[PDF] problem with a pdf file Solved

Question

Hello, here's my problem. I received a PDF file but unfortunately when I copy/paste it gives me signs and numbers like this:
original text: laboratory equipment
pasted text: (@0I)KIa$bI$a@&[)@0[K)I
and similarly when I try to convert it to a Word file
if anyone has a solution, I'm all ears
thank you

RoKeN · Accepted Answer

I forgot to mention: on screen, the PDF is perfectly readable; the shift occurs really during printing.

sebsauvage · Answer

It's impossible.
(It's down to how the PDF file was created).

The only way to retrieve the text is to convert the PDF into a high-resolution image (300dpi) and feed it to Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

You will also need to manually extract the images.

Search PDF in the knowledge base.

--
a website with Word? it's like milking a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

Hello, How does your PDF file look when you try to read it (with Acrobat Reader, I assume)? It should be readable.  Can you print this PDF file?  What do you want to do with it?  Hi

sebsauvage · Answer

No point in pushing; he won't be able to do anything without OCR software.

The strange characters mean that the PDF didn't save the letters that make up the text, but only the references of the graphic symbols.

--
a website with Word? that's like trying to milk a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

To the attention of sebsauvage

Hello,

What can an OCR do if there are only graphic references on the screen, possibly converted into a high-resolution image?

Another question: what is the purpose for the creator of making such a file?

Best regards

sebsauvage · Answer

What can an OCR do if there are only graphic references on the screen, possibly transformed into a high-resolution image?  The OCR software will be able to extract the text from the high-resolution image obtained from the PDF, just as it would for a scanned document.   What is the interest for the creator in making such a file?  They probably didn’t do it intentionally. The PDF format was never designed to be modified. Sometimes PDF generation software saves graphic symbols instead of letters to save space (for example, by including only a part of a font).   -- A website with Word? That's like trying to milk a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

Always to the attention of sebsauvage.

Actually, I believe that our friend hwaourang's pdf file is corrupted and high resolution or not, an OCR will yield no results if there are no 'font characters' appearing on the screen or in the resulting image!

What would be your method to "convert the pdf to high-resolution image": print screen?

Hello

sebsauvage · Answer

Actually, I think our friend hwaourang's pdf file is corrupted  I don't think so.  From what he says, he can read it on screen. It's only when copying and pasting that there's a problem.  If copying and pasting doesn't work, the only solution is to convert the PDF to a high-resolution image and run OCR software on it, which will extract the text.  PDF conversion --> image, see: pdf convert pdfs to jpeg bmp gif etc images I recommend the PDF Creator method, very simple.  -- a website with Word? might as well milk a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

Good evening,  If the PDF is readable on the screen, why can't we read it with Acrobat Reader or print it?  After this response, maybe we will leave it at that regarding this issue!  Best regards

sebsauvage · Answer

If the PDF is readable on the screen, why can't we read it with Acrobat Reader or print it?  He didn't say he couldn't read or print it. He said that copying and pasting from Acrobat Reader didn't yield good results.  -- a website with Word? that's like trying to milk a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

If it is possible to read on the screen and print the PDF, where is the problem? Why copy and paste and paste into what? I did not understand the question!

sebsauvage · Answer

If you have a PDF and you want to extract the text into your word processor, just being able to view the PDF or print it wouldn’t be very helpful.

--
a website with Word? might as well milk a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

If it can be printed, we pass the copy through the scanner and the OCR! We'll leave it at that on this topic, I think. Good evening everyone.

sebsauvage · Answer

As Teebo said, my solution avoids wasting a sheet and ink.
(Since anyway, after scanning, we end up with the same thing: a high-resolution image of the page).

--
a website with Word? it's like milking a cow with a rifle! -- BashFR.org

premare · Answer

Hello, My last contribution: I think that the price of paper and ink more than compensates for the time spent with the "Gimp" factory and everything else!  Regards

hwaourang · Answer

Hello everyone, thank you for responding so quickly and in such numbers.
It's all good, I solved the problem with PDF Creator, I copied it in image format and was able to retrieve the text. If I need to copy and paste, it's to avoid having to retype 17 pages of text in a tiny font.
Thanks a lot!

RoKeN · Answer

Hello everyone,

I have a similar problem with my PDFs: when I create a PDF using PDFCreator (most often from Word or a MIDI software - so partition with lyrics), I have a printing problem: the letters seem to be shifted by one character (for example, the word "mon" becomes "npo" on the printed page - m becomes n, o becomes p, and n becomes o).

So, of course, it becomes unreadable! If I reprint the PDF as a PDF with PDFCreator (I remind you that this PDF has already been created this way), it prints correctly.

I don't think it's the printer's fault, as it happens on different printers (at home and at work).

Can anyone help me? Is it a printing setting to modify, a problem with PDFCreator, ...?
Thank you in advance :)

RoKeN

Configuration:
- Windows XP Pro SP3
- Office 2003
- Noteworthy Composer (MIDI software)
- PDF Creator 0.9.6

[PDF] problem with a pdf file

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