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Able2Extract Professional 19

Professional PDF software

About | Installation | Converting PDFs | Editing PDFs | Recommended
Unattributed quotations are from the Investintech website

Why a PDF Converter is Necessary

So much of our information is currently provided as a PDF to retain the formatting across platforms and operating systems. This integrity is necessary in the commercial world as well as elsewhere.

Even so, it often is necessary to revise or update such documents. While Able2Extract Pro is able to edit the original PDF, it can be easier to simply convert the document into the format you intend to use before editing or making other updates to the document.

Save hours on tedious manual tasks and increase your PDF productivity. Whether you are working on personal or business projects that require managing digital documents effectively, Able2Extract Pro is a secure, all-in-one solution to your problems.

• Extract editable content from PDF documents quickly and accurately. Process files one by one or in batches. Convert scanned (image-based) PDFs with the help of a powerful OCR engine refined over years to deliver the best possible results. Over a dozen of output file formats available - Excel, AutoCAD, Word, images, and much more.
• Edit and add PDF text and images like you would in any word processor. Modify PDF pages - split, merge, rotate, add, delete, resize or reorder. Fill out PDF forms digitally without the need to print them out. Annotate PDFs for easy collaboration. Redact sensitive content. Apply and verify digital signatures. Encrypt and decrypt documents.

Download | Purchase a Licence | Features | PDF Learning Centre | Support
What's New in Able2Extract Professional 19?

 

 

System Requirements

Able2Extract Professional 19 is available for Windows, Mac or Linux installations.

Common

• The processor has to be x86 architecture. Both 32-bit or 64-bit are supported.
• 512+ MB of free memory available for the software.
• 350 MB disk space.

Windows

• Windows 11/10/8.1/8, Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2/2012/2008 R2, 64-bit edition.
• 1366 (Width) x 768 (Height) screen resolution (higher screen resolution required if OS scaling is more than 120%).

Mac

• macOS: 14 (Sonoma)/13 (Ventura)/12 (Monterey)/11 (Big Sur).
• The processor has to be x86 architecture.
• 1366 (Width) x 768 (Height) or 1280 (Width) x 800 (Height) non-Retina screen resolution, 2560 (Width) x 1600 (Height) Retina screen resolution.

Linux

• Ubuntu: 23.10/23.04/22.04/20.04, Fedora 39/38/37/36/35, 64-bit edition.
• 1366 (Width) x 768 (Height) screen resolution (higher screen resolution required if OS scaling is more than 120%).

Able2Extract's product page contains more details about features, benefits and case studies.

Licensing

The software is available as a seven-day free trial. There are some other limitations, but you can fully evaluate the software before you commit to purchasing a licence or subscription:

For the duration of the free trial period, you'll have access to all the features Able2Extract Professional has to offer.

 

However, the conversion functionality is limited in the free trial version - you can convert one file without limitations. After, you can convert up to three pages of a PDF at a time.

 

The full version of Able2Extract Professional gives you lifetime, unrestricted access to all of its features indefinitely. The full, lifetime version requires a purchase.

The use of this software is subject to its licence agreement which allows for non-concurrent use for a single user on a second computer like a home or work computer:

Able2Extract desktop licenses are single-user — each person who will be using the software must have their own license. We don't offer multi-user licensing and our desktop software is not licensed on a concurrent user basis. A license can be transferred to a new user if the original user leaves the company, or no longer requires use of the software on a permanent basis (licenses cannot be temporarily reassigned).

 

You can install Able2Extract on two computers for your own use - so you can install and activate Able2Extract on your desktop and laptop, or at work and at home.

 

You can install and activate your Able2Extract license on both your Windows and Mac computers.

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Installation

Download a 7-day free trial of Able2Extract Pro You can continue with the trial version or purchase a license to obtain full access.

The Able2Extract Pro installation was accomplished simply, and I appreciated the option to save the licence in PDF format which made reading the document much easier. An option to print the licence was also offered — useful for those that need to monitor licence compliance within their workplace.

• Quick Start Guide.
• Help Guide.
• Data Sheet.
• Able2Extract Professional 19 vs. older versions (PDF opens in new tab).

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Converting PDFs to Documents

As the name Able2Extract implies, this program is designed to extract information from PDFs and convert it into several formats including Excel, CSV, Word, PowerPoint, HTML, AutoCAD and image. Version 19 also supports batch conversions.

Converting to a Word Document

To test the conversion to Word, I chose to convert a PDF phone book that I knew had been generated from MS Word but otherwise didn't know anything else about its original format. The conversion process was quite simple:

1. Open Able2Extract 19;
2. click on the file-folder icon to open a document;
   

   

3. select what you want to convert (either an area or all);
4. choose the converted document type you wish to convert the PDF to from icons on the toolbar (in this case, Word);
   

   

5. then click on the Save button and choose a name and location for your converted files.

The program suggested a filename based upon the original PDF and the .docx extension.

The Able2Extract 19 toolbar is shown in two sections in the illustrations above, but the program's actual toolbar is a continuous row of options in a single row.

Font Replacements

If the document is missing some fonts Able2Extract will guide you in replacing those fonts.

