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About PDFComp

Introduction

PDFComp extracts text from PDF files and compares them. The first thing to note is that it cannot compare images or the position/format of text. Even if the columns in a table are misaligned, it will not detect differences if the text is the same. It also cannot detect differences such as strikethroughs. Please observe the screen carefully before using it.

Usage tips

1. How to use the comparison modes

• If you want to compare one page at a time manually, use 'Compare page' as before.
• If bookmarks are included, 'Compare bookmark' is recommended. Since the text is compared while referring to the chapter structure of the currently selected bookmark item, it will be compared on a chapter-by-chapter basis even if the number of pages per chapter differs. In addition to comparing the chapter of the current page, you can also select an item from the bookmark pane and compare a specified chapter.
• Use 'Compare book' when bookmarks are not included. It compares the entire file at once according to the text sentences without considering the chapter structure.

2. In Bounds mode, you can select one part of a page to compare. Examples of applications include:

• Cut out parts of long sentences or tables and compare them carefully.
• Cleanly re-compare parts that have been marked with difference markers because they spanned two pages.
• Compare the main text and ignore headers/footers. By using the next difference page button in conjunction with this, you can jump to the page with the difference.

3. About 'Next different page' and 'Previous different page' This is useful when first checking the differences in PDF files, and moves to the page where there is a difference. At this time, the behavior when moving is slightly different between Compare page and Compare bookmark/book.

• In the case of Compare page, it is a mode that compares the differences one page at a time, so it moves one page between the left and right PDF files and then compares them. If there are no differences, it continues to compare the next page.

• In the case of Compare bookmark and Compare book, it first compares the specified target range at once and then moves to the page where there is a difference. One page in the left PDF file doesn't always match one page in the right PDF file. The right PDF file might include more text for a given left-side page, leading to multiple corresponding pages in the right file. In such situations, only the right pages move ahead by one page.

[!] When you specify an area in Bounds mode, the difference within that area is judged, and differences outside the area are not considered differences.

4. If you are having trouble with the display scaling when you adjust the window size to change the copy size, you can set Fit Width to adjust the display range in the height direction as long as the width is kept constant.