PDF Extra Help
PDF Extra Help
PDF Extra is a powerful and multipurpose tool designed for easy scanning and
digitization of documents on-the-go. You can also use it to sign documents or convert
them to and from PDF, as well as store them safely to your preferred Cloud storage.
In this help documentation we'll be detailing all the various settings and features
available within the app. These are separated into different help topics (listed below).
Pick the one you need help with and tap on it to get things underway.
1.Navigating PDF Extra
2.Conversions
3.Scanning
4.PDF Viewer & Editor
5.Account
Navigating PDF Extra
PDF Extra features an intuitive and easy to use interface, designed specifically around
using the app's main features in only a few quick and easy steps. Opening the app for
the first time will show you your default My documents folder, featuring all PDFs and
documents viable for conversion to PDF (Word, Excel, ePub). Your My documents folder
can be changed from the Settings menu (detailed below).
At the upper right side of the screen across various menus you'll find the option to
Search through the listed entries below. Next to it, is a Contextual menu housing the
following options:
Select - Toggles the Select mode on and off, providing additional options for managing
selected items. These are explained in greater details below.
Sort - Provides options to sort the items according to their Name, Size, Type
or Date.
A tap and hold on any document will toggle the aforementioned Select mode on, which
shows additional options for selection management, including:
Copy - Copy the document to your clipboard and Paste it in your location of choice.
Cut - Cut the document to your clipboard and Paste it in your location of choice.
Select All - All documents within the folder in question will be selected.
Share - Share the document via your device's available means of communication
(Messaging apps, Bluetooth, SMS etc.).
Rename - Change the name of the selected document.
Print - Print out the document using a printer connected to the same network.
Additionally, at the bottom right side of the screen is the Create Document button,
which allows you to quickly Convert or Capture a document. These are explained in
greater detail in the Converting to PDF and Scanning to PDF pages, respectively.
Navigating Menus
The primary way to move through the different menus within the app is the
Hamburger icon at the top left side of the screen. Tapping it or sliding from the left
side inward will open the side bar, housing the following menus:
Sign in - Provides options to log into your account and manage it in a number of ways.
More information about the benefits of logging in can be found in our Sign In page.
My Documents -Used as the default landing menu when starting up the app. Shows a
list of all PDF documents, as well as those viable for conversion to PDF (Word, Excel,
ePub). The location of your My Documents folder can be changed via the Settings menu
(detailed below).
Internal Storage - Allows you to browse your device's internal memory and navigate to a
specific folder.
Drive - Log in to our MobiSystems Drive and store your important documents on the
cloud. Any accounts using the Drive receive storage space completely free.
Add cloud - Add an unlimited number of cloud storage accounts. These will be displayed
as separate entities in the Hamburger menu. The supported cloud providers are listed
below:
Google
Drive
Dropbox
Box
Create document - From here you can Scan to PDF, Fill and Sign a document or Convert
it to and from PDF. Tapping on any of the links above will show separate help pages
about these features.
Help and Feedback - Provides essential help and support information on PDF Extra:
Settings - Houses various options for customizing the way the app works.
Conversions
Converting an Excel, Word or ePub document to and from PDF is extremely fast and
intuitive. Below we've detailed the various ways the feature can be accessed and used.
Convert to PDF
Viable file formats for conversion to PDF are Word, Excel and ePub documents. There
are four ways the feature can be accessed.
- Via the Create Document menu from the Hamburger icon in the top left side.
- Through the Create Document button at the bottom right side of the screen across
various menus. This will lead you to the Select file menu listing all your Cloud accounts,
Internal Storage, FTPs, Local Networks, as well as your default Downloads folder. From
there simply navigate to the folder where the file you wish to convert is stored.
- A tap and hold on any document viable for conversion will show a number of new
options in the top part of the screen. Tapping on the Contextual menu will show a
drop-down menu from where you can select Convert.
- A simple tap on the document you wish to convert will show a prompt asking you to
initiate the conversion.
PDF files can be converted to any Word, Excel or ePub format. This can be done in a
number of ways:
- Via the Create Document menu from the Hamburger icon in the top left side.
- Through the Create Document button at the bottom right side of the screen across
various menus. This will lead you to the Select file menu listing all your Cloud accounts,
Internal Storage, FTPs, Local Networks, as well as your default Downloads folder. From
there simply navigate to the folder where the file you wish to convert is stored.
- A tap and hold on any document viable for conversion will show a number of new
options in the top part of the screen. Tapping on the Contextual menu will show a
drop-down menu from where you can select Convert.
Scanning
Scanning documents using your device's camera is one of the most practical and
feature-rich functions of PDF Extra, giving you a variety of options to fine-tune and
optimize your digitized documents. Starting the process of scanning a document can be
done in two ways, the first is via the Create Document menu from the Hamburger
icon in the top left side. The other is through the Create Document button at the
bottom right side of the screen across various menus.
After starting the Scan feature you will be redirected to your device's camera menu
where you can digitize the document of your choice. There are a number of options for
managing the photo being taken, these are:
Select file - Allows you to select an already existing photo or picture to digitize.
Take Photo - After everything is set up, tapping the button will take the photo.
Flash - Tapping on the icon will toggle through its different modes. These are On, Auto
and Off.
There are a number of other options available in the Contextual menu at the right
side of the Flash icon, including:
Auto Frame - Toggles the display of a frame while taking the photo on and off. The
frame makes it easier to place the document within the photo, leading to a better-quality
scan.
Auto Batch - Toggles the multi-photo mode on and off. This mode allows you to make
several photos in quick succession and is very useful when large multi-page documents
need digitizing.
