Re: free app to modify pdf files

On 2025-06-25 00:40, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Tue, 24 Jun 2025 22:58:31 +0200, Dom Adso von Melk OSB wrote:
 

On Sun, 22 Jun 2025, Peter Flynn wrote:
>

I'm curious to know WHY you want to edit a PDF, which was designed as a
non-editable end-of-line format.

>
Two possible reasons.
>
- I want to add annotations (e.g. I periodically dump my bank account
    record of transactions, and wanto to add a sequence number to each
    operation) ... procedure, open pdf with libreoffice, place my text
    label, (re-)export as pdf, quit original file unsaved

 I would save the result in a database (e.g. SQLite) or at least a CSV
file, for easier further processing. PDF is not suitable for that kind of
record.

I get the record of transactions from my bank as an excel file (they say). It can be a .csv file, but sometimes it is actually an html file with tables. LibreOffice Calc opens them all just fine.

 

- I receive from some administration a pdf document containing a form
    (it is NOT a "pdf form", their fault) which in principle should be
    filled, signed, printed, scanned and returned (sic!) instead .,,
>
    ... open pdf with libreoffice, insert wished text, insert scanned pmg
    woith my signasture, export as pdf andf send resulting file

 I tend to do that with Inkscape. I can import the PDF file as background,
lock that layer against further changes, and put my data entry in a
separate layer. That way I can get things nicely lined up with the blank
field areas. Then re-export the completed result to a new PDF file, as you
said.

I do the same, with LibreOffice writer.
--
Cheers, Carlos.