PDF password removal utility?

TheNorm · 02-02-2008, 20:55

Does anyone know where I can obtain a freeware PDF password removal utility? I want to transfer images and text from a protected PDF document to PowerPoint. I don't need to know the password, just remove the copy protection.

I did have a look at the 8 page thread on freeware utilities, but can't use PDF as a search term!

Cheers.

Cobbydaler · 02-02-2008, 21:06

This link any good?

02-02-2008, 21:18

You can open PDF's in Photoshop if you have it?
Admittedly, text would just be as an image though..

ronald146m · 02-02-2008, 23:39

I know what you mean Norm.

The document isn't password protected - you can open it and view it.
But it won't let you copy any of it, apart from doing a screenshot.

Apparently the solution is to convert the document to a ps PostScript.
Then convert it back to a pdf.

There are Linux apps called 'pdf2ps' and 'ps2pdf'.

I've tried them out on a document and it looks like it might have done the trick.

Look at my 'Before' and 'After' pictures here:-

Before:-[IMG]

[/IMG]

After:- [IMG]

[/IMG]

Edit
With my modified version it allows me to select and copy sections to clipboard then paste into Gimp (similar to Paint).
It won't allow me to copy and paste text into a text editor, just images of the text into Gimp.

TheNorm · 23-03-2008, 18:02

OK, I tried the suggestions (thanks to all) but for one reason or another none was entirely satisfactory (although Snag-It is very useful). So, I took the "low-tech" way out and printed the file, scanned it, and converted the scanned images. 98 pages with two PowerPoint slides per page - and that was only the first document!

Where there's a will, there's a way.