Monarch Classic and PDF files

With Monarch Classic, you can convert PDF files into text so that they can be utilized like any normal text report in Monarch Classic. You can then create data extraction templates to extract information in exactly the same way as you would approach a text report file.

PDF is an open standard, so there are thousands of different applications that create PDF files using many different techniques. As a result, PDF files that look identical on screen may be structurally very different internally.

Monarch Classic uses very sophisticated techniques to analyze and reformat the data in a PDF file in order to produce the best possible "Monarch Classic-friendly" results, thereby enabling the accurate trapping of data after it has been imported. Despite this, you may occasionally encounter badly formatted or unusual PDF files that do not convert accurately enough to trap easily in Monarch Classic. Often, such PDF files may still be processed very effectively via Monarch Classic's floating trap or calculated fields.

Note:

 Monarch Classic transforms PDF files differently from the way other PDF conversion programs do, i.e., it is geared to effectively handle the types of documents that Monarch Classic is designed to process, such as reports, log files, etc. If you are trying to convert a different kind of PDF document (e.g., a marketing brochure for use with Microsoft Word), you should use one of the many commercial software products available that are designed for such tasks.

To begin working with PDF files, see Importing a PDF File into Monarch Classic.