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📖 User Guide

Museum PDF Tool v2.0 — Everything you need to know

🏛️ What is Museum PDF Tool?

Museum PDF Tool is a browser-based application for museum staff to process monthly magazine PDFs. It can split PDFs into individual articles, remove unwanted pages, merge article blocks, extract text, and generate thumbnail images — all packaged into a downloadable ZIP file.

Key advantage: All processing happens entirely within your browser. Your files are never uploaded to any server. Works offline after the first visit.
🚀 How to Use
1

Select Your PDF

Click the drop zone or "Browse" button to select your magazine PDF. You can also drag & drop the file directly.

2

Enter Year & Issue Number

These values are used to name the output files. Example: Year 2024, Issue 05.

3

Define Page Ranges (Articles)

Specify which pages belong to each article, separated by commas.

Example: 1-3,4-6,7,8-10
→ Article 1: pages 1–3 | Article 2: pages 4–6 | etc.

Leave empty to process the entire PDF as one block.

4

Exclude Pages (Remove Ads)

List the page numbers of advertisement or unwanted pages.

Example: 5,10,12 → Pages 5, 10 and 12 will be excluded.
5

Merge Blocks (Optional)

Enter block numbers to merge two articles into one PDF output.

Example: 1,3 → Merges Article Block 1 and Block 3 into a single PDF.
6

Press "Process PDF"

A terminal log appears with live progress. When done, a sound plays and the Download button appears. Click it to save your ZIP.

📱 Install on Mobile & Tablet (PWA)

You can install this tool as a standalone app on your phone or tablet — no app store needed. After installation it works completely offline, just like a native app.

✅ Once installed: Open it from your home screen anytime — even with no internet connection.

🍎 iPhone & iPad (Safari)

  1. Open cultuuratlas.nl in Safari
  2. Tap the Share button ⬆ at the bottom
  3. Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen"
  4. Tap "Add" in the top right corner
  5. The app icon appears on your home screen ✅
⚠️ Must use Safari — Chrome on iOS does not support PWA install

🤖 Android (Chrome)

  1. Open cultuuratlas.nl in Chrome
  2. Tap the three-dot menu ⋮ (top right)
  3. Tap "Add to Home screen" or "Install app"
  4. Tap "Install" to confirm
  5. The app appears on your home screen ✅
💡 A banner may appear automatically at the bottom of the screen

🖥️ Desktop — Chrome / Edge

  1. Open cultuuratlas.nl in Chrome or Edge
  2. Click the install icon ⊕ in the address bar (right side)
  3. Click "Install"
  4. The app opens in its own window ✅
💡 Also appears in Start Menu / Applications folder

🗂️ iPad — Chrome / Edge

  1. Open cultuuratlas.nl in Chrome
  2. Tap the three-dot menu ⋮
  3. Tap "Add to Home Screen"
  4. Confirm and enjoy offline usage ✅
💡 For best results on iPad, use Chrome — Safari also works
⚠️ Important: The first time you open the app, an internet connection is required so all libraries can be downloaded and cached. After that first visit, the tool works 100% offline — even if you install it on your home screen later.
🔌 Offline Usage

After your first visit, all files are cached in your browser's storage. This includes the HTML, JavaScript PDF libraries, fonts, and icons.

You can then: disconnect from the internet → open the tool (or the installed app) → process PDFs → download results. All without any internet!
⚠️ Note: If you manually clear "All browser data / cookies and cache" in your browser settings, the offline files will be removed. Simply visit cultuuratlas.nl once with internet to restore them.
🌐 Supported Browsers
✅ Chrome (Desktop & Android) ✅ Edge (Desktop) ✅ Safari (iPhone, iPad, Mac) ✅ Firefox (Desktop) ✅ Samsung Internet ✅ Opera / Brave
PWA install support: Best on Chrome (Android/Desktop) and Safari (iPhone/iPad). Firefox does not support PWA install but the tool still works offline in the browser tab.
❓ FAQ
Is my PDF data safe?

Yes. Your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser's memory using WebAssembly. No data is sent to any server.

Is there a file size limit?

There is no server-imposed limit. The only limit is your device's available RAM. Most modern computers and tablets handle PDFs up to 200–500MB without issues.

Do I need to install any software?

No. You only need a modern web browser. No Python, Tesseract, app store download, or any other software is required.

Can I use this on multiple devices?

Yes. Open cultuuratlas.nl on each device once with internet. The tool caches itself automatically for offline use on every device — phone, tablet, laptop, desktop.

Why isn't the sound playing offline?

The notification sound requires a user interaction (like clicking a button) before browsers allow audio to play — this is a browser security rule, not a bug. As long as you clicked "Process PDF", the sound will play even offline.