Acrobat DC: Unable to select text when print from browser 2

[Guest]

I have searched online for help many times and have tried multiple options from the suggestions of other users and Adobe employees.  Other users have experienced the same problem, as is the case with the one who asked for help in Adobe Community, but the only answer from an Adobe representative was “The issue is not from Adobe's end but instead from Chrome/Firefox's.”

I have tried Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, Brave, MX5, and Chromium, from which only Firefox is the browser that is not giving me that problem; but not for all.

Attached, please see screenshots from each web browser, when I tried to select the text after I have created a PDF file with the "Print to PDF" option from websites.

I am unable to upload files here!  You can access them through the following link. 
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqoFlJ2NcBwehK9b2YgnflEzPhkDsA?e=e4Xdth

I do not think this is a problem that has to be fixed by Adobe users/clients.  This is not a problem for us to contact browser companies and ask them to fix the problem the Adobe software has with them.  As a stakeholder of Adobe Inc Co, I think this is a huge NO GO. So, please, do not tell us that this is a problem we have to fix, but jump-start the work on what you are getting paid for before I address this problem through other channels as a stakeholder of the company.

Also, please do not respond with what you think, should, can, will, etc...  The only answer should be to inform us that the fix has been applied and is available on the newest update, to include the fixing of the problem that users cannot upload screenshots of their problems in posts like this one.

Thank you.

[gary_sc]

Hi, a couple of things:

1) When you state you are using Acrobat DC, is that Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC

2) I have a hunch that you are using Reader, IF NOT, below where you see Save as PDF, does it show: Save as Acrobat PDF? The former is generated by your OS while the later is generated by Acrobat or Acrobat Pro (not Acrobat Reader)*.

Now, if you want to create some PDFs from a web page, I have no clue as to why you are having the issues that you are obviously having. I can see from your screenshots that you are on a PC, I can say that I've not heard of anyone having the issues that you're having on a PC (I'm on a Mac so I cannot test but I know I do not have these issues). I suspect that since you are using Save as PDF, which as stated is a OS operation, there is a setting somewhere on your computer that might be causing it, NOT Adobe Acrobat.

All that notwithstanding, I use Acrobat Pro DC and I almost never use Acrobat to generate my PDFs from web pages. Rather, I use Print Friendly (printfriendly.com), it can be an operation from within your browser, seems to always do a great job and also has the benefit of letting you delete unnessary images, adds, dialog, and other things that you may not want to save. There may be web sites that still provide challenges for converting to PDF but that's the web designer's fault, not Adobe, Print Friendly, your OS or any other's fault.

Good luck!

*Adobe has a fondness of creating different applications with the same name, this issue with Acrobat is not unique. Think of Lightroom Desktop, Lightroom Mobile, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom Web. It's just a mess.

[Guest]

Sir,

Thank you for your very quick reply, and I am sorry for my tone.  It was unprofessional.

I usually use the option with Adobe Reader, but this week I had a chance to use Adobe Acrobat as well.  I save articles of interest in PDF files because that way I can search for key-words through tens, hundreds, or thousands of PDF files using advance search in Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

As you can see in the screenshots I shared, the only way I was able to make the text in the PDF file be selected was from the PDF file created on the Firefox browser, and that was only after I used the “Recognize Text in this file” option, under the “Scan & OCR”.  The same option does not work with files I create from other browsers.

Also, I know the option Acrobat has to create PDFs under “File/Create/PDF From Web Page…” and I do not have that text-selection problem when I use this option.  However, that option does not work if I want to create PDFs from pages in websites I have to access with a username and a password.  When I use this option, the PDF file created is blank or it shows the main page of the website showing the login option!  You can try it creating one from an email you have received.  Also, I do not use other sources that are available online when I must create a PDF file that contains sensitive information.

Again, thank you for your quick reply on trying to help me. I appreciate it.

Respect!

[gary_sc]

Not a problem, if anything I could see you were frustrated but I didn't get any antagonism in your tone. Sometimes the writer is flagrantly viscous!

OK, then I think that you've mentioned the issue and limitation: you have to provide a password to access the site. It seems that those sites do not want you to be able to create normal, search-able pages from their sites. The fact that you can get PDF images from those sites is quite remarkable. 

Let me insert here that under these circumstances I do not think that Print Friendly could do any better. 

When web pages are created, it's possible to generate code within that can limit what one can do with the page and access them via PDF generators is one of the options (printing is another).

I think you might be limited with what you are doing at the present time. You might try contacting the website creators (and/or owners) to see if they have any ability to allow access to PDF generation. Lastly, one other option (which is a crummy option), is to copy the text and then from within Acrobat, "Create PDF from Clipboard."

Hopefully for you someone else may know more about these issues than me and may be able to supply a solution.

Oh, BTW, when submitting images for people to look at, please enter the images in via the "image" icon above the field where you are writing as shown below.

The vast majority of the folks on these forums who are helping folks are not employees of Adobe and are using their own computers, etc. Many will not look at files that need to be downloaded for fear of viruses, etc. 

Good luck!

[Guest]

Sir,

I am frustrated because I did not have the problem before and I apologized because the message is for Adobe and with you trying to help is like it was addressed to you as well.  I wrote my message here because looking for an email to contact Adobe directly takes forever for that they want users to go through their help pages that have no end.  So, I thought someone from the company might be able to see my post here and get the message.  I know most of the people here are those who voluntarily want to help each other and do not work for Adobe.

The screenshots I made with the problems I am having are from an article you can find from the link below which does not require a login and password to access it.  However, before, I was able to print the articles I had to access them with a username/password and create a file I can select words and sentences without any problems.  I still can create PDF files, but not be able to select the text or sentences as seen in screenshots.  It is not a problem I am having only when I create a PDF file on websites I access with username/password, but will all pages and websites.

I have also changed the destination of the file, removed and added the option from Devices and Printers, updated drivers, turned OS features on and off, formatted my OS, etc., but the problem persists.  So, I do not categorize myself as a beginner operating Windows OS, Adobe Reader, or Acrobat, and this is why it gets frustrating when this problem persists for so long without any updates.

The article seen in the screenshots is open-source and does not require to log in with a username/password can be accessed through this link. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-abu-zarqawi/

Thank you

P.S.: I used the option Insert Photos you suggested and had an error uploading the files, dragging them there or using the option to choose files from my machine.

[gary_sc]

Hi Nsgentian,

Please let me explain that the folks who monitor these forums are (mostly) not Adobe employees. Rather we are folks with some level of experience with these applications and try to help folks as best we can. I can't even call over an Adobe employee to help. With any luck one may chance to see this thread but there's no way to know if they will or not.

I do suspect that there may be something wrong with your system or your Acrobat instillation becuase I just created 3 PDFs that all are searchable and all came out just fine. I just sent you a Personal Message with a link for you to observe them. Unfortunately I do not have enough information to tell you what to look for or what might be wrong as to why you are unable to do this. 

The first one was created by "Print Friendly." Worked like a charm. The 2nd one was made via "Save as Adobe PDF." Again, no issue. The last one was created via "Save as PDF."

For the record I am on an iMac with OS X.15.7.