Acrobat DC: Unable to select text when print from browser

[Gast]

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!

[pedro_anejo]

I spoke too soon. while selection of text looks normal, when I copy/paste i get gibberish. 

I apologize if answering my own post is bad fom, I dont usually post anything.

[badgleichenberg]

Adobe is bullshitting you because Adobe Acrobat Professional XI is perfectly capable of printing any webpage into perfectly editable PDFs. I contacted Adobe about this, but they cannot be arsed to reply, not even to an official complaint, which is utterly despicable.

What does work is to use "Microsoft Print to PDF", then open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC an run the OCR tool (just click on the Aa button).

[gardner.1067]

See HenryB833's solution.  A co-worker was having this issue and I was not and we couldn't figure out why.  Then I read his answer and realized that I had "Save as PDF" selected and my co-worker was selecting Adobe PDF in the printer selections.  You may have to show more printer options to find the right one.  You don't want Adobe PDF or Microsoft PDF.  You want Save as PDF.

[active_athlete5EBD]

I have the same issue and have been searching for a fix. I frequently print to Adobe PDF from Chrome and cannot select text in the PDF. I use the same workaround: I re-print the PDF to Adobe PDF again. The text is then recognizable and can be selected. It's an extremely frustrating process. I cannot use the "save as PDF" workaround as I frequently need to print only a small section of a webpage and use the "print selection" function to do so.

[gardner.1067]

So you aren't saving as a pdf like you would in Word but you are still using the print option, however, when you select your printer, there are 3 pdf options, Adobe PDF, Microsoft PDF, and Save as PDF. You want the latter. If you only want a part a snipet of a webpage you can also just do Snip & Sketch.  Windows key + shift + s.  Then select the information you want and past it where you want it.  

[Kryptonian]

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.

[RENATO31388555bq0t]

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. 

[RENATO31388555bq0t]

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