How to Merge Scanned Pages

Think about situations we often face, such as these:

1. You are e-mailed a multi-page form. Your instructions are to complete the form (which must be done by hand), and return it. Your solution is to print the form, complete the pages, scan each page, and email the scanned pages as attachments.
2. You are submitting copies of receipts. While you may be able to place more than one receipt at a time on the scanner, you still wind up with several pages. You email the scanned pages of receipts.

In both cases, you wind up with multiple one-page attachments. Would it be better if the individual pages could be combined into one document? While some people already have a solution, most people do not. I am glad to find out about a site called "PDF Mergy," which performs this function quickly and for free.

The URL for the site is http://pdfmerge.w69b.com and requires no registration. Simply drag and drop each page of your PDF onto the screen and click "Merge." You are then prompted to download your completed document.

Seeing this tool as one I want to have handy, I included it as a custom gadget on my igHome homepage. That way, when I want to merge pages, I go to my homepage and drag the pages into the PDF Mergy gadget.

On a related note, if you are not familiar with igHome, it is a great replacement for iGoogle. When you click "Add Gadgets," one of the options at the bottom of the left-hand column is to "Create Your Own Gadget." Here. you can add the URL to any site.

Now, your multiple-page scans can be combined into one document. It's free, and it's easy.

Free PFD File Conversion (and 50 More )

I am always glad to know about sites which offer free solutions to common problems.I am equally glad to pass that knowledge along to readers. Recently, I received an email letting me know about a site which converts PDF documents to Word.

The site is http://convertpdftoword.org. I tried it, and was impressed with the results. While you can sign up for a free account, registration is not necessary to use the site. You navigate to the document you wish to convert and supply your email address. I received an email in less than two minutes with a link to download my converted document. When I opened the document, it appeared perfect.

In September 2010, I reviewed another PDF to Word converter in this post. That site and the one just experienced operate in a virtually identical fashion. The only difference is the one I had reviewed in 2010 asks you to complete a CAPTCH and this one does not.

My exploration got even better. I noticed in the upper-left corner a link labeled "in conjunction with Cometdocs.com." When I clicked that link, I was taken to a more robust site at the URL Cometdocs.com. I read the FAQ tab and found Cometdocs offers over 50 online conversions, also for free.

 

I Googled Cometdocs and found this review done on Lifehacker in April 2009. The review was positive. My experience has also been positive. So, I offer these sites to you and hope they will increase your productivity.

After you have had a chance to take these sites for a test drive, I would be interested in what you think. If you know of other sites which offer similar capabilities, I would be glad to hear about them.

Converting PDF Files to PowerPoint

The Free Technology for Teachers blog featured this site for converting pdf files to PowerPoint. You may read the description here.

Anyone want to give their feedback after testing it out?