The contents of two or more files can be overlaid. Overlaying files is only possible if you have more than one file in the file list of PDF Direct!, or selected in Windows Explorer.

To start an overlay:

  1. Prepare the files to be overlaid. See the examples below.
  2. Perform one of the following:
    • Overlay files as one PDF document from the Assemble selection box in PDF Direct!.
    • Overlay files as one PDF in the context menu in Windows Explorer.
    • Overlay with existing file in the If File Exists selection box of the PDF Settings panel in the Printing Properties dialog box.

To change the overlay options, display the Overlay panel from the PDF Direct! or the Overlay dialog box and make your changes.

Example 1

Here you can see an example for a cover page:

PDF Gold sample overlay Overlaying Multiple Files

Single page with picture elements + First page of a multi-page document = Cover page of resulting PDF file

To do an overlay for a cover page:

  1. Create a single-page PDF, Word or other file containing the picture elements for the cover.
  2. Create a multi-page document (e.g. in Word). Its first page should contain the cover page text.
  3. Drag-and-drop the files to the file list in PDF Direct! or use the Add button.
  4. Select Overlay files as one PDF document in the Assemble selection box .
  5. Click the Overlay button and check the overlay settings in the Overlay panel. Page Center should be selected and the checkbox Repeat the last page of the shortest document for page overlay should be de-selected. Click anywhere outside the panel to close it.
  6. Click the Edit button to define the destination settings.
  7. Click Go to start conversion. By default, the Save As dialog box will appear. Name your resulting PDF file.

You can get the same result by overlaying three files, if you have the two picture elements in two separate files. The picture elements should be placed in the source file in the position where they should appear in the resulting PDF.

Example 2

To put a logo on every page of a document:

  1. Create an image or other file containing a logo.
  2. Create a multi-page document.
  3. Drag-and-drop the files to the file list in PDF Direct! or use the Add button.
  4. Select Overlay files as one PDF document in the Assemble selection box.
  5. Click the Overlay button and check the overlay settings in the Overlay panel. Select a placement location (e.g. Right-Top Corner).
    PDF Gold direct overlayrt Overlaying Multiple Files
  6. Select the checkbox Repeat the last page of the shortest document for page overlay.
  7. All pages get the logo in their right-top corner.

Example 3

How to have one or more cover overlays, and then a different overlay for all other pages.

Pre-existing file:

  • Has one or more cover pages with constant cover elements.
  • Has a last page with constant elements that should be placed on every other page of the resulting PDF.

Newly created document:
Multi-page document. Page 1 from each file will be overlaid, each page 2 will be overlaid, each page 3 and so on. The contents of the last page in the pre-existing file will be placed on all remaining pages in the resulting PDF.

To get this result through PDF Direct! :

  1. Prepare the file with the pre-existing elements.
  2. Prepare the main document that should receive these elements.
  3. Drag both documents into PDF Direct!.
  4. Select Overlay files as one PDF document.
  5. Click the Overlay button to make Overlay settings.
  6. Be sure that profile and saving settings are in order.
  7. Click GO to start.

To get this result from a Print dialog box:

  1. Prepare a pre-existing file with the constant cover elements on its first pages and with the constant elements for all pages (e.g. a logo) on its last page.
  2. Copy this file to the name and location to be used for the overlay result, converting it to a PDF if it is not already in that format.
  3. Create a multi-page document in Word or elsewhere. The first pages of this document should contain cover page texts suitably arranged to accept the cover overlays.
  4. In the application, select File > Print.
  5. In the Print dialog box, select DocuCom PDF Driver as printer and click the Properties button.
  6. In the DocuCom PDF Driver Properties dialog box, click the PDF Settings tab.
  7. In the Destination section, select Overlay with existing file in the If File Exists selection box. Check that Query the file name is selected in the Naming Method selection box.
  8. Click the Overlay button.
  9. In the Overlay dialog box, check the merge rules (page center). Select Repeat last page of the shorter document for page overlay. Click OK.
  10. In the DocuCom PDF Driver Properties dialog box, click OK.
  11. In the Print dialog box, click OK.
  12. In the Save As dialog box, select the file name of the pre-existing PDF file. Check that View Resulting PDF is selected. Click Save.

PDF creation will start and the resulting PDF will be displayed.

Select Overlay files as one PDF document from the Assemble selection box PDF Gold direct assemble Overlaying Multiple Files in PDF Direct!. The Overlay button becomes available if this item is selected. Click this button to display the Overlay panel where you can define how pages should be overlaid.

PDF Gold direct overlaycenter Overlaying Multiple Files
Click one of the nine squares. The default position is Page Center.

Overlaying Multiple Files