The conversion results in a document capable of being edited as though it were created by Word.

Converting to an Excel Document

I don't use spreadsheets very often so the Excel document I chose was one in .xls format rather than .xlsx and was created by someone else using unknown software.

The process was pretty much the same as it was for the Word conversion except that Able2Extract offers the option to customize the conversion process to alter the layout options.

The resulting file is an .xlsx format file containing the data from the original PDF.

Converting to an HTML Document

Just like with Word and Excel conversions, the file is opened, the area selected then the required output format is chosen (HTML in this case) and the file is created where you choose (the default is in the same folder as the original, but this can be changed).

Much like other conversion programs, Able2Extract Pro creates a companion folder with the associated background image.

The output was virtually a perfect copy of the original PDF (each line was rigidly placed using absolute positioning). Wider documents may not be as workable on narrow devices like smart phones when converted to HTML because of this rigid placement:

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Creating and Editing PDFs

Other than the extraction of content from a PDF document into various formats, another primary need within businesses is to be able to create and edit PDF documents directly.

Creating PDFs

Creating a PDF from an existing Word, Excel or other document is simple:

1. Open Able2Extract 19.
2. click on File and select the Create PDF icon:
   

   

3. Select Create a PDF from an Existing Document from the dialogue box that appears.
4. Able2Extract 19 then processes the file, ending with your new PDF document in the working area of the software.
5. Click on the Save button and choose a name and location for your converted file.

At this point you can either close the document or make any necessary edits such as adding or deleting content, including features like strikeout and watermarks. If you make changes, be sure to save the file again.

Editing PDFs

To edit a PDF, load the PDF into Able2Extract and click on Edit Document at the top of the program.

Thumbnails of the document appear on the left side and an editing menu appears on the right side where you can do extensive edits including changing fonts, redaction, or aligning text.

The capabilities are too extensive to list here, but I was able to do everything I needed with the PDF documents I worked with.

Some features may require users to think a bit differently than they do with a Word or Excel document, but comparing it to experience with other PDF editors like Adobe Acrobat and Nitro Pro, I found the process refreshingly simple and enjoyed features I'd not been able to use before like inserting vector shapes and drop caps into existing PDFs.

While it is probably not something you've thought about, the ability to redact sensitive information from documents before releasing them could be an essential task under certain circumstances.

Fillable Forms

While it was common to use printed forms it is much easier to provide a PDF on your website or via email.

Unless you don't mind some cryptic handwriting in returned forms, allow users to fill out the required information within your document, save it, then email it back to you.

OCR Technology

OCR avoids the need to re-type documents, a huge time-saver that avoids errors.

We've also made OCR improvements, one of our main focuses for this latest version 19.

 

The image-to-text recognition process now incorporates more advanced and robust OCR engines to accurately analyze and interpret mixed alpha numeric characters, allowing you to seamlessly convert an even broader range of scanned text with better accuracy and efficiency.

PDF Security and Signatures

One of the things that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic was the need for many people to be able to sign electronic documents when in-person visits were restricted.

Able2Extract 19 provides secure digital signatures and password protection of documents to ensure the authenticity and security of your important PDFs.

Use Able2Extract Professional to sign PDFs with signature images and digital (cryptographic) certificates and add an extra layer of security to your confidential documents.

 

Verify the authenticity of digital (cryptographic) signatures in PDF documents by inspecting the signature validation status.

 

Secure your confidential PDF documents with 256-bit password protection. Encrypt and decrypt existing PDF documents with ease. Set up owner and user passwords to control how others use and interact with your PDF documents.

Batch Processing

While most users will generate or work with one document at a time, batch processing could be used for the bulk conversion of documents within a directory including a new batch OCR converter.

Automate the conversion process by queuing up a large volume of PDF files and even whole directories.

 

Use the powerful Batch OCR conversion functionality to upload and easily convert multiple scanned, image-based PDFs to Word, Excel, and other supported file formats.

 

Create PDFs from multiple files in one go. Save hours with the Batch Creator's ability to batch merge PDF files during the PDF creation process.

PDF Viewer

Today's browsers and many other programs can display PDFs with capabilities that vary between products, including free PDF viewers (many capable of “printing” any document to PDF).

However, it is both easier and more efficient to use a PDF editor like Able2Extract to meet all your requirements. You don't have to reload a document if you decide you need to edit it or use any of the other professional capabilities.

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Recommended

Seamless Productivity

Able2Extract 19 seamlessly generates .docx and .xlsx documents from various PDFs including conversions from Microsoft Word and LibreOffice as well as those obtained on the Internet.

Editing and creating new documents were both accomplished without struggling with help menus or visiting their support site (other than to verify a few facts).

I was impressed with the ease of using Able2Extract 19 and the improvements from previous versions.

Recommended

I strongly recommend Able2Extract 19 as an excellent tool for today's modern offices where the creation, editing and conversion of PDF documents is an essential part of maintaining the variety of forms and other content routinely required.

Gone are the days when paper versions were mailed, filled out and returned. The Internet has forever altered how we manage documents. While we're not quite at the point of the paperless office, we're getting much closer and a PDF editor with the features in Able2Extract 19 should meet those needs in most circumstances.

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