Find solution
How to read text off an embedded text resource?

How can I replace embedded PDF fonts?

  • How can I replace embedded fonts in a PDF with "normal-looking" versions? I have a textbook I received from my professor for a class, and the text is incredibly hard to read. http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/411/screenshotay.png. (non-highlighted text is what the text looks like normally) I'd also like to not lose text formatting. (italics/monospace etc)

  • Answer:

    I'll bet you, dollars to donuts, that those aren't fonts. They might have bee at one point, but I doubt they are now. If I had to guess, they're vector graphics, created either by OCR scanning the original or by converting the fonts to outlines. Do you have Acrobat Pro? You can check to see if that's a font or not by going to File -> Properties... and clicking the Fonts tab, or by highlighting the text, right-clicking and selecting Properties... Actually, if you can select the text at all, you have a font. If not, it a graphic.

lwf at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

http://javaexamebooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/head-first-java-2nd-edition-pdf-j2ee.html Do future students a favor and send it to the professor.

geoff.

Definitely OCR'd. I hope your professor isn't giving out pirated copies of that http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009205.

wongcorgi

That PDF isn't made with embedded fonts, and was probably made by scanning a paper copy of the book. You can tell by looking at the same letter in different spots. They vary wildly. Your only hope is to run the PDFs through OCR software.

zsazsa

not even ocr'd. it's a scan put through an autotracer such as you'd find in adobe illustrator. ridiculously amateur.

rhizome

Sorry, http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/3788/screenshot2wr.png's a image of it with the text highlighted. It seems to be actual text, and I can portions it into another document without a problem.

lwf

Wait, you opened it in InDesign? Can you not change the font using the Character palette?

TWinbrook8

Notice that the highlighted text looks fine. It seems to be replacing the image with a 'regular' font when you highlight it.

delmoi

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.