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TECH TIP: How to identify the differences between a vector and raster PDF file

Related Tech Tip: Can I convert a scanned PDF into a vector file?

Open your PDF file with Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
 

  • Select the Magnifying Glass    



     
  • Click to select a part of the drawing and drag to outline a small section. The section of the picture should be redrawn and magnified on your screen. In the example below, the section is enlarged 600%. To see the differences clearly, you should magnify the file a minimum of 400%. Sometimes, it's necessary to magnify the file more than 1000% to determine the file type.

    • Original Drawing opened in Acrobat Scalable, Vector PDF
    Section magnified to 600%
    You can conclude from the sharp lines and clear text that this is a scalable (vector) PDF file.

    pdf2cad, pdf2picture, pdf2image and PDF FLY can all convert this file into editable text and objects.

    		 Raster/Bitmap PDF
    Section magnified to 600%
    You can see from the jagged lines and unreadable text that this is a raster (bitmap) PDF file.

    Our products can not create an editable file from a raster PDF file.

    You may want to still convert the file to an image format and use it as a tracing layer to save time when redrawing it. Another alternative is to evaluate raster-to-vector programs like Scan2CAD or Trix Systems.


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    pdf2cad 8.0

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