Some PDF forms not searchable ??

[gsfan]

Hello friends,

I have just downloaded 8 PDF files, mostly text, very few images. And I am finding that some of the forms -- not all -- do not respond to attempts to Search, Find or Select text.

What's going on here, and what can I do about it?

TIA,

gil

 

[bkrike]

They may be scanned images of text (pictures,) and not true text.

 

[tgreer]

Also, the PDFs may have been built using fonts with different encoding vectors. This happens a lot with TrueType fonts.

In other words, that "A" may not really be an "A". It could be a "Z" that LOOKS LIKE an A.

I know that is confusing, but... I don't want to get technical about it

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[FredWagner]

Another possibility - PDF files created on Multi-function scanners (Kyocera and others), and some non-Adobe programs, are not searchable. They're basically a TIF file in a PDF wrapper. You can make them searchable using Acrobat Professional - and strangely enough, when you do, it reduces the file size by a factor for 4 or 5!

Fred Wagner