PDF to template conversion – Advanced
Sometimes converting a PDF file to a web-to-print template requires you to know some additional rules. This is a more detailed look into the process.
Read the PDF to template conversion basic tutorial.
Import the PDF
Drag and Drop or use the Import option to open the PDF file in CorelDRAW.
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Choose “Import Text As Text” option. For multipage files, import one page at a time.
Fonts may be showing as missing even if you have them installed – choose the right substitutes.
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The page size may need to be changed. Don’t forget to add a page frame.
Group objects
By default, the PDF file is imported as a group of objects in CorelDRAW. Select the group and press Ctrl+U to ungroup them.
Group the objects that will remain static and leave the ones you want to make variable text or image fields outside the group.
Large groups of objects may slow the system down and make the preview generation take longer than needed.
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To avoid this, you can put * as the first letter of the group’s name. This instructs the system to ignore that group. Read more about limitations.
Text fields
All texts will appear as artistic text frames.
- You may need to combine them into a single frame.
- You may need to convert them into a paragraph frame.
- You may need to combine them first and then convert into paragraph frame.
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In either case, check that the line height and paragraph spacing are set correctly. Otherwise the lines may merge into one or appear about the paragraph frame. Always check horizontal alignment and set vertical alignment for paragraph frames if it’s other than TOP.
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To turn a text frame into a variable field you need to select the text frame, open Object Manager (Window/Dockers/Object Manager) and rename the object. Read more about web-to-print text fields.
Note. Sometimes you need to place shapes inside the text frame.
Image fields
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Images may be badly compressed or not compressed at all.
- Convert them into bitmaps with the right resolution according to the purpose of the template (print or screen).
- Crop them using a power clip, if needed and then convert it into a new bitmap.
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To turn an image placeholder into a variable field you need to rename the object inside the Object Manager. Read more about web-to-print image fields.
Upload the template
As a final step, you need to upload the file into your catalog as a web-to-print template and test it.
Demonstration
Flash demo: convert a PDF into a template – Advanced