Flash - Tapping on the icon will toggle through its different modes. These are On, Auto
and Off.
After the photo is taken, you will be presented with another batch of options to fine-tune
the colors and direction of the photo. The full set of options is detailed below:
Original - Removes all changes made to the photo and shows its original colour.
Brightness - Change the brightness of the photo. When the feature is used a slider will
appear just above it, allowing you to fine-tune how bright the photo will be.
B&W - Places a Black and White (B&W) effect on the photo, composed entirely of black
and white.
Accept - Tap this icon when all necessary changes to the photo have been made.
Lastly, following this screen are several more options related to including additional
pages to the scanned document, these are:
Add page(s) - Redirects you to your device's camera where you can make more scans
and include additional pages to the already created scan. Any additional pages will go
through the same steps as detailed above.
Import Page(s) - Browse your Internal Storage, as well as any connected Cloud
accounts, FTPs and Local Networks for images that can be scanned and added to the
already scanned document as additional pages. Any additional pages will go through
the same steps as detailed above.
PDF Viewer & Editor
After you've finished scanning and fine-tuning your now digitized documents you can
view and edit them using a vast array of options split into categories. Below we've
detailed each and every one of them.
PDF Viewer
Any documents you access are automatically opened in the Viewer. It's designed
around viewing and leaving feedback on the PDF, without the risk of accidentally
making changes to it. A number of options are available in the upper right corner of the
screen, including:
Pages Activity - This option is best used on PDFs with multiple pages to pick individual
ones for printing. The options there include:
Print – Print the document via a printer connected to the same wireless
network.
Editor - Tapping this will toggle the Editor on. The Editor is a separate mode allowing
you to make much more definitive changes to the document.
Share - Send the PDF to another person using any of the available communication apps
(messengers, email, cloud links etc.) installed on the device.
Toggle Ribbon - Show or Hide the ribbon housing the main Viewer options, these are:
View Mode – Select how the pages of the PDF will be visualized. You can
pick between Continuous, Single page, Two pages and Two page with
cover.
Zoom – Change the level of zoom on the PDF. The options here include Fit,
Fit Width and Actual Size.
Print – Print the document via a printer connected to the same wireless
network.
Text to Speech – Activates the dictation feature, which reads out the text in
the PDF. Tapping this option will show a drop-down menu from which you
can select your language of choice.
Night Mode – This mode is designed specifically for easing your eyes while
reading documents.
The Editor holds a number of dropdown menus housing different options for editing
PDFs. Toggling the Editor on is done via the icon found at the bottom right side of
the screen, as well as the ribbon at the top of the screen. Below we've detailed the
options available in each tab.
Read
Go to Page... – Quickly navigate to a specific page in the document. Very useful for
PDFs with a large number of pages.
View Mode – Select how the pages of the PDF will be visualized. You can pick between
Continuous, Single page, Two pages and Two page with cover.
Zoom – Change the level of zoom on the PDF. The options here include Fit, Fit Width
and Actual Size.
Print – Print the document via a printer connected to the same wireless network.
Text to Speech – Activates the dictation feature, which reads out the text in the PDF.
Tapping this option will show a drop-down menu from which you can select your
language of choice.
Night Mode – This mode is designed specifically for easing your eyes while reading
documents.
Properties – Lists information about the document such as its Location, Type, Size and
when it was last modified.
Edit
Text Box – Allows you to edit existing text boxes within the currently opened PDF
document. Available to Premium users.
Rotate – Change the direction of a selected element between Horizontal and Vertical .
Available to Premium users.
Save as – Saves the document and allows you to choose where it's saved and with
what name.
Comment
Comment Note – Leave a note on any part of the PDF. This options is very valuable for
leaving feedback and comments on specific aspects of a document.
Picture – Insert a picture from your camera, Internal Storage or the Web.
Rectangle – Insert a rectangle shape to the document. Each shape comes with its
respective set of options allowing you to fine-tune the line thickness, opacity, colours
and more.
Ellipse – Insert an ellipse shape to the document. Each shape comes with its respective
set of options allowing you to fine-tune the line thickness, opacity, colours and more.
Attach File – Attach a file anywhere in the document. Any attached files will be
displayed as push pins, tapping on them will give you further options for managing it.
Save as – Saves the document and allows you to choose where it's saved and with
what name.
Certify – Allows you to add a digital certification to a PDF, in order to validate its
authenticity.
Sign – Allows you to add a digital certification to a PDF, in order to validate its
authenticity.
Timestamp – Adding a timestamp allows you to certify that you have viewed the PDF at
a given time.
Profiles – Displays a list of predefined values for timestamps, certifications, and
signatures that are saved as profiles. Profiles are useful as you do not have to
repeatedly enter credentials each time.
Save as – Saves the document and allows you to choose where it's saved and with
what name.
Protect – Set a custom password to manage who has access to the document. Note
that user-generated passwords are NOT recoverable if forgotten!
Convert
Account
Sign in to gain access to a multitude of new options that will significantly enhance your
experience, including:
Get free storage for files on MobiSystems Drive.
Robust account management features.
To sign in, tap on the Sign in button in the Navigation menu, and choose your preferred
sign in method (Facebook, Google account or Email). To sign up, tap on Sign up at the
bottom, and choose between sign up with email or phone number.
Once you are signed in, your credentials will appear at the top of the Navigation menu.
Tapping on the image will allow you to change your profile picture. Tapping on More
Settings will take you to the MobiSystems site, where you can manage your associated
subscriptions and devices.
We hope this section was helpful, to browse other help topics please go back to the
Homepage.