PS: Feature Suggestion/request

currently we explicitly have to specify the output folder. Could you offer a "check box" option to output to source folder. That way if we convert pdfs from more than one location they all end up in their "correct" folders

10-q
R

Hey ... ?

I installed it yesterday, registered it successfully and used it to convert several large documents. Today, it says it is not registered. I didn't even reboot the PC.

WTF?

I just tried re-registering it appears to still work.

Follow-up posting for the Software Creator:

It appears that Layered Images in original documents are what are creating lockup issues I encountered yesterday. I printed the original documents to a PDF Printer, and then edited them using PDF tools I have. By merging the layered images on each page to a simple PNG, which was needed due to layered transparency, the resulting conversions using SIMPO went off without a hitch. The formatting was even cleaner after conversion. The images and text stayed in alignment.

Perhaps a way to read the layers of images used in the document and taking a snapshot then applying that to the conversion instead of the original source images is the trick to pull off? It worked on my manual conversions, so if you can figure out an automated program code to do the image layer merging, then this product will be the winner hands down.

Installed and Uninstalled. Freezes up repeatedly when trying to convert PDF files. 0 stars

Ok, I just converted a simple document with some columns and boxes. It put all of the boxes into one image and then broke the rest of the text into many many separate sections. Made it a little hard to edit, but was good enough in this case. The columns were in the right places.

Thanks GAOTD and SIMPO. I had the last version that was given away on this site and I made the mistake of updating it. That put the software into a trial period that soon expired. It is great to have this little program again. It may not convert perfectly, but it is definitely better than what I already had - nothing!

I've been trying free PDF converters for a while now, and despite some drawbacks, this is one of the better ones I've encountered. My 'gold-standard' has been accurate plain-text transcription of the detailed, formatted finance data in Value Line's PDFs, a free sample of which can be viewed at http://www3.valueline.com/dow30/f1254.pdf

This has been one of the few programs which neither crashes on Vista nor produces inaccurate results. It is does batch conversion very quickly, processing 30 files in only seconds.

That said, I'd love to see some enhancements in the next version:

* Program is currently mouse-driven, which means it cannot readily be integrated with automation tools by passing keystrokes. Not every user would need it, but enabling keyboard access to all functionality seems a Windows standard and would be handy for those regularly converting many files. A command-line interface would be even better.

* Multi-select seems a little shaky. Pressing Alt-A in a file directory did not select all PDFs (22 of 30). I did get them all when I made the window larger, so it seems to operate off the visible area.

* Removing listed files is tedious, as it seems they must be highlighted, then removed one-by-one. The tool would benefit from a 'Select All' / 'Deselect All' option coupled with 'Remove Selected'.

* As with other programs, this one struggled with the complex Value Line layout. The results were good enough to feed to Excel, but not always pretty for a human to read. In fairness, this output was at least as good as others I have seen for such a complex input file.

Thanks for a great GiveAway!

Converting a few of my own PDF creations were fast to DOC format. Some of the documents I have downloaded from external source sites had a tendency to make the program lock up. It appeared to lock up, but may have been only to my impatience for it to finish. If I waited long enough, some would actually convert. For a Free product testing it works pretty good. The formatting is a bit screwy when the conversion is complete, but not for my own PDF documents which I created using SERIF Pageplus4 PDF Creator. I believe the majority of the conversion failures or slow downs may be based on font issues, or perhaps fonts that don't match what I have installed based on the originators assembly of the PDF.

I create PDFs as a ritualistic approach, because everyone can read them one way or another. Some want things in DOC format or even text, so I now have that option.

Worth a shot should you need this option, but will take a bit of post formatting to some degree. Overall a worthy product to test.

For # 28 Mike R.It is more easy to work with your computer if your firewall is from your s.o.(Windows firewall).It work more easy wit GAOTD also.You must to leave at exception(allow exception),your Internet Explorer and your default browser.

I installed this software in the hopes that it could convert a certain PDF document that I haven't been able to successfully convert to Word with any other program. There are forms and check boxes and gray areas on all three pages to make the document more attractive. Simpo could not acheive what others have not been able to. Oh well...

I don't trust software called Simpo. We have a clown in our hometown named "Simpo the Clown". I'm sorry, due to that will have to pass on this one....

