Ask HN: What features would you like to see for PDF documents? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What features would you like to see for PDF documents?

We are building a new product that lets you extract data from PDF using a simple API in wide range of output formats. You can also create PDF documents at scale within you applications.

I am wondering what features you are missing from PDF extraction or creation functionality? Please comment below.

I will really appreciate if you can take this survey to share you thoughts -

https://tiny.cc/zd5zsz

Cheers.

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As a mechanical engineer, I want to convert tables in pdf to Excel. Basically import a .pdf and export a .xlsx with a sheet for each table in the document.

I want this too, but with extra intelligence so that you don’t end up with extra empty columns, weird merged cell ranges, headers broken up on multiple rows, extra white space in the text.

Yes. Most of the PDFs I receive are created with Office products, do it many be possible to understand the formatting and ~recover the original.

May I request you to check our product. That "extra intelligence" is what we are differentiated from all other 99% of pdf to excel services.

I’m the founder of a startup that is solving this exact problem.

Our service Hydra allows users to extract tables from documents, even if the number of rows varies from document to document. It also handles arbitrary offset, skew and rotation.

If you’re interested: https://siftrics.com/hydra.html

With some experience in serving a similar need, the problem is not the lack of resources on the internet but the privacy and security. Be ready to respond to user concerns around it. Occasionally, you may have to handle free sign-up abusals.

I would like to see if I can parse large number of PDF in one or at max two API calls and something that's very cheap. I don't want to pay you tens of dollars since our demand is dynamic.

A simple way to clean or highlight and clean or extract things like javascript from pdf files.

Very interesting. Added my $0.02. Best wishes!

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