Not sure where to put this pdfs/Word?

[Jillbeans]

Did a menu for a client, three pages in Corel which I converted to curves and exported as a pdf so he could print it.
He was under the assumption (which I don't know how that occurred) that he would be able to edit the menu and change prices himself in Word.
(this was two years ago and now he wants to change prices)
I re-sent him the pdf, but he is kinda mad about not being able to change the prices.

My question is, how can I send him a pdf that has blank spaces so he can import it into Word and change the prices himself?
I tried importing the pdf into Word 2007 and all I get is gibberish.
Should I just make a page-sized jpg (losing all the crispness) with blank areas, then have him import that into Word?

Love....Jill

 

[Salmoneye]

Tell him to buy Corel or pay you to make the changes. You could always copy and paste the text into a word doc and let him reformat it; You would then be promptly re-hired to do the changes.

 

[signage]

Jill tell him you are a graphic designer not a document specialist. If he is getting them printer at a printer he should know how to do this, or you could do it for him.

 

[Jillbeans]

I was kinda thinking along these lines.
If I export as a jpg with blank areas then HE can d!ck around with it. He's cheap enough that this will be good enough for him.
Other than that, yes, I will charge to do it the right way.

 

[signage]

Jill if you export as a jpeg when he place it in word he will not be able to get inside it. I would tell him what you gave him is the best for what he is wanting to do. Why should you waste any more time on it, he will just be as mad if not madder after receiving a jpeg.

I would tell him if he can not do in Word then maybe he should get adobe reader pro so he can do it.

 

[Jillbeans]

I thought if he imported a jpg into Word he could overlay a text box into each blank area.
He's usually always mad at me anyway!

 

[signage]

From what I know of word once the jpg is imported you can not go on top of or inside it!

 

[Custom_Grafx]

It can be done in excel as a background.

Before proceeding any further, email him this thread link and show him how much of how many peoples' time he's wasting.

 

[choucove]

If he was to change the Text Wrap and Layout of the jpg in Word to Text In Front, then yes he should be able to make text boxes in the appropriate area of the menu to enter prices which would display on top of the jpg image background. Definitely not ideal, but doable.

 

[signage]

If he was to change the Text Wrap and Layout of the jpg in Word to Text In Front, then yes he should be able to make text boxes in the appropriate area of the menu to enter prices which would display on top of the jpg image background. Definitely not ideal, but doable.

Could you tell me how to do this?

 

[JoshLoring]

Jill,
Often I do this for clients, I simply export a PDF with blank spaces for the prices and then open in acrobat to add editable regions.
If you don't have it I can do it for you. It's limited to the fonts the person has on their computer though.

 

[royster13]

Did you not save a "text" version of the menu?.....If not, this will probably be more work than it is worth to you....Does your client have publisher?....I think it would be easier for him to do text boxes in Publisher versus Word....

 

[J Hill Designs]

export pdf with missing spaces for changeable copy, open in acrobat pro, add form fields

 

[jfiscus]

X2 on form fields in Acrobat Professional. When they make design changes you will have to recreate all the fields with the new PDF, but it's a one-time set up fee on your end and then he can modify the field values to his hearts content.

I just did this with gift certificates for a customer so that they could print them their selves & have a nice layout & records of each certificate.

Have the customer download CutePDF or another free PDF converter and when they are done editing their fields, they can then print-to-file (cutepdf "printer") and have something saved to print from.

Tell the customer that Microsoft Word is NOT a professional software package for designing menus in, therefore you do not work in it.

 

[Bobby H]

Inkscape is a possible alternative to all the form field stuff in Acrobat.

The vector drawing program is open source, so it's free for any customer to download and install. The only trick is getting artwork originally created in Illustrator or CorelDRAW to import without any glitches (or fix the glitches that do occur). The customer can open the .SVG file, make whatever changes he wants to the type and just hit print. No need for creating PDFs, etc.

Still, the customer needs to have whatever fonts were used in creating the menu.

Oh, and by the way, MS Office apps like Word just plain SUCK for any kinds of graphics purposes. We go round and round with some customers over that, like some people bringing in dopey PowerPoint PPT files thinking that will work for signs. Ugh.

 

[JoshLoring]

export pdf with missing spaces for changeable copy, open in acrobat pro, add form fields

This

 

[Jillbeans]

Gonna try it in the morning. Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[Locals Find!]

Jill, I don't know what version of Corel your using but in my X4 I have an option under file for "Export for Office". You can then set the file to allow editing.

I haven't ever played with this option as its never been an issue in my world but, it might be worth giving a shot to make your life easier.