[Patentcenter] converting colors in PDF Xchange editor

[Carl Oppedahl]

I am not familiar with the paid-for software that you named.  But I know 
how I would have attacked such a problem using the very high quality 
free software called Irfanview <https://www.irfanview.com/>.

I would start by exporting the PDF into one or more image files. These 
files would be in a format of PNG or TIF.  Or ideally obtain the 
original source image files that had been shoehorned into the PDF file.

I would then open the troubled image using Irfanview.

I would then play around with the many color correction features of 
Irfanview.  Maybe I would fiddle with the gamma color correction, the 
goal being to drag the faint blue lines into a place that is more than 
50% "on".   Or I fiddle with "contrast" or "brightness" or 
"saturation".  Then I would flatten the image to a color depth of 2 (one 
bit per pixel).

Depending on how poorly the original images got created, I may have to 
try two or three times.  But invariably I eventually stumble upon some 
combination of color corrections that force the faint blue lines to be 
solid black lines after the flattening.

The whole way that this arises, of course, is that whoever created the 
images in the first place made bad choices (given how picky the USPTO is 
on this stuff).  One really hopes that one could obtain the original 
source files from whoever it was that created these ill-fated images.

Yet another goal, sometimes, is to make the faint blue lines "go away".  
This often turns out to be quite easy.  Simply flattening to color depth 
of 2 will often make the faint blue lines simply disappear.

On 12/5/2023 12:58 AM, Dan Feigelson via Patentcenter wrote:
> I have a 371 application that's received an allowance but now the PTO 
> is hassling us about the drawings.  The difficulty is that the 
> original figures I received from the client were color images, and 
> some of the colors did not convert well to b/w. We dealt with this 
> during the international phase, and the USPTO had no problem 
> re-publishing the application itself, but, surprise, some genius in 
> publications now thinks he knows better than the examiner.
>
> Between the PCT filing and now I bought a copy of PDF X-Change Editor, 
> and I'd like to use it to convert the light blue lines in some of the 
> drawings (which are almost invisible if I physically print the 
> drawings in b/w on paper or if I print in Cutepdf using greyscale) to 
> black, but I don't understand what their help page says 
> (https://help.pdf-xchange.com/pdfxe9/ 
> <https://gcfagjf.r.af.d.sendibt2.com/tr/cl/vBlVpDO6orD2rWbYVf3trHm2ktwkYo3BSCm1fYSil2VOxbY0sk8RUstRkmh0KytViJBcaEZhbU5TmNE3N6dPb8vVRa-oQJ1CEmwV0XTRjG-huESCqROUi45GXrxkCQYFhQAzUv9egxIfBImxBVM9uniVFILS0nTRkC7c6QFjg0kaKSVWYapfU2UvqzfrUx5py4lbTdOCtAu3Ov-hy_5ovt0a4egZbifnlnM9ECEh_Rui1vQndmbudU21b8VDBvH4Mp1hs7VSu226EOEHd63GutC6lSKCw4HkkINscscJww>).
>
> If someone can help me out (can be directly, not in the group), I 
> would be most appreciative.
>
> Dan
>
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