Often, I have a PDF file open in the webbrowser, coming from a link.
But adding this to DT requires me to choose a conversion, instead of just downloading the existing file!
When I convert to “PDF (paginated)” I get the original, unmodified file, as it seems. But this file was paginated already.
When I convert to “PDF (one page)” I get a modified files of different size, but it still seems to be paginated.
The point is, I may not know if the original file is paginated or not … so choosing the wrong conversion will give me a modified file, not the original!
What I want most of the time, is just the original file - without any changes and regardless of what type the PDF is (paginated or not). Just download.
Of course I could first download the file and then add it to DT, but in this case I loose the automatically added URL of that file!
Could you probably add a format of “Download Original” or something like this?
So that never ever a conversion takes place?
Download (or Save if your browser does it) to the DEVONthink Inbox. Inbox described in “DEVONthink Handbook”. Or save somewhere on your local disk then drag/drop or import into DEVONthihnk. May be more ways, but these come to mind and used by me daily.
As I wrote, downloading first and then adding to DT looses the automatically added URL.
The same is true, when I download from Safari into the DT INBOX!
So, both versions you mentioned do not work as I hoped.
I normally use the clipping extension for Safari, and there I need to choose a conversion!
This is want I would like to see added, a way to just download the original file with this clipping tool … so that also the URL automatically get’s added.
A quick test suggests that clipping a PDF as PDF (Paginated) tells DT to download the PDF and doesn’t lead to any changes to the PDF itself. Have you experienced that the PDF is actually changed/converted by this procedure? If so, could you provide a link to a PDF where you are experiencing that? As far as I can tell, using PDF (Paginated) does not change even single-page PDFs using a non-standard long page (i.e. a previously unpaginated PDF). @bluefrog Jim, as far as I can tell, the handbook makes no mention (in the section on capturing data from the web, page 25 of the v 3.8 handbook) of what happens when PDF are clipped.
This is true and quite bizarre - Safari hands over the URL if the PDF is printed to DT, but not if it is saved to DT.
I can’t guarantee that and would appreciate input from Jim or Criss, but certainly in my testing that is the way if seems to work.
If it is so, I also feel that would be a helpful addition.
The DT folk are (supposed to be) resting and regaining sheer brilliance for next year’s tricks. So we might not get a timely response here until mid-January or so.
There are two different mechanisms in play.
Saving to paginated PDF uses the same basic mechanism as printing to PDF.
Saving to single page PDF tries to produce the PDF from the markup.
Conversion isn’t guaranteed to be always 1:1.
Hang on… I’m just coming into this thread.
If it’s already a PDF loaded in the browser, just use paginated.
I just saw this thread and as it happens, I’ve had some issues clipping PDFs from Chrome last night - when I choose paginated (it’s a file of around 10-20 pages), it would import into DT as a one-page gray backgrounded PDF of only 16 KB with words “Drag to outliner or Upload Close” printed in top left corner. I tried a couple of times and on one try the original PDF did import correctly, but then again failed to do so 3/4 more times, resulting in the same corrupted(?) file.
Any idea what might be the issue? (Running DT 3.8 & Chrome 96.0.4664.110)
So, we’ll not be doing that then 