Notes:
- Input - 6 page PDF 1.4 file with variable number of columns
- Converted to 8 pages of rich text format (rtf)
- Rounded 10.98 point font down to 10 point
- Substituted Times New Roman (serif) for Charlotte (sans serif) - not a "best match"
- Superscript characters disappeared (loss of data)
- Some special characters disappeared (loss of data)
- Bullets were re-mapped to underscores (loss of data)
- 3-of-9 barcode was changed to an illegible graphic (loss of data)
- Graphics were misplaced, sometimes on wrong page
- Colours in graphics were changed
- Page breaks were ignored
- In multi-column:
------ sometimes ignored top-to-bottom and left-to-right column structure
------ changed carriage returns/line feeds
------ linespace in 1st column (11.75 pt) affected linespace in 2nd column (changed to 1.2 pt).
------ occasionally text in 1st column joined with text in 2nd column (required re-keying to fix)
Most of these issues can be overcome but the "loss of data" and "re-keying" issues are showstoppers.

After installing Simpo PDF to Word & Registering with the provided email-registration number, I got a message letting me know this was a "One day Trial"... Is that correct? I don't have time now to sit & try it out, so if that is true, I can just delete it now, & I've been noticing other giveaways install as trials. I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't know better to watch for it after installing & registering.

I bring this up, not to be a smart-@$$, but because I'm truly confused. Are some giveaways suppose to be trials? Or is this something I'm doing, or not doing? I always use the link provided by giveawayoftheday, & registration number, & or giveawayoftheday email address when required.

Just wondering.. M.R.

It made a horrendous mess of a table I tried to convert to doc. It also left behind two and a half thousand temporary files! What the h**l is it playing at?

In case it helps/interests...

While it's not ideal, pairing Simpo's PDF printer [the free PDF Creator Lite] with PDF to Word *might* be a *better-than-I've-seen-so-far* solution... it's going to take a while to test with a good range of documents & sites -- I expect to try the pair over the next couple of weeks -- but it does look promising.

Adobe Reader will usually do a very good job of printing PDFs, & when it comes to displaying & printing, the actual internals of the PDF are less important -- unlike when you're trying to convert the PDF to something else. The assumption I'm working from is that Simpo likely shares some portion of their code &/or design across their different apps, so their printer would probably be more compatible with their converter than the open source PDF Creator for example. SO far it looks like it might be. The weak link might be their PDF printer [at least the free version], & I'll just have to see how it compares with whatever I throw at it -- many sites just won't print with PDF printers other than the open source PDF Creator, & I'm hoping to find or figure out a universal sort of conversion that works everywhere for everything. If only Simpo made an .xps converter... printing to Microsoft's .xps seems to work very, very well, but once you have an .xps file, not matter how good it looks, you have the same restrictions as PDF & much less compatibility.

Downloaded and installed without a problem. Tried converting five different pdf's. One with just text, one with graphs and charts, one with images and one with a combination of all. All had indention problems and problems with word wrap. The graphs, charts and images did not convert properly. The images did not come thru period. Graphs were unusable, charts didn't look anything like the original.
Useless for me. Thanks GOATD, but I'll be uninstalling this one.

Seems fine if the file is short and simple, but with something fairly grown-up [1] the program plainly went into an infinite loop, eating more and more CPU time after it had stopped doing any readings or writing. (Thank you, taskmgr.exe!)

This happenened both under Vista Home Premium and under Windows Seven Starter. In the former case, the machine had to be rebooted by force.

Happy days.

___
[1] The Smithsonian Institution
Regents of the University of Michigan
Persepolis in Retrospect: Histories of Discovery and Archaeological Exploration at the Ruins of Ancient Parseh
Author(s): Ali Mousavi
Source: Ars Orientalis, Vol. 32, Medes and Persians: Reflections on Elusive Empires (2002), pp. 209-251
Published by: Freer Gallery of Art, The Smithsonian Institution and Department of the
History of Art, University of Michigan
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4629597
Accessed: 08/01/2010 09:44

Simpo PDF to Word (which does .txt & .doc files), like most other PDF converters sometimes works, sometimes doesn't based on the PDF files you feed it. The "UserDocument.pdf" included in the program's folder works very well to either .txt or .doc -- I'd be very concerned if it didn't. Another PDF that converted very well to .doc (but not to .txt) was the "MakeUseOf_Guide_Digital_Photography.pdf" -- converted to .doc & opened in Word 2007, the only problem I saw with this e-book was some (easily corrected) misplaced underlines. Walmart's prescription drug list OTOH, being made up of tables didn't come out so well, while web pages *printed to PDF* using the free PDF Creator were best left alone.

As advertised, PDF to Word is a stand-a-lone app that does batch conversions, & with the exception of the 59 page e-book (which BTW took a fair % of CPU), it converted PDF to .doc quickly. Files are installed to the program's folder, with shortcuts in Windows' Start Menu. It's also *almost* portable, storing the license key in the registry, along with 1 key for un-install. The program's folder holds 217 files, 20 folders, & takes up ~19MB.

