TECH TIP: How to identify the differences between a vector and raster PDF file

   Related Tech Tip: Can I convert a scanned PDF into a vector file?

   For more detail:   Visual Integrity     pdf2cad     pdf2picture     pdf2image     PDF FLY     META FLY     Developers

 

  1. Open your PDF file with Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
     
  2. Select the Magnifying Glass    



     
  3. Click to select a part of the drawing and drag to outline a small section. The section of the picture should be redrawn and magnified on your screen. In the example below, the section is enlarged 600%. To see the differences clearly, you should magnify the file a minimum of 400%. Sometimes, it's necessary to magnify the file more than 1000% to determine the file type.

Original Drawing opened in Acrobat Scalable, Vector PDF
Section magnified to 600%
You can conclude from the sharp lines and clear text that this is a scalable (vector) PDF file.

pdf2cad, pdf2picture, pdf2image and PDF FLY can all convert this file into editable text and objects.

 Raster/Bitmap PDF
Section magnified to 600%
You can see from the jagged lines and unreadable text that this is a raster (bitmap) PDF file.

Our products can not create an editable file from a raster PDF file.

You may want to still convert the file to an image format and use it as a tracing layer to save time when redrawing it. Another alternative is to evaluate raster-to-vector programs like Scan2CAD or Trix Systems.