New Scan2CAD Pro now converts engineering drawing scan-to-PDF files to CAD

New Scan2CAD v7.6 now offers engineering PC CAD users the ability to read, write and automatically convert scan-to-PDF (raster image only) files into DXF for editing in popular CAD programs like AutoCAD, TurboCAD, Vectorworks, IntelliCAD, ZWCAD, etc.

Upgrades are free to current Scan2CAD v7 users. Among the main new features in Scan2CAD v7.6 are:

* Windows Vista support,
* Updated raster file support (various),
* Improved automatic colour reduction,
* Convert PDF (image only) files into DXF, (Pro only),
* Scan and save the scanned images as PDF, (Pro only),
* Saved archived raster files as PDF, individually or by batch, (Pro only),

Now in its 12th year of consistent software development, Scan2CAD offers CAD users with wide format scanners and or images an affordable yet professional scanning, raster editing and automatic raster to vector conversion capability. It is available in two versions, Regular or Pro.

Scan2CAD Regular opens monochrome, grey scale and colour raster images but only saves monochrome (black / white) DXF files. Scan2CAD Pro adds conversion to colour DXF, sophisticated OCR tools for font training, OCR dictionary and on-the-fly OCR text editing, a command line, batch processing for multiple image conversion and now, new PDF support.

Flexible load and conversion of scan-to-PDF (image only) files to CAD

The success of Adobe's PDF file format among CAD users has led to a massive increase in the number of technical drawings and documents stored and distributed in the PDF file format. This has led to a demand for software that will load and convert PDF files into CAD-editable ones.

There are three types of PDF file:

* Vector PDF - created in a CAD program,
* Raster PDF (image only) - scanned from a paper drawing,
* Hybrid PDF (a mix of vector and raster components) - created in a CAD program.

Many programs open and convert vector PDF into CAD files. Vector PDF is created when a CAD drawing is saved as a PDF file. Vector PDF can contain intelligent information, like layers. Raster PDF files are created by scanning and are distinctly different to vector PDF files. Raster PDF files are flat, dead scanned images with no inherent intelligence. Raster PDF files are not well served by vector PDF conversion to CAD programs.

Vector PDF converters do not attempt to convert the raster components within a PDF file. Softcover, the publisher of Scan2CAD professional raster to vector conversion software with 12 years of experience in the conversion of good, bad and indifferent scanned images, is well-placed to provide an expert raster PDF vectorisation solution. New Scan2CAD v7.6 Pro offers the most flexible solution to date for converting raster PDF into CAD DXF files.

Scan2CAD Pro opens raster PDF images and the raster components in a hybrid PDF file only. Where there is one raster PDF image, Scan2CAD Pro opens and converts it just like any BMP, TIFF or JPEG image. If a hybrid PDF file contains vector and raster data like photos, scanned maps and a logo, etc, Scan2CAD allows the user to step through the raster components to select each image individually for conversion.

As well as converting raster PDF images to CAD, Scan2CAD Pro can scan-to-PDF and can convert previously scanned images saved as BMP, TIFF etc. into PDF. Unlike simple, cheap scan-to-PDF batch converters, Scan2CAD has sophisticated, professional raster image clean-up tools that can be used to individually or automatically batch tidy-up scanned images prior to saving as PDF.

To read more about scan-to-PDF files and the issues associated with them, see: www.scanners4cad.com.

Uniquely tested with hundreds of PDF files and leading scanners and software

As the publisher of the leading automatic raster to vector converter, Softcover has an archive of 1000s of different scanned images collected over 12 years. This allowed Softcover to fully test Scan2CAD Pro's PDF compatibility with hundreds of wide format PDF files.

Good relations with large format scanner manufacturers and software developers has also allowed Softcover to test Scan2CAD v7.6 Pro with scan-to-PDF files created on most leading makes of large format scanners and their PDF-generating scanning software. Among the wide format scanners and scanning software whose scan-to-PDF files have been tested by Softcover and shown to work with Scan2CAD v7.6 Pro are:

* Bowe Bell + Howell (Infinity WF),
* Calcomp (WIDEimage),
* Colortrac (SmartLF, ScanWorks),
* Contex, (WIDEImage and JETImage),
* Graphtec (Scanning Arts, Scanning Master),
* HP (JETImage),
* IDEAL (IDEAL ScanOS),
* Image Access (Scan2Net),
* KIP (IPS - Image Processing System),
* Océ (Océ Scan Logic, Océ Scan),
* Paradigm Imaging (imageFLOW)
* SCP (Colorado, CopySystems, EasyScan, Alaska),
* Vidar (SCP EasyScan, CopySystems Express),
* Widecom (Colscan),
* Xerox (FreeFlow Accxes Client Tools)

On-going software development is the key to Scan2CAD's success!

Steve Hannath, Softcover's marketing director, said Scan2CAD v7.6 Pro is at the forefront of raster PDF to DXF conversion.

Scan2CAD v7.6 Pro's new ability to open a wide range of raster PDF file types with more flexibility and less limitations than more expensive converters is a testament to our consistent software development based on technological trends and user requests. With the addition of flexible PDF support to Scan2CAD's core technology, the automatic raster to vector conversion of scanned images, CAD professionals now have more options available to them when receiving this popular file format and converting it for editing in any PC CAD or CNC program.