General ⇒ Removing origin of .pdf files created from latex

[dfg]

Dear all,

can anyone tell me how to disguise a .pdf file created from latex?

The problem is with an online journal which allows submission or papers in latex or pdf format. We have a very complicated latex document which will not submit properly on their side due to frankly unknown problems. If we try submitting our pdf from texshop, they detect it somehow and say they do not accept pdf's made from latex sources!

Time is of the essence on this one, I have tried resaving the pdf from preview (mac os x) which changes the creator type but will not fool the online system.

Does anyone know of a free bit of software on mac os x that will do a proper job of this? Before you ask, the compatability problem between our latex and theirs is unsolvable.. in a few hours I will have to give up and retype the whole bloody thing in word and make a pdf from that!

cheers,

Steve

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi Steve,

welcome to the board!
You could try import and export with other software, perhaps using a different file type on the way but without quality loss. For instance create a postscript file from the pdf or the dvi, import it into a graphics program and save it to pdf again. Or print the ps file using a pdf file printer.

Stefan

[Ted]

The problem is with an online journal which allows submission or papers in latex or pdf format. We have a very complicated latex document which will not submit properly on their side due to frankly unknown problems.

Someone here may be able to help you solve those problems (rather than submitting a PDF to them instead).

If we try submitting our pdf from texshop, they detect it somehow and say they do not accept pdf's made from latex sources!

I suspect that they're using the PDF "Content Creator" attribute (this is different than OS X's "creator type"). If you're using pdflatex to generate your PDF, it will fill this field with "TeX." Instead, try

• Using latex to generate a DVI, dvips to generate a PS, and ps2pdf to generate the PDF. This should change the "Content Creator" to "dvips."
• Use the hyperref package to change this field to whatever you want. You'll need to use the pdfcreator (and possibly the pdfproducer) option. For example...

  Code: Select all

  \hypersetup{pdfcreator={Me}}

  Maybe that will trick them. You could open a PDF not created with TeX and see what it's creator is (you can find this option under document properties/information using your favorite PDF viewer. In "Preview", look at the info by doing Apple+I and click on the "Details" tab. You could then set your creator text to whatever is there.