Import PDF as Editable Text in CorelDRAW

Importing a PDF into CorelDRAW while keeping the text fully editable requires selecting specific import parameters and ensuring the required fonts are available. By default, CorelDRAW can convert text elements into vector curves to preserve visual fidelity, which removes the ability to edit the wording. This guide covers the essential settings in the CorelDRAW PDF import dialog, font matching considerations, and file prerequisites needed to retain editable text.

The Essential PDF Import Setting: Text vs. Curves

When you import a PDF file into CorelDRAW (via File > Import or by dragging and dropping), the application displays the Import PDF dialog box. The most critical setting for preserving editability is located at the top of this window:

  • Select "Text": Under the Import text as section, choose Text instead of Curves.
  • Avoid "Curves": Selecting "Curves" converts all character glyphs into vector paths. While this guarantees the visual layout remains intact regardless of font availability, it permanently strips all text properties, making the content uneditable as standard text.

Font Matching and System Font Requirements

Selecting the "Text" option only works effectively if CorelDRAW can map the characters in the PDF to actual font files on your system.

  1. Installed Fonts: Ensure the exact fonts used to create the PDF are installed on your computer before importing. If the original fonts are present, CorelDRAW maintains both the font family and the editable string.
  2. The PANOSE Font Matching Dialog: If the PDF contains fonts not installed on your system, CorelDRAW will launch the PANOSE Font Matching window. Here, you can:
    • Map the missing font to an available local font.
    • Choose a temporary substitution for viewing and editing.
    • Cancel the import to install the missing font files first.
  3. Embedded Subset Fonts: Some PDFs contain subsetted or embedded fonts that do not permit extraction. If CorelDRAW cannot read the embedded font metrics, it may force those specific text blocks to import as curves or substitute them, which can alter line breaks and kerning.

Prerequisites for the Source PDF

The source PDF itself must contain live text data for CorelDRAW to recognize it:

  • Vector Outlines in Source: If the author of the PDF selected "Convert text to outlines/curves" before exporting the PDF, the text data no longer exists in the file. CorelDRAW cannot revert outlined vectors back into editable text.
  • Rasterized Text: PDFs generated from scanned documents or exported as flat images contain raster pixels, not vector text objects. These require Optical Character Recognition (OCR) rather than standard PDF import.

Step-by-Step Import Procedure

  1. Open your document in CorelDRAW or create a new document.
  2. Go to File > Import (or press Ctrl + I).
  3. Select your PDF file and click Import.
  4. In the Import PDF dialog:
    • Set Import text as to Text.
    • Specify the page range you wish to import.
    • Click OK.
  5. If prompted by the Font Substitution for Missing Fonts dialog, assign suitable substitute fonts or install the missing fonts on your operating system and restart the process.
  6. Click on the workspace to place the imported content. Select the Text Tool (F8) to verify that the text blocks can be clicked and edited directly.