PDFs contain multiple layers and elements. When uploading to iPaper, the system will try its best to rasterize the whole thing. This process can sometimes give strange results, like PDFs not uploading, missing or unindexable text (for Enrichment Automation).
When such an error occurs in processing your Flipbook, this will result in your Enrichment Automation, or Flipbook processing, failing partially, or entirely.
Luckily, there is a way of solving the majority of these conversion challenges, by simplifying the structure of your PDF, through PDF distilling.
This guide takes you through how to distill your PDF in either:
What’s the difference between these two methods?
Using either method gives the same result: a clean, distilled PDF. However, there are a few differences:
PDF24
is free software,
retains your links and bookmarks
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
is paid software,
is not the same as Adobe Acrobat Reader, which does not offer the PDF distilling function,
removes any links and bookmarks from the PDF. In order to retain these, you’ll need to reinsert these after distilling, or replace any pages with links with duplicates from the original PDF.
PDF distilling using PDF24
The first thing you’ll want to do is download and install PDF24.
Once you’ve got installed and opened PDF24, you’ll want to select your PDF for distilling by select Open file tools from the menu.
Click on the ‘+’ sign in the top, right-hand corner, and select the PDF you want to distill.
Next, click on Apply profile.
Finally, select High quality from the quality selector in the window that pops up.
Your PDF distilling is now underway, and once the conversion is complete, make sure to Save your distilled PDF.
It’s as easy as that! You’re now free to upload your distilled PDF to iPaper. 👍
PDF distilling using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Open the PDF you want to distill in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Under File, select Export to, then PostScript.
Give the file that will become your distilled PDF a new name. This will generate a new PostScript (.ps) file.
Open the generated .ps file to launch Adobe Distiller.
When opening your file in Adobe Distiller for the first time, you can select the conversion quality. For your Flipbook, you’ll want to choose High Quality under Default Settings.
Next, close the distiller and select the .ps file again. Adobe Distiller will now start distilling your file.
If a new window appears asking to confirm the security of your file, click Yes, and wait for the program to finish distilling your PDF.
Once complete, you’ll have a freshly distilled PDF from which you can create your Flipbook. Remember, however, that any links or bookmarks you might have had in your original PDF have not been carried over. These will need to be added again by replacing the pages in your original PDF file with those you’ve just distilled. Here's how you do this:
How to replace pages in your PDF
Open your original PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Next, select View in the top menu, followed by Tools, then Organize pages.
You’ll then want to select which pages from your PDF you’d like to replace. In many cases, you’ll want to replace all the pages, which you can do easily by pressing Ctrl+A on your keyboard.
Confirm your action by clicking on Replace, and choose your distilled version of the PDF file as the source.
Once any pages you selected have been replaced by those from your distilled PDF, remember to Save your changes!
You’re done! You can now upload this new PDF as a new Flipbook or update an existing on in iPaper.