One of the reasons the PDF [Adobe Acrobat] format became so popular is that it's designed for delivery &/or distribution only -- that's the one characteristic Microsoft borrowed for their .xps format PDF alternative, figuring people would be more willing to put content in when others couldn't get it back out. Long story short making use of, re-purposing, collecting information or data is harder than it should be on purpose, by design. Simpo PDF to Word tries to break down some of those barriers -- hopefully it'll work for you, but don't be surprised if/when it doesn't... AFAIK there just isn't an ideal solution among any of the PDF converters or conversion sites, or for that matter printing a site or document to .xps rather than .pdf - either way the results can look perfect, but that's about all I can do with them -- look. And I'd be willing to settle for any editable format, be it .rtf, .doc, WordPerfect, OpenOfc etc... just give me something editable & searchable across files that's less work than either copy->paste->format or OCR.

WOW!! The converted file was just like its PDF image. Exactly the same including the graphics. Some pdf2word converters do not convert the way this Simpo does. The two documents will confuse anyone and would think the 'native' was actually the doc file, but it's not. Amazing.

I tried this program with a difficult to convert PDF that I have (I have tried to convert it in the past with other programs without success). Once again, Simpo created a jumbled mess like the other programs I have tried in the past.

Just for fun, I used the AnyBizSoft PDF to Word program that Ashraf mentioned and gave it a try. It worked perfectly. Thanks for the suggestion, Ashraf!

Word files from PDF, and that includes tables, images and all kinds of formatting. I have used them often and always have losless quality. Furthermore, unlike many of these pdf to word converters the result is not a line by line text frame that makes editing a torture, but you get a word file with flow text just like is in any “native” doc/docx file.

Tried converting 3 simple files and received "Failed!" Log files indicated ambiguous error code -4.

After you make an conversion in one format:word or text,the program unchek pdf for conversion.For another format you must to check again this pdf to make possible to make conversion.Why not remain this pdf in position:check?.This is a suggestion.

I'd hoped to be able to load forms, fill them out on the computer, and then print them. I tried converting one medical form. What a mess. Text all over the place relative to the boxes in which the text belongs. This does not seem to be any better than other programs I have tried.

It succesfully converted a pdf I had created from Word 2007 to pdf via CutePDF back to Word with 4 pictures. The only problem was that the text converted back as Times New Roman but went over as Calibri.

Tried converting 2 pdf docs to word, even though it said conversion complete, all I got were blank pages.

It also don't support Russian, works slower, than the "Free Alterative". Not worth.

I would give Simpo PDF to Word a 3 star rating (out of 5) because it is one of the better I have tried.
On the Plus side:
- Fast and easy to handle
- Keeping text formatting and images
- Keeps text as flow text (unlike other concerters that make a text frame out of each single line that makes it impossible or at least a torture to edit the document.

On the Minus side:
- The output isn't a true doc file (only has the extension) but in fact is a rtf file, as #4 TK said as well (not understandable why he got minus rating points for sharing a true experience???).
Which means: Text is partially moved and screwed: removed spaces and paragraphs, moved table cells etc. Text isn't unreadable but needs way too much manual corrections.
It might be a good tool for simple pdf files, but is not appropriate for more complex documents.

After trying all such tools (incl. Anybizsoft) I do only know (and use often) one which outputs completely losless
100% exact Word files from PDF, and that includes tables, images and all kinds of formatting. I have used them often and always have losless quality. Furthermore, unlike many of these pdf to word converters the result is not a line by line text frame that makes editing a torture, but you get a word file with flow text just like is in any "native" doc/docx file.
Also, the service is very fast (and free), you just need to upload your pdf, enter your email and 2 minutes later you have the word file in your mailbox (and no, they never send any spam).
Here is the link:
pdftoword dot com
(obviously the filter here catches links and does not post my comment, so I write it this way)

If its only txt you need, I highly recommend the free Quick PDF Tools, which are great. They are context menu tools, if you right click any pdf file in explorer, you can can quickly convert it to txt or image, get a preview and much more, without opening any application.
Google for: "Quick PDF Tools" + Debenu

This programm don't convert docs in Hebrew (instead of Hebrew letters in document appear question marks). The free alternative do it better, but also not correct (letters appear, but in wrong direction).

I would give Simpo PDF to Word a 3 star rating (out of 5) because it is one of the better I have tried.
On the Plus side:
- Fast and easy to handle
- Keeping text formatting and images
- Keeps text as flow text (unlike other concerters that make a text frame out of each single line that makes it impossible or at least a torture to edit the document.

On the Minus side:
- The output isn't a true doc file (only has the extension) but in fact is a rtf file, as #4 TK said as well (not understandable why he got minus rating points for sharing a true experience???).
Which means: Text is partially moved and screwed: removed spaces and paragraphs, moved table cells etc. Text isn't unreadable but needs way too much manual corrections.
It might be a good tool for simple pdf files, but is not appropriate for more complex documents.

