<moved> Exporting to cropped PDFs

[Stuart]

Simple equation editing is one of the things that OO does that few other free programs out there do. Thanks!

However, I would like to export selected equations from OO documents to individual PDFs. I can then use them in other applications that render embedded PDFs (specifically Notebook, from Circus Ponies).

Unfortunately, the PDFs that appear when I export selected regions are full page pdfs, not cropped to the size of the selection. I don't know if this is intentional, unconsidered, unavoidable given underlying Mac libraries, or a bug. (I'm using NeoOffice 2.0 Aqua Beta 3 Patch 7).

I would like to loose the excess white space. I can generate such pdfs by cropping the full page OO pdf in image processing programs like Graphic Converter, but they convert everything to an image-based pdf. I assume they work by converting the pdf to an image, and then back to a pdf. Although the pdf they produce is appropriately bounded and not a full size page, I want to preserve the pdf as fully scalable with embedded font information and not convert them to images or image-based pdfs.

In summary, printing a "less than one page selection" to pdf should result in a cropped pdf. This seems a more general product than a full-page one. I can't think of any way that a cropped pdf would fail to work as well as full page one, and as above, there are certainly ways that a full page one is worse than a cropped one.

[ovvldc]

I am afraid I can't think of a quick solution. PDF was originally meant as a printing format anyway. Perhaps you could define a very small page size without a margin and print it to that?

Alternatively, you could see if the selection tool in Adobe Acrobat results in clipboard copies in PDF or in image format (hopefully the former, but I am pessimistic). The last option I have is to look in your Notebook application for a crop function. NeoOffice and M$ Word have an option to crop an image in a document without altering the original.

Best wishes,
Oscar

[Samwise]

Moved to NeoOffice Support, since it doesn't appear to be a bug.

[yoxi]

If you're using a PPC mac, you could install something like QuickImageCM - then once you've saved your pdf you can convert it to e.g. a tiff file, crop it, and save the cropped formula as a jpg if space is important.

- padmavyuha

[Lorinda]

Or, you could use the Grab program that is part of Mac OS to take a "picture" of the equation. You end up with a tiff file. You can import it into iPhoto and export it as a jpeg (it might even be possible to set up an automator action for this); or you could get a program like GraphicConverter (http://www.lemkesoft.com/en/graphcon.htm) This should work with both PPC and Intel.

That said, if you have a PPC, Yoxi's suggestion might be the simplest.

[Samwise]

Except Stuart doesn't want JPEG, TIFF, or even image-based PDF, since he wants to keep all the original information not contained in JPEG or TIFF images.

[jgd]

If you know LaTeX commands, you may check Equation Service, here

http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/EquationService/

If not, you can get some help anyway.

You can't use it directly from Neo, but OOo 2.0.4 has a new function "Export to LaTeX". You can export a formula in a file in format .tex, then copy/paste the text included into $ $ in Equation Service. You obtain a little pdf file, "real" pdf, not an image. With one formula, I obtained a page
File size 7.7KB
Page size 1.4 x 0.9 cm.

I don't like very much OOOX11, but Patrick needs time to give us all the features of the 2.0.4 version.

Jacqueline

[Stuart]

Every time I have a complicated question involving a document, the answer comes back LaTeX. Maybe I should take the time to learn it. But it seems that it is downstream of most products. They can export LaTeX, but not import it. Once I go there, I can't get get back.

However, that sounds like it would work. If I can script every component, I can build a library of equations using any chain of free-ware. Is the X11 version of open office scriptable on the mac?

I have also considered investigating a separate symbolic math package, like those described here: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Scientific-Computing-with-GNU-Linux/mathpack.html.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[pluby]

[sardisson]

The other thing you might try within Neo is to create a custom page size (I think you'll have to do it both in Neo's Format:Page and in File:Printer Settings (aka Mac OS X Page Setup) because of the paper size matching code) that's just big enough for your equation....

Smokey

[rays]

You could try a free trial of PDF Enhancer:

http://www.apagoinc.com/PDF_Enhancer

Amongst its claims is:

"PDF Enhancer can embed & subset fonts in a PDF file. Enhancer can also convert fonts to “outlines” while retaining full text search capabilities. This unique and exclusive feature, called Searchable Outlines, reduces file size and avoids compatibility issues with certain font formats including CID."

Along with cropping and resizing features, this sounds as though it might meet your needs. Probably worth the free trial anyway...

(The present writer has no connection with PDF Enhancer!)

[jgd]

[Stuart]

I wasn't specifically asking a question here, just making the (open to argument) statement that most programs treat LaTeX like postscript or PDF, as a final product. Maybe an analogy of a "compiled output", and not a source document applies. That is unfortunate, because as I understand it, LaTeX is more like HTML and could theoretically be imported fairly directly.

The program you mentioned is, in my experience, a rarity. The author deserves praise for their effort, although I speak no French.