Xilisoft PDF to Word Converter Review: Features, Pros & Cons

Xilisoft PDF to Word Converter: Best Settings for Perfect Formatting

Converting PDFs to Word while preserving layout, fonts, images, and editable text can be tricky. This guide gives clear, step-by-step settings and tips in Xilisoft PDF to Word Converter to maximize formatting fidelity.

1. Prepare the PDF

• Check source quality: Use the highest-quality PDF available. Scanned PDFs should be at least 300 DPI for best OCR results.
• Fonts: If the PDF uses uncommon fonts, install those fonts on your system before conversion to improve matching.
• Remove unnecessary elements: If possible, remove watermarks or annotations that may interfere with layout.

2. Choose the Right Output Format

• Select DOCX over DOC when available — DOCX preserves complex formatting and styles better and supports newer Word features.
• For legacy compatibility, choose DOC only if you must support very old Word versions.

3. Page Range and Batch Settings

• Convert by page range for large files to isolate problematic pages and reduce processing time.
• Use batch conversion for multiple files but verify settings on a sample file first to ensure consistency.

4. OCR Settings (for scanned PDFs)

• Enable OCR for scanned or image-based PDFs.
• Language selection: Choose the correct OCR language(s) to improve character recognition. Add multiple languages if the document contains mixed-language text.
• OCR accuracy vs. speed: Select a higher accuracy/quality mode if available; it may take longer but yields better formatting and fewer character errors.
• Preserve layout option: Enable to keep columns, tables, and text flow similar to the original.

5. Image and Graphic Handling

• Keep images in original position to maintain visual layout.
• Image resolution: Set to 150–300 DPI for a good balance of clarity and file size. Use 300 DPI for print-quality documents.
• Compression: Use lossless or low-compression settings for images containing text or fine detail to avoid artifacts.

6. Fonts and Text Flow

• Embed fonts if the option exists, or ensure the same fonts are installed on the target machine.
• Preserve original styles to keep headings, bold/italic, and lists intact.
• Line and paragraph spacing: Choose “Keep original spacing” to avoid reflow issues; adjust only if the Word output requires manual cleanup.

7. Tables and Columns

• Detect and convert tables — enable table recognition so the converter reproduces table cells rather than plain text with tabs.
• Column detection: Enable to retain multi-column layouts. If columns incorrectly merge, try converting page ranges or increasing OCR/layout accuracy.

8. Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers

• Preserve headers/footers to maintain consistent document structure.
• Page numbers: If automatic page numbering is required in Word, you may opt to remove original page numbers during conversion and add Word’s page numbering afterward to ensure correct pagination.

9. Advanced Options and Troubleshooting

• Test with a short sample: Before batch converting, run a sample conversion to check settings and tweak as needed.
• Compare side-by-side: Open both PDF and converted Word document and compare layout, fonts, and images to identify issues.
• Fixing misaligned text: Small misalignments often stem from font substitution; install missing fonts or adjust font mapping.
• Tables splitting incorrectly: Increase table recognition sensitivity or convert those pages separately and manually adjust in Word.
• Use OCR proofreading: After OCR, run a spell-check pass to catch misrecognized characters (common with poor scans).

10. Post-Conversion Cleanup Tips

• Use Word styles: Replace direct formatting with Word styles (Heading 1, Normal, etc.) for cleaner, reusable formatting.
• Rebuild complex elements: For heavily formatted pages (magazines, brochures), consider reconstructing sections in Word using text boxes and manual layout tools.
• Compress images in Word if file size is large, but keep a high-resolution master if printing is required.

Quick Recommended Preset (balanced quality)

• Output format: DOCX
• OCR: Enabled (if needed) with correct language(s) and high accuracy
• Layout: Preserve original layout / Detect tables and columns
• Images: 300 DPI, minimal compression
• Fonts: Embed or ensure installed on target system

Following these settings will minimize reflow, font substitution, and image degradation, producing Word documents that closely match the original PDF.