After trying all such tools (incl. Anybizsoft) I do only know (and use often) one which outputs completely losless
100% exact Word files from PDF, and that includes tables, images and all kinds of formatting. I have used them often and always have losless quality. Furthermore, unlike many of these pdf to word converters the result is not a line by line text frame that makes editing a torture, but you get a word file with flow text just like is in any "native" doc/docx file.
Also, the service is very fast (and free), you just need to upload your pdf, enter your email and 2 minutes later you have the word file in your mailbox (and no, they never send any spam).
Here is the link:
http://www.pdftoword.com/Default.aspx

If its only txt you need, I highly recommend the free Quick PDF Tools, which are great. They are context menu tools, if you right click any pdf file in explorer, you can can quickly convert it to txt or image, get a preview and much more, without opening any application.
http://www.quickpdftools.com/free.php

great piece of software.thnx GOTD

I just downloaded and converted a 51-page document with dozens of pictures in it.

The conversion took only about 1 minute. I really like that that the software has a link to the file, since, although the destination was clear, clicking on the link is even easier.

The document was written by a consultant (I work for a non-profit organization on HIV/AIDS in the Developing World, so it is not a commercial use), who had told me that to send me the files would be more than 51MB. The PDF was 2.19 MB and the converted file is a fabulously tiny 369MB. The pictures are all there and in their appropriate place.

One small flaw in the conversion is that below some pictures, the top of the text is shaved off a little, but I do not consider this a big problem.

The more serious concern is that the text, while 100% there, the indents are a little mis-aligned and are not truly indents. So any editing I do to this version will mean re-formatting the entire document. Presumably, this is the case with any RTF or non-native format, so it's hard to complain about it.

Overall, I think this is a pretty useful tool, given the speed and size that resulted. The text was much less useful, but not entirely.

Thanks GOTD and Simpo.

Does any one know whether this software is good and accurate in converting forms and tables? It is not mentioned in the program homepage. Thanks for feedback.

Very good conversion(I must to say that i have Office 2003 on computer,i know that is not necessary).Conversion is fast and good.Thank.Here is an example in doc and txt:
http://my.jetscreenshot.com/demo/20100831-dv61-195kb
and here:
http://my.jetscreenshot.com/demo/20100831-zfdd-209kb

Like most of these types of programs I've tried, results seem to be a bit variable. I'm guessing that accuracy possibly depends on which program was used to create the PDF initially but I'm no expert. I sampled several different PDF files from varying sources. Some (even including quite elaborate graphics) appeared absolutely spot-on with everything where it should be but several I created from Primo (http://www.primopdf.com)had odd bulleted lines completely missing and it didn't like white text on a black background, giving me partial gibberish.

Installed - removed.
I tried two PDFs.
One was fairly long, but simple, an instruction booklet - printed text and simple images. It came out with 18 blank pages.
The other was an illustrted guide with colour images and text.
The text came out full of extraneous letters and lots of dots above the letters. It was unreadable.

Tried it, but not worth it. I don't use much PDF files, d/l it and works well. Good product for what it is.

Not convert to Word doc national symbols (cyrillic, baltic and other european languages) - only symbols that presented in english language.

Thanks GAOTD for this.
I agree with Ashraf that the conversion algorithm needs improvement. I work with PDF's requiring conversion to alternative formats and know first hand that it can sometimes be v. frustrating.
Abbyy Fine Reader does the most superior job so far because its OCR capability allows conversion of pictorial text(at a higher price)but for pure PDF's, AnyBizSoft PDF TO WORD beats them all. That said, it's still prudent to download, test and KEEP todays because most of those who dl'd AnyBizSoft PDF TO WORD during the last giveaway will notice that the version which was registered later required reactivation which worked for only one day.
This is a keeper.
Thanks.

Works great! I never could figure out how to get my pretty PDF graphics and stuff to transfer over to Word and still look the same. And it also supports to extract text content from PDF. It saves me the money to but other PDF to text converter.

The Good
* Straightforward and easy to use.
* Does PDF -> DOC and PDF - > TXT conversions.
* Supports batch processing.
* Allows users to convert whole PDF or select pages.
* Can convert encrypted PDFs.
* Converts at a good pace.
* Does not require Microsoft Office/Word installed to use.

The Bad
* Output/conversion quality needs improvement.
* Does not support drag + drop.
* Does not give users the ability to add a entry into right-click context menu for quick access.
* Sometimes the output file links under "Status" (after conversions have finished) are unclickable.

Free Alternatives
AnyBizSoft PDF to Word

For final verdict, recommendations, and full review please click here.