Print to PDF - Text in the PDF is not always good for Text-to-Speech
I'm on Win 8, using the latest FF 27.0.1
I have been using EXP Systems, PDF reDirect v2.5.2, to print web pages to PDF: http://www.exp-systems.com/PDFreDirect/Downloads.htm?1
I later like to use Natural Reader to read it. This is a text-to-speech program: http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.php
The problem I have is that the text is not usable all the time when I print through FF.
If it's not usable, it's one of two other things: 1.) dragging with the mouse, you can see the selection rectangle trying to lasso the text, but it fails, and captures nothing . . . 2.) you can highlight the text, but there is weird spacing in between the letters and words, and what Natural Reader tries to read is garbled.
I get a good PDF with FF on this page, the Lincoln Trillion bill http://store.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=477&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en
But not on this page, How to Create a Macro in Excel 2010 http://www.ehow.com/how_8037720_create-macro-excel-2010.html
I tried this Add-on: Print pages to Pdf 0.1.9.3 . . . and it was not able to makes a good PDF of the Create a Macro page, either.
I went into about:config . . . and disabled javascript.enabled . . . but that didn't do anything. This is what to do if you go to a page like Snopes, and Natural Reader cannot read text on the web page.
I think there must be a setting I don't know what.
If I print through IE 10, it always makes a good pdf. I was previously always using IE because . . .
I tried using Firefox to make PDFs a year or so ago, with the above results (but never got a good pdf). I thought something might have changed by now, so I tried it. It looked like it was fixed, but then I got a bad pdf of the Macro page.
Any ideas? Thanks.
All Replies (5)
Hi slugde,
Since it has been a year since you tried this, there are some new add ons that have been added and reviewed>
- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fire.../?q=print+to+pdf&platform=windows&appver=27.0&page=
- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fire.../?q=html%2Bto%2Bpdf&platform=windows&appver=27.0&page=
I hope this helps.
I just tried these to FF Add-ons:
Print pages to PDF 0.1.9.3 . . . text is highlightable and readable, but spacing is messed up
PrintPDF 0.76 . . . Where's the button to even print? Fails
I use the Free Foxit Reader and just tried: . . . Foxit Reader PDF Printer - you can't even lasso the text
But, the question I have is . . . Firefox can print out usable web pages with EXP PDF Re-Direct . . . but it's not doing it with that Excel Macro page . . . IE, on the other hand, can print to EXP PDF Re-Direct, and the Excel Macro page pdf is usable . . . so it's something with the Excel Macro web page . . . what could it be?
And, can Firefox be fixed so it works? Is there some kind of "print engine" within the browser, that EXP PDF Re-Direct uses, and Firefox is missing something (because it works through IE)?
CleanPrint makes a good PDF of the "Create a Macro" page:
http://www.formatdynamics.com/bookmarklets/
I think it goes to a server to do it, though, so it's not going through Firefox?
I checked with EXP: http://www.exp-systems.com/Forum_exp/forum_posts.asp?TID=1177v
They say that it's not PDF redirect.
All that PDF redirect does is create a PDF file of the printout as specified by the browser.
If browser X says to print it one way or another, then PDF redirect will follow the instructions.
Any idea what Firefox is doing with the "Create a Macro" page? Or, what is the "Create a Macro" page specifying to do? It seems like they're ok with you highlighting the text online, but not in pdf format.
I think I figured out what's going on with EXP, and other print-to-PDF programs, where the text is weird . . . it's javascript
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Using Firefox . . . NoScript is installed / Allow Scripts Globally (dangerous)
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The text on this page is highlightable, and text-to-speech can read it. If you make a PDF of it with EXP, though, you can't highlight any of the text. It's like it's an image.
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If I then do this: NoScript installed / Forbid Scripts Globally . . . now you get a good PDF
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View Page Info / there are many occurrences of the word "javascript"
. . .
NoScript / Allow Scripts Globally (dangerous) . . . and now you're back to getting a PDF where you can't even lasso the the text
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about:config / javascript.enabled . . . double-click to make it false go back to that page, and refresh . . . and now you can get a good PDF
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It looks like this is due to javascript protecting the text.
Is there a way for EXP to automatically disable javascript before it prints a PDF? IE must be doing this itself.
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Another example, but a little different . . .
Make sure this is back to enabled . . . about:config / javascript.enabled . . . double-click to make it "true"
On this page: http://www.enviroreporter.com/2014/03/china-syndrome-town/
NoScript installed / Allow Scripts Globally (dangerous) . . . and you can't even highlight any of the text . . . but the PDF comes out fine
NoScript installed / Forbid Scripts Globally . . . now the text on the web page is highlightable, and can be read by text-to-speech