[pdftex] How to covert pdf file into latex file?

[John R. Culleton]

On Wednesday 12 July 2006 15:13, Gerree Pecht wrote:
> Dear Mr. Chen,
>
> I don't believe there is a package that convert's PDF files into
> LaTeX markup files.  Does anyone out there know of any type conversion
> package?  I'm not sure ... but ... I believe the reason that there may not
> be any such package is due to the fear of changing/editing scientific
> papers without the author's knowledge ... I could be wrong ...
>
> Gerree Pecht
>
>   On Wed, 12
>
> Jul 2006, Chen Hongjun-r66092 wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> >    I am one beginner of LaTeX, would you like to shield some light on
> > how to convert PDF file into LaTeX file? which tools or any methods?
> >
> >
> >    Thanks in advance!
> >
> >    Best Regards,
> >
> >    Hongjun, Chen
> >    hong-jun.chen at freescale.com
> > _______________________________________________
> > pdftex mailing list
> > pdftex at tug.org
> > http://tug.org/mailman/listinfo/pdftex

Once you get to the pdf file you have a printable file with no
reference points back to the original file. If you have a
particular sequence of text there are almost an infinite number
of ways that it could have been created. Indeed it could have
been created in pdflatex, pdftex, Context etc. or possibly in a
non-TeX typesetting engine. 

You can follow this technique: reduce the pdf file to plain text
using some utility and then typeset it all over again. But you
lose all the formatting, font selection etc. 

Fear of changing an existing scientific paper has nothing to do
with it. You cannot back up from a pdf file into InDesign or
Quark either. Creation of a pdf is essentially a one-way street.  
-- 
John Culleton
Able Indexing and Typesetting
Precision typesetting (tm) at reasonable cost.
Satisfaction guaranteed. 
http://wexfordpress.com