robust, complex pieces of software. But I've been using it successfully, day-in and day-out, for more than 20 years — ever since getting a copy of Version 3 that was bundled with an HP scanner in the 1990s. I'm currently on the latest 14.5/Patch1, which is running fine on W7, W8, and W10 — not a day goes by when I don't use it.

I've also had OmniPage for the same amount of time — a copy was bundled with the same scanner. Likewise, I am now on the latest OmniPage Ultimate (aka 19). My experience is that it has been much more of a pain to use than PaperPort, especially for the simple task of scanning directly to a PDF Searchable Image file, which is 90% of my document imaging work. However, they have fixed that in the latest OmniPage with the advent of the Launchpad:

User generated image
It is too Metro-like for my tastes, but it certainly removes a lot of the pain of performing simple OCR tasks/workflows in OmniPage. Regards, Joe
I haven't seen this newest OmniPage. That's a shame. I hate the "Metro" look. Not everything is a tablet.
> I hate the "Metro" look. Not everything is a tablet.

Completely agree! But you don't have to use it. It is a separate shortcut in the OP program group (runs LaunchPad.exe) that simply puts the Metro-like front-end on OP. You can still use the standard OP shortcut (runs OmniPage19.exe), which provides the interface you like:

User generated image
Regards, Joe
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I am trying the different solutions that have been posted, so far I found one that is fairly good, but want to give a chance to others.

Thanks all for the feedback...
I'd like to keep the answers there for a while ...
No rush. Take your time to evaluate the alternatives, but keep us updated on your progress with an occasional post so that the question doesn't look to be abandoned. Good luck with your testing! Regards, Joe
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ASKER

will do, thanks Joe
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ASKER

Hello,  updates to my last comment...
Ive tried some of the software recommended... so far the best that have worked for me is Nitro PFD and Wondershare - pdf to word pro converter...

keep going though.
Thanks for the support...
Thanks for the update — very helpful!
Hi mmerk2,
This question just came to the experts as being abandoned with a request that we help to resolve it. But since you've been responsive in the relatively recent past in providing us with updates, I'm adding this comment, which will give you more time to respond. But please do give us an update soon so the question does not get caught in the "abandoned" net again. Thanks, Joe
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hello!
Thanks for giving me more time.... I did find two possible solutions and submitted them for approval to my supervisors  with my recommendations.... I am currently waiting for them to decide what they want to do with the project.  
The options I found worked best for us were:  Wordshare – PDF to Word Pro converter for Windows and Nitro Pro 10

I think the question can be closed for now. Thanks so much for the help.
You're welcome. Good to hear that a couple of options worked well for you. Thanks in advance for closing the question. Regards, Joe
Hi mmerk2,
It has been a week since you said, "I think the question can be closed for now. Thanks so much for the help." So I'm wondering if perhaps you don't know that here at Experts Exchange, the person who asks the question is the one who should close it. In other words, simply saying "the question can be closed" is not going to result in the question being closed — you have to close it. If you're not familiar with how to do it, these articles explain it:

How do I accept a comment as my solution?

How do I accept multiple comments as my solution?

What grade should I award?

Regards, Joe
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ASKER

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, it was very helpful.  I submitted my findings and still waiting for the decision to be made.
Sorry for the delay on closing the question, I've been very busy these days and did not know how to do this until now.

Have a great day.
Thanks for closing it. Good luck on the project after the decision is made. Regards, Joe