Boston University DAISY Talking Book Index Page at people.bu.edu/access

Boston University Office of Disability Services
DAISY Production Training Module

Alternate Methods For Document Conversion and Editing

A good DAISY build depends heavily upon how the .pdf files are cleaned and edited after being converted. The options described in this section are each appropriate to different situations. Each project will have different needs and thus one option will prove better than others. As your skills and comfort with the work improves, the more you’ll understand these differences, and the better you’ll adapt to making choices.

Option 1 - Clear Formatting with Notepad

After you have used PDF Transformer to create Word Documents, open a blank page in Notepad and follow these steps to remove all formatting to work with a squeaky clean document for editing:

select all (ctrl + a)
cut (ctrl + x)
paste (ctrl + v) into Notepad (not Wordpad)

This removes ALL formatting from the document

select all (ctrl + a) again within the Notepad document
cut (ctrl +x)
paste (ctrl + v) into a new Word Document

NOTE: Not only does this method clear all formatting, but it also removes all graphics and footnotes, etc. Therefore, this method is best for very simple books or books that need to be done quickly for students who don’t need or desire such elements.

Option 2 - Clear Formatting and Page Setup Within Word

After you have used PDF Transformer to create Word Documents

select all (ctrl + a)
select Clear Formatting (Edit + Clear + Formats)
go to File + Page Setup and make certain all margins are 1”, Page size is 11 x 8.5, and there are no gutters.
go to Format + Columns. Ensure there is only 1 column and it is 6.5”.

This method clears formatting but maintains the graphics within the document.

Option 3 - Separating Out Pictures

If Option 2 proves to be tricky to use and the graphics need to be maintained, use Option 1, but save the clear-format document separately so it does not replace the original raw file.

Next save the raw file as "Web Page, Filtered". This creates a separate folder (JPG) with all the graphical elements from the document. These pictures can be re-inserted either during the Editing Process or during the DAISY Publishing process.

Option 4 Direct PDF to HTML Conversion [experimental]

open the .pdf file in Adobe Acrobat
go to "File + Save As" and save the file as “HTML 4.01 with CSS 1.0 (*.htm, *.htm).”

Then open this newly created HTML version in Microsoft Word for editing, etc.

Any text with color or graphics that were previously allowed to be selected as text in .pdf are now pure graphics and the text will not be read in EasePublisher.

If there are multiple columns, these will order more appropriately than using the PDF Transformer program, and much of the doodles that tend to appear in the conversion process will be eliminated.

You will still have to edit for spacing page numbers, and delete useless headings and footers, but the overall process is definitely quickened.

Additional Editing Tips and Tricks

To delete the ( ¬ ) symbol created by Notepad, go to Edit + Find (ctrl + f) and select the Replace tab. Copy and paste the symbol into the find bar. Leave the replace bar blank. Then click replace.

If entire paragraphs are a bit “wonky” and would otherwise have to be retyped, first go to the .pdf and test if the text Select Tool can properly transfer the text that needs to be fixed.

Pictures that are distorted should be maintained but accompanied with the note (Graphic distorted. See hard copy).

If a picture did not properly transfer, use the .pdf and select the graphic with the Snapshot Tool.

Circle the footnote references in the actual book so that they are easier to find when they are needed for Editing and DAISY Publishing.

To have alt-text read aloud in EaseReader, you must select it in html editor <> and "create sentence of selected text (F4)".