Remember what I said about my blog and how it was like Harry Potter's "room of requirement"? It only appears if you stand in front of it and you know exactly what you want (i.e., type in the right web address). Well, apparently editing a pdf file sort of works the same way. After carefully following an online tutorial to make an interactive version of my Cub Scout Orientation booklet -- and failing miserably -- I discovered it was much simpler than I'd anticipated. I simply needed to tell my booklet I required that it now be interactive. How easy is that?
(Note: Before you start, you'll want to access the orientation booklet by clicking on the photo on my blog and then download (and save) the booklet on your own computer.)
There are probably other methods and secrets to tapping stubborn pdf files, but here's what I did:
1. Open the pdf file in Adobe Acrobat Professional
2. Click on the "Tools" drop down menu at the top of the screen
3. Select "Advanced Editing" to bring up a menu offering several tool options
4. Select the "TouchUp Text Tool"
I tried this approach on three different documents and was successful with all three. As soon as I follow that four step process, the document thinks for a moment, and then I'm able to click on text and begin editing. I'm still very much an amateur when it comes to manipulating pdfs, but it's possible this just may work for you, too.
I designed my Cub Scout Orientation booklet as a sample, but if you can edit pack numbers and names and phone numbers and meeting times to make it work for you, please go for it. Use it however it best helps you with your pack meeting efforts.
Good luck -- and email me with your success results. I'd love to hear whether others were able to work the same magic in producing an editable pdf . . .
