Compare two versions in a thesis printed to PDF
A thesis goes through several final touches: a typo found at the last minute, numbering that must start after the front matter, a signed approval page to insert and a repository file size limit. If it was printed with Microsoft Print to PDF, the text may be drawn shapes. MythosPDF recovers it first, then you compare two versions as usual.
How to do it
- 1.Drop your Microsoft Print to PDF file into MythosPDF. Drawn letters are turned back into text in a few seconds.
- 2.Add the old and the new version.
- 3.Review the highlighted differences.
What people change in a thesis
- • Typos and small corrections
- • Page numbers from the first chapter
- • Signed approval page
- • File size for the repository
What that means when you compare two versions
- • Page tools work on the printout as it is; no text recovery is needed.
How Microsoft Print to PDF writes the PDF
- • Depending on the app and the fonts, Microsoft Print to PDF either embeds the fonts or draws every letter as a filled shape.
- • When letters are drawn as shapes, the PDF has no text at all: you cannot select, copy or search anything on the page.
- • Letters are placed one at a time in printer units, inside a flipped page transform.
- • Thin letters such as l, i and I, and the dots of punctuation, are often collected from many lines into one shape drawn later.
Questions people ask
+Do I need both files?
Yes. Add the old and the new version to compare them.
+Why can't I select text in my Microsoft Print to PDF file?
The driver often draws every letter as a shape instead of writing text. MythosPDF reads those shapes and turns them back into real text before you edit.
Other edits to a printed thesis
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