[nabs-l] Needing Text Pal

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Nicole,

You are right.  When I mentioned converting PDF documents, I meant ones
that are accessible.  I am sure you know more than I do, but I don't
think inaccessible PDF's will convert to text either.  Since JAWS
recognizes these PDF's as pictures, essentially, it won't recognize the
text in any other format.  JAWS still "sees" it as a picture.

If I have no other option, I print out inaccessible PDF's and rescan
them.  Usually this works, though not always.

I, too, don't like converting PDF's into text files.  I only do this
when I need to mark passages frequently.

Even when sighted, I never understood the advantage of PDF's over Word.

Bridgit

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:23:40 -0800
From: "Nicole B. Torcolini at Home" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Needing text pal
Message-ID: <D24EFBF71E3B41A2AA303BE966DF62D3 at stanford.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

A few words of caution:
Not all PDF's can be saved as text. This is only possible if the PDF is
made 
a certain way. As a matter of fact, it has been my experience that, if
Jaws 
cannot read the PDF in Adobe Acrobat, then you cannot save it as text.

Even if a PDF can be saved as text, it is not always the best way. This 
tends to insert linebreaks where there are not any visually and leaves
out 
any blank lines.

Finally, I have come across PDF's that could be saved as text, but what
the 
text said had no resemblance to what was actually written.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 10:05 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] Needing text pal


> Ashley,
>
> When I said Word, I meant Adobe Acrobat.  I am having one of those 
> days. PDF's open up through Adobe, and through Adobe, you can convert 
> into text files.  It is quick and easy to do.  Most computers have 
> Adobe Acrobat on them.
>
> All you have to do is go to the File menu then go to Save As Text.
>
> If it is not on your computer, you should be able to install it.
>
> Bridgit