Combine batch of images into a PDF

[webfork]

There are several reasons you might want to do this:

• Combine a bunch of image scans into one file
• Easily convert lots of images to text
• Convert screen captures of DRM-protected content into a PDF file you can actually read (one of my friends has been having great difficulty with Adobe book system lately, so I tried to spend some time on possible ways around that).

Probably the easiest method is the Multi PDF Merger program or PDF shaper, but neither program gives you much control over the output.

What follows is a more manual process, but one that gives a bit more control with the output:

Steps

1. Open LibreOffice Impress (presentations tool)
2. From the Slide - Properties menu, select a page size and rotate to a portrait view:
   
   
   
   
   
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3. Import images using "Insert > Picture > Photo Album", and then export to PDF for the same effect

For any text content, open in in PDF XChange to use the included OCR program.

Other notes

This process also works (with mixed results) by opening the PDFs in the Draw program, copying all thumbnails, and pasting them into Impress

[freakazoid]

Thanks for your tutorial, webfork.

When I had to convert several images into PDF, I used Irfanview with their PDF plugin to export an image to a PDF file one-by-one. Then I used PDFTK Builder to merge several PDF files together.

There might be a way to batch-convert images to PDF in Irfanview though, but I preferred going through each conversion manually to fine tune the settings.

[webfork]

Thanks for your tutorial, webfork.

Sure, hope that helps

Then I used PDFTK Builder to merge several PDF files together.

Also an excellent program.

There might be a way to batch-convert images to PDF in Irfanview though, but I preferred going through each conversion manually to fine tune the settings.

I didn't think to check graphics viewers / editors. Here's two:

• nomacs and it's batch conversion program -- there's TIFF but nothing for PDF.
• FastStone has a PDF export but it's (like your Irfanview test) a PDF per image, no combine option:
  
  
  
  ... but the output is sized to whatever the image was (no page borders), which is probably better than my system.

[Cornflower]

SwiftPDF does exactly what you want, I think. Despite its age, it works on Win 10. It defaults to 1 image per page, but you have some control over size by using page size and margins.

[freakazoid]

SwiftPDF does exactly what you want, I think.

Looks like a good program, Cornflower. Thanks!

I'll have to remember this thread the next time I have to batch convert a bunch of images into one PDF!

[hamasaki]

Can also be done with Image to PDF
http://www.compulsivecode.com/Project_ImageToPDF.aspx

[webfork]

SwiftPDF does exactly what you want, I think.

Looks like a good program, Cornflower. Thanks!

Agreed, good suggestion.

Can also be done with Image to PDF

Also looks great. Here's the thread discussing Image to PDF.

Great responses, thanks hamasaki and freakazoid.

[freakazoid]

Here's the thread discussing Image to PDF.

There are some gems mentioned by FileHandler in that thread.

He mentions i2pdf and ImBatch.

I think i2pdf looks like another great solution!

[zorro]

webfork, you already had the solution: FSViewer can not only convert every image to single PDF, but a whole bunch of images into one single PDF.
Go to "create" > "multipage builder"
Interesting: when saving a single image as PDF, the "options" button is greyed out, but if you use the multipage builder, you can set the quality, the dpi and you can batch resize the images before writing the PDF.

[Andrew Lee]

webfork, you already had the solution: FSViewer can not only convert every image to single PDF, but a whole bunch of images into one single PDF.
Go to "create" > "multipage builder"
Interesting: when saving a single image as PDF, the "options" button is greyed out, but if you use the multipage builder, you can set the quality, the dpi and you can batch resize the images before writing the PDF.

FSViewer-PDF.jpg

Needed to convert a couple of PNGs to PDF, and using Faststone Image Viewer via the method above was quick and easy.

Thanks to zorro for posting this tip!

[webfork]

Needed to convert a couple of PNGs to PDF, and using Faststone Image Viewer via the method above was quick and easy.

Thanks to zorro for posting this tip!

Agreed -- looking back on this thread, I wonder how I missed that. Very nice.

[Cornflower]

If you are fans of dual purpose utilities, like FSViewer and Fastone Viewer, above, here is another one.

WinScan2PDF by SoftwareOK, a longtime item on TPFC, at https://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2051 in the database.

Simply drag and drop images (or pdfs) onto the window, and click the "to PDF" button. On my system it works with gif bmp jpg png and tif files. Produces one image per page, if you set it to Multiple Pages.

[juverax]

Thanks to Cornflower!
WinScan2PDF by SoftwareOK is a gem! ( https://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2051 )
Very fast and creates a PDF file where each image is contained inside a canvass that has the size of the max width and max height of the image set.

[Andrew Lee]

Just tried WinScan2PDF. Quick and easy, works just as expected. What's not to like?

Thanks to Cornflower for the tip!

[KJD]

Prep the trimmed or expanded images or separately AI / eps / PS (many mixed image formats accepted, but will be pages as full resolution 1:1 scale)

Place into a folder
OR Zip
OR rename a zip to CBZ
Drag and Drop the folder
or Open images or zip or cbz in SumatraPDF

Key in ALT + F + S (save as) and ALT + T + P (as PDF) navigate to the target dir, give it a name and you can reopen that pdf to check it out.

You could tiny task for batch running or write a cmd/vbs script to do similar.
You can naturally cmd line script -print-to MSpdf but I suggest other virtual PDF drivers would be better
And with pre-release there is a means under the hood to merge multiple pdfs via fairly simple scripting, but I best keep that a secret as its unsupported