External PDF

In version 15.2 was introduced new report item "External PDF". It enables to add content of PDF files into Engineering Report.

Displaying of content of external PDF

The content of PDF file is imported and each is displayed as picture in Engineering Report. The content of PDF files is not changed neither analysed and split on particular parts of it.

Final report has its own numbering of chapters and pages which goes continuously through all inserted external PDFs.

Embedding

External PDF can be inserted as link to file on the hard drive or as "Embedded".

Link to file on the hard drive: When the External PDFs are inserted as a link their validity status informs about changes in the source file on the hard drive. They are marked as invalid when the source file changes. Then during regeneration their content is updated and redrawn. Those External PDFs are not displayed when the project is opened on different computer and the report item is regenerated.

Embedded file: Embedding of the External PDF means storing of its source file inside the project. Such External PDFs are independent on the files on hard drives. Those External PDF items increase the size of the project and cannot be updated after changes in the original PDF file on hrad drive.

 

Range of pages to be imported

User can control the range of pages which are imported from the PDF file. By default there is selected Import all pages. User can input range of pages to be imported from PDF file if the property Import all pages is unchecked.

 

DPI

Each page from the PDF file is imported as a raster picture. The DPI defines the quality of those pictures. The higher DPI means better quality but is also more memory demanding and increase size of the project.

 

Image compression method

Each page from the PDF file is imported as a raster picture which can be compressed using JPEG or GIF method.

 

Picture sizes

Each page from the PDF file is imported as a picture. Property Picture sizes offers types of definition of sizes of those imported pictures.

Available types are:

Original PDF

The paper format of each imported page respects the paper format from original PDF (which can be for each page different). The picture of the page fully fills the paper format.

If there is any header / footer defined in the report it is overlapped by the picture with the PDF page.

Fit to page

The picture with each PDF page is stretched / shrink to fit on the space available on the paper. It respects boundaries of the page and header / footer.

Possible changes of paper format in PDF file are ignored and all pictures has finally the same size.

Size from PDF

This type of size definition sets the size of each picture according to page format of relevant page in source PDF. The difference to "Original PDF"is possibility to define margins (see alter) and position within the page. The "Size of PDF" places pictures as any other picture. It means it respects header and margins of paper.

User defined

The last possibility is to define the size manually. Pictures with pages from PDF are then stretched / shrink to this size.

Note: Original PDF and Size from PDF do not stretch/shrink pictures with PDF content therefore they provide better quality of output than remaining two possibilities.

 

Margins

Margins define strips that are cut off from pictures borders. Margins are cut off before the picture is stretched / shrink into size defined according to Picture size property.

On following pictures you can compare examples of "Size from PDF" on the left without cut margins, on the right with cut off margins.