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A
Anonymous
March 23, 2020
Answered

Acrobat DC: Unable to select text when print from browser

  • March 23, 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 23175 views

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!

    Correct answer swapnilsrivastava

    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

    5 replies

    K
    Kryptonian
    Participating Frequently
    July 5, 2023

    This issue still persists in Microsoft Edge which is Chromium-based and the latest Adobe Acrobat 2023.003.20215. Thank goodness I now know how to solve this mystery. Save as PDF via the browser or Create from Webpage using the Adobe program. Many thanks.

    R
    RENATO31388555bq0t
    New Participant
    July 30, 2023

    Hello, Save as PDF does not always work because some sites don't give you the option to Save to PDF, and the solution of printing it again on Adobe PDF just doubles the work if printing to PDF an average of 50 pages a day. I have to print a lot every day, FF was working just fine until the website that I use made an update and now I have to use Chrome or IE. I believe it must be a different kind of setting with the OS because some have the same issues printing to PDF and/or Adobe PDF from the different browsers. 

    R
    RENATO31388555bq0t
    New Participant
    July 30, 2023

    Spoke too soon, The save to PDF works, It just does not give you a preview 

    A
    Anonymous
    March 30, 2020

    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
      Community Manager
      swapnilsrivastavaCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      March 31, 2020

      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

        A
        Anonymous
        April 2, 2020

        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.

         

        Bernd Alheit
        Bernd Alheit
        Community Expert
        March 26, 2020

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

        A
        Anonymous
        March 27, 2020

        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
        Bernd Alheit
        Community Expert
        March 27, 2020

        I don't have the issue with Firefox.

        Bernd Alheit
        Bernd Alheit
        Community Expert
        March 24, 2020

        I get only HTML error 404.

        A
        Anonymous
        March 24, 2020

        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.

        A
        Anonymous
        March 25, 2020

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

        A
        Anonymous
        March 23, 2020

        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) 

        A
        Anonymous
        March 23, 2020

        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.

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