Proper Way To Do Text In A CD Booklet

It depends on how the client's PDF file was created.

What you view as text in the PDF reader can be either actual text or an image of text.

Move your cursor someplace within the text. The cursor will change from an arrow to a text cursor if it is text.
If so, you can highlight the text and Copy to the clipboard (control-C or RMB Copy) then paste it into your work.

If it doesn't change, the PDF text is an image and the only way to extract the real text from it is with an OCR program.

- Leigh

Thank you VERY much. I will give that a shot.

Try using "Paste Special > No Formatting" to get just the text, then you can set the size and font in PS.

<Chas>

Leigh,
So, I tried that and the cursor doesn't change so it's your typical image of text.

Can you explain what an OCR program is, where I could find one and how to use it?

Charles,
That didn't work for me. When trying to paste into PS, my only choice was Paste Special/Paste Into Place and all that did was paste a very tiny little "image" of the text into the template.

Hi Randy,

OCR = Optical Character Recognition (aka Optical Character Reader)

It's a program that converts images to text. There are many different programs available, some free, some $$.
Most scanners include one with your purchase.

They vary in accuracy, from so-so to very poor. The only way to find out is to try.
You definitely have to proof-read and edit the resulting text to make it 100% correct.

- Leigh

OK, I just realized what I wasn't doing right. I have to click on the horizontal text tool and THEN paste into the image. Doing it this way still leaves me the shape of the original text but at least I'm able to transform the text and still have something that can be read easily.

You are beating your self up using Photoshop to do something so simple in a layout program. A vector program like Illustrator is better combining text and graphics, but still only one panel at a time with genuine quirks. The best choice is a dedicated layout program like Adobe InDesign. You might get by with Microsoft Publisher (if it still exists). Quark Express is another widely used layout program, largely supplanted by InDesign.

In a layout program, text and images are located in frames. Where they overlap, text can be caused to flow around the image frame with a specified margin. Text can also be caused to flow from frame to frame on successive pages. The pages themselves can be imposed (arranged) so that they will be consecutive in a folded booklet. The frames can be resized and moved about freely within a page (or between pages), and stay where you put them.

Using InDesign as an example, you have a lot of control over text - fonts, size, line spacing, justification, kerning, and hyphenation (to name a few). It is completely color-managed, and you can control the resolution of the output, independent of the source material. Graphics and text can be linked (to save space and facilitate editing) or embedded. You can output the finished layout to a PDF file, which can be used to print booklets, or sent to a service bureau. PDF files have the singular advantage of a layout which does not depend on which fonts and templates the user has on his computer. They can also have a variety of security solutions against tampering, if that's important (e.g., documents submitted for approval or to government agencies like the FDA).

Thanks Edward. I'm becoming increasingly aware of my need to have a vector program. Thanks for your suggestions.

You are beating your self up using Photoshop to do something so simple in a layout program.

Possibly, but I have made CD artworks using Photoshop. No real problems.