Mapsoft ImagePlacer
Mapsoft ImagePlacer is an Adobe Acrobat plug-in produced by Mapsoft Computer Services Limited. It lets you place and precisely position images on the pages of an open PDF document, either as an overlay on top of the existing page content or as a watermark behind it. Images can be applied to a single page, a page range, or all pages at once, with full control over position, scale and transparency.
System Requirements
- Microsoft Windows
- Adobe Acrobat (version 5 or later recommended; transparency features require Acrobat 5+)
Opening ImagePlacer
Once installed, ImagePlacer adds a menu item to Adobe Acrobat. Open the PDF you wish to modify and then choose the ImagePlacer command from the Acrobat menu to open the dialog box.
The ImagePlacer Dialog
All placement options are controlled from a single dialog. The sections below describe each part of the dialog in detail.
Image File
The Image field at the top of the dialog shows the path to the image that will be placed. Click Browse… to open a file picker and select your image.
Supported formats:
| Extension | Format |
|---|---|
.jpg | JPEG |
.tif | TIFF |
.bmp | Windows Bitmap |
.gif | GIF |
.pcx | PCX |
.png | Portable Network Graphic |
.pcd | Kodak Photo CD |
.tga | Targa |
Non-JPEG images are automatically converted to JPEG before being embedded in the PDF.
Placement
The Placement group controls where on the page the image will appear.
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| X Position | The horizontal distance from the reference edge to the left side of the image, expressed in the currently selected unit. |
| From: left / right | Selects which horizontal edge the X Position is measured from. Choose left to measure from the left edge of the page, or right to measure from the right edge. |
| Y Position | The vertical distance from the reference edge to the bottom of the image, expressed in the currently selected unit. |
| From: top / bottom | Selects which vertical edge the Y Position is measured from. Choose top to measure downward from the top of the page, or bottom to measure upward from the bottom edge. |
The default position is 0.0, 0.0 from the top-left corner.
Units
Use the Units drop-down to choose the measurement unit used for the X Position and Y Position fields:
- Inches — decimal inches (e.g.
1.25) - cm — centimetres
- mm — millimetres
Changing the unit automatically converts the current position values so that the intended position on the page is preserved.
Resize Image
The Scale field (in the Resize Image group) sets the size
of the image as a percentage of its original pixel dimensions. The default is
100, which embeds the image at its native size (one pixel per PDF point).
Enter a lower value to shrink the image or a higher value to enlarge it.
Apply As
The Apply as group controls how the image is layered relative to the existing page content:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Overlay | The image is placed on top of the existing page content. This is the default. The transparency option is available when Overlay is selected. |
| Watermark | The image is placed behind the existing page content, so the page text and graphics appear in front of the image. Transparency is not available in Watermark mode. |
Transparency (Overlay mode only)
When Overlay is selected, tick the Transparent (Acrobat 5 +) check box to make the image semi-transparent. Use the slider below the check box to set the degree of transparency:
- Drag the slider towards More (left) to increase transparency (making the image more see-through).
- Drag the slider towards Less (right) to decrease transparency (making the image more opaque).
Page Range
The Page range group specifies which pages the image will be placed on:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| All pages | The image is placed on every page of the PDF document. |
| Specified pages only | The image is placed only on the pages listed in the text box.
Enter a comma-separated list of pages or page ranges, for example
-3,5-7,10,20- to include pages 1–3, 5–7, 10,
and 20 onwards. |
| Current button | Automatically fills in the page number of the page currently displayed in Acrobat, and switches to Specified pages only mode. |
Page Spread
The Page spread group lets you restrict placement to odd or even pages within the chosen range, which is useful for double-sided documents:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Odd and even pages | Image is placed on all pages in the range (default). |
| Odd pages only | Image is placed only on odd-numbered pages. |
| Even pages only | Image is placed only on even-numbered pages. |
Name Configuration
The Name Configuration group allows you to save and recall complete sets of ImagePlacer settings so that you can quickly reuse a particular combination of image, position, scale, page range, and transparency.
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Configuration drop-down | Shows saved configurations. Select an existing name to load its settings, or type a new name to create a new configuration. |
| Save | Saves the current dialog settings under the name shown in the configuration drop-down. If a configuration with that name already exists you will be asked to confirm the overwrite. |
| Remove | Deletes the currently selected named configuration. |
Buttons
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| OK | Validates all settings, places the image on the specified pages, and closes the dialog. |
| Cancel | Closes the dialog without placing an image. Any images placed using Preview during the current dialog session are automatically removed. |
| Preview | Places the image immediately using the current settings without closing the dialog. This lets you inspect the result and adjust settings before committing. Use Undo to remove a preview placement. |
| Undo | Removes the most recently placed image (whether applied with Preview or OK). Can be used multiple times to undo successive placements. |
| Help… | Opens this user guide in your default web browser. |
Step-by-Step: Placing an Image
- Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
- Choose the ImagePlacer command from the Acrobat menu to open the dialog.
- Click Browse… and select the image file you want to place.
- Set the X Position and Y Position, and choose which edges to measure from.
- Select the Units (Inches, cm, or mm).
- Enter a Scale percentage if you want the image resized.
- Choose Overlay or Watermark. If using Overlay, optionally enable transparency and set the slider.
- Specify the Page range and Page spread.
- Click Preview to check the result. Use Undo to remove the preview if you need to adjust the settings.
- When satisfied, click OK to apply and close the dialog.
- Save the PDF in Acrobat as normal (File > Save).
Page Range Syntax
When Specified pages only is selected, enter a comma-separated list of page numbers or ranges in the text box. The following syntax is supported:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
5 | Page 5 only |
3,7,12 | Pages 3, 7, and 12 |
5-10 | Pages 5 through 10 (inclusive) |
-5 | Pages 1 through 5 |
10- | Page 10 through to the last page |
-3,5-7,10,20- | Pages 1–3, 5–7, 10, and 20 to the end |
Tips and Notes
- Coordinate origin: The default origin (
0, 0from top-left) places the image at the top-left corner of the page. Increase X to move right and increase Y to move down. - Non-JPEG images: If you select a file in a format other than JPEG (e.g. PNG, BMP, TIFF), ImagePlacer automatically converts it to JPEG before embedding. The original file is not altered.
- Transparency and Acrobat version: The transparency feature uses Acrobat’s extended graphics state and requires the PDF to be viewed in Acrobat 5 or later. If your audience may be using older versions of Acrobat, avoid enabling transparency.
- Tryout mode: If ImagePlacer is running as a tryout (unlicensed) copy, a watermark text is added to the PDF. Purchase a licence from www.mapsoft.com to remove the tryout watermark.
- Undo after Cancel: If you click Cancel, any images placed with Preview during that session are automatically removed — you do not need to undo them manually.
Mapsoft ImagePlacer version 1.5 —
Copyright © 2002–2004 Mapsoft Computer Services Limited. All rights reserved.
www.mapsoft.com