Acrobat DC: Unable to select text when print from browser

[RobertSlappy]

My setup: Windows 10 Pro x64

Acrobat DC (installed via Adobe Creative Cloud)

Issue:

• when I print a webpage from my browser and then try to select text (via the Selection tool, the arrow titled to the top left) it selects a chunk of text (rather than a single line). Note that the underlying text is there, it is not an issue of it printing an image. The example here uses Chrome but I have similar results with Firefox
• when I print the same webpage via Adobe Acrobat (via Create > PDF from webpage) the resulting file allows me to select the text
• for reference I include files from each of the approaches as well as an image showing the problem of selecting text when I print from the browser: I only can attach one filer per post so I will include them in follow-up posts

There is clearly a setting I am missing which is not correct. Fonts are not the issue: see two posts downI have noticed that the fonts are different in the two cases (in Acrobat: File > Properties > Fonts),

• when I print from the browser I get some Type 3 font
• when I print from Acrobat I get (more familiat) TrueType fonts

I had tried forcing TrueType fonts by going to Windows Settings > Printers> Adobe PDF > Manage > Printer Properties > Preferences > Paper Quality > Advanced > Graphic: True Type Font > select "Download as Softfont" but this did not change things.

If anyone has suggestions on how to proceed I would greatly appreciate it!

[RobertSlappy]

Links (gofile.io)

PDF: created from Chrome  

PDF: created via Acrobat > Create From Web Page  

Screengrab: issue selecting text when print from Chrome (browser)  

Well here are links (hosted on file.io)

PDF: created from Chrome 

PDF: created via Acrobat > Create From Web Page 

Screengrab: issue selecting text when print from Chrome (browser) 

[RobertSlappy]

Update:

If I open the file with problems (SamplePrint_Chrome.pdf) and then  print again from Acrobat DC the resulting file allows me to select text in the usual fashion. I see that the fonts are still not  TrueType so that must not have been the issue. Again any suggestions are most welcome.

Re-printed PDF (after print from browser): gofile.io link  

Re-printed PDF (after print from browser): file.io link 

1April 2020 update: this workaround actually does not work. See my response to Swapnil below.

[RobertSlappy]

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[RobertSlappy]

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[Bernd Alheit]

I get only HTML error 404.

[RobertSlappy]

Sorry I have not been able to attach files here. I reuploaded to another file sharing site. Let me know if you have issues now.

[RobertSlappy]

Just wanted to check in to see if anyone had thoughts on this? Very frustrating since I essentially can not copy the upderlying text.

[Dennae]

We are having the same issue. I have been trying to come up with a solution since support for IE is going away. We print hundreds of files a week and we have to "highlight" certain information on each file for the next person to be able to view and find it quickly. The only browser this works on is IE. It's quite frustrating and I have been looking for a solutions for months and just come across your post. Did you ever find a solution? 
We do not have time to save and then re-save and export and all that jazz as we have deadlines and need to work efficiently. When we try to select or highlight text, it highlights in strange splotchy spots and does not highlight the spots we've attempted to select. 
we have tried chrome, Edge and Firefox. Highlighting only works in IE. 
thisnis our only solution as we "suddenly" had to work from home during Covid. 
any help would be great! Thank you! 

[Bernd Alheit]

Print to Adobe PDF in Firefox and it will work. Looks like a problem of Google Chrome.

[RobertSlappy]

Thanks Bernd but see above: I have the same issue with Firefox.

It is some setting for how browser printing is processed because like I said if I reprint it from within Acrobat it works fine.

[Bernd Alheit]

I don't have the issue with Firefox.

[RobertSlappy]

OK but I do! Do you have this issue with Chrome?

[Bernd Alheit]

I have the issue with Chrome.

[RobertSlappy]

Oh interesting and thanks Bernd. Just to confirm you get this blue blotchy shape when you try to copy/edit text from a printing job in Chrome? I want to confirm you have the exact same problem as me.

[ProlificUser]

I have no issue with printing from chrome. It opens fine in Acrobat when done so. I am unable to download Firefox at this time, so can't test it there.

[RobertSlappy]

OK thanks. Perhaps we can keep the comments germane to my querstion. I am still waitinig to see if somoeone can confirm they have the same pritning issue I do (from all browsers) and more importantly if there is a setting which avoids this?

[RobertSlappy]

Sorry to bump but anyone else seeing this problem? I have yet to specifically hear if anyone has the issue with printing from a browser (Bernd may have the issue with Chrome but I am awaiting confirmation).

And again any settings that can be toggled for browser printing would be much appreciated.

[swapnilsrivastava · Accepted solution]

Hello Robert,

Thanks for reporting.

The issue is not from Adobe's end but instead from Chrome/Firefox's.

The file generated by Chrome (sometimes FireFox as well) when printing to Adobe PDF contains outlines for the text elements and hence in the generated PDF we will have corresponding outlines (vectors) instead of live text and therefore, text can not be selected.

Whereas, the file generated by IE (internet explorer) contains vector outlines instead of actual text and hence in the PDF generated from PS, we see vector outlines instead of text.

As another workaround, customer can use File -> Create PDF from web page from within Acrobat or use IE browser with Adobe PDF Printer.

Regards,
Swapnil Srivastava

[RobertSlappy]

Thanks Swapnil I appreciate the details. Understanding the root of the issue is very helpful.

I guess my confusion is that I have not seen others ask about this problem. Is it literally that no tries to copy text from a pdf they print or no one uses acrobat to make a pdf when using Chrome or FF (which I believe is a very large percent of all browsers in use)?

I agree the file create from within acrobat is a good workaround but it will not work on pages like email that require a log-in or pages with dynamic content.

PS For anyone else tracking this thread, my work around solution (print from the browser and then reprint from the pdf within acrobat) is not a good one. If you copy and paste text from the example I posted (https://gofile.io/?c=MhGJSW) you will see that it is not ascii characters but a bunch of gibberish. While you can copy a line, as Swapnil points out all you get are vectors.

[Michel Tonneijck]

As an alternative to this option one may do CTRL-P (Print) and choose Save as PDF instead of all other PDF-printer options available. Seemseventually the easiest solution after spending a lot of time with our ICT Helpdesk

[RoninLawyer]

@RobertSlappy I happened to be searching this issue and came across your post. My fix is to select "Save as PDF" rather than print as "Adobe PDF" when the printer dialog box pops up.

[christine0D44]

This trick worked!  I've had the same problem with Chrome and Edge and kept Internet Explorer because it was the only browser that still printed correctly.

I tried "Save As" instead of "Print" in Chrome and the text came out correctly as searchable/selectable text.

Thank you.

[pedro_anejo]

I thuink I have this same issue. I have a pdf document created by printing a web page from chome with destination set to Adobe PDF. The resulting PDF looks normal. WHen I try to select text I see blue boxes all over the page contining text but these are not orgabnized in any logical manner. I am not able to select just the text I want. If I do a copy and paste into powerpoint for example, i get gibberish.

[pedro_anejo]

i just tried printing from within the adobe app and that has solved the poblem, not in an elegant manner, but I'll take it and be happy.