Ways to make a PDF from word processor program | Procedure |
---|---|
Exporting a PDF from Google Docs that includes vector images as actual vectors in the PDF | ❌ This pathway is so convoluted that I don't recommend it for a serious proposal. You can write the text in Google Docs, but then bring everything into Word for adding the real figures and captions. But here is the proceddure if you really want to know: ➡️Expand all strokes in Adobe Illustrator. ❌ The crazy pipeline we are about to enter will mess up the stroke width, so that's a bummer. ➡️"Export As" EMF from Adobe Illustrator. ➡️ Upload the EMF Google Drive. ➡️ Go to google scripts page, and find the previously installed EMF converter (follow instructions here to do that.) ➡️ Click the "run" triangle, and wait a few seconds. All EMFs from the last week (up to 10), will have their details converted to a compatible form. ➡️ Back in google drive, find the new EMF file (you might have to refresh. The ‘modified time’ should be this minute). Right click it and now you can "open in” “google drawings”.) ➡️ Once in Google Drawings, Select all, and open "format options" side bar. Under "size and rotation" type in the real size, it should be from Illustrator to make the text and everything else the size you expected. Lock aspect ratio so that you only have to enter either width or height. ❌ Line thickness is going to get wonky here, so that's why I said to expand all strokes in AI so that you don’t have any line thicknesses. ➡️ Copy this image. ➡️ Go to your google doc, click Insert, drawing. ➡️ Then paste your image from your other google drawing. ➡️ Shockingly, here in “drawing” is also the only place to add a caption (assuming it's not a full-page-width image). ❌ It’s quite likely that the preview you see on the screen now won’t show a vector based image and that it will look pixelated and blurry. It seems to depend on the number of nodes. However, it is secretly still vector based, and once you follow the steps below it will come back to displaying clearly. ❌ This text will NOT be spelling and grammar checked when you select Tools, spelling and grammar, so watch out. ❌ Also, the font size is who knows what, and there is no single style applied to all of them. ❌ The "find" feature won't work on this text either, and you can't add hyperlinks, like to a citation or image source. ❌ Do not change the size of this image because it will also change then size of your caption text, which looks super bad. It’s not great when the text inside images different across a document, but different size caption text is next-level unprofessional. ➡️ Download the google doc as a word doc and open the Word doc. ➡️ Then within word select, “Save as Adobe PDF”. ❌ If the drawings have too many nodes, you will bust word. (interestingly, it's fine if you insert complex SVGs images directly into word, but going through google docs makes it use WAY more CPU power) |
Exporting a PDF from Microsoft Word that includes vector images as actual vectors in the PDF | ➡️Export SVG from Adobe Illustrator. ➡️Import Image within word. ✅ Automatically comes it at correct size most of the time. Double check it for large images. ➡️Assuming it's not a full-width image, change image wrap to around. ➡️Right click on image and "insert caption, " and OK. This will insert an automatically numbered number. You can delete this dynamic number and type in a stagnant number if you want. ➡️Type in what ever caption you want ✅ Caption can be easily edited and will be automatically spell checked by word like regular body text. ✅ The style of the caption text will be the style called, "caption," can this can be edited in once place and will update everywhere to keep them matching. ➡️Anyway that you export a PDF from word, the vector image will stay a vector image. ✅ Method One: “Save as Adobe PDF” works best for both vector and pixel based images. ❌ Method Two: “Save as” and then “PDF” seems to have a minimum stroke thickness feature that isn’t ideal. I should expand outlines in my images if we are going to use this method. Method Three: Print, and then select PDF as the printer. I haven't experimented with this much from word, and is lible to give different results on different computers with different print drivers. |