Hi Dale, Thank you very much for this excellent explanation of the PDF file. I now understand why that these PDF files we get from our CPA look like text to my wife but Adobe says "Alert, Empty Document". This is definitely a keeper. Thanks again, take care. Mike
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dale Leavens" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:50 PM Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file Actually it stands for portable document format (PDF) Originally it started as a method of creating one standard which various printers could render at a time when the output from a word processor to a printer depended on the printers and the codes one could send to the printer. As many printers had unique codes the appearance of a printed document might vary a lot from one printer to another. If the document was converted to the .PDF format it could be rendered in a common way regardless of the word processor which created it. Of course it has all evolved a long way from that since. Those documents which appear to be blank to our screen reading technology but which are text on the screen to sighted people are like that because they are pictures of text. To understand that you need to understand that text created and rendered in say Microsoft Word or HTML (Hypertext mark-up language) is actually a series of numbers which the programmes interpret as letters. Jaws can intercept those numbers and render them as letters. Text though which is a picture is simply a series of dots or lack of dots on the screen which Jaws cannot differentiate from the dots which might make up an image of your pet cat. An OCR (Optical Character Recognition ) programme can assess those dots and try to recognize patterns as letters and if it can do this create a rendering of text. This works the same way as when you place a paper with text on a scanner, scan it in where it too is rendered as an image for the OCR software to process. One reason why people like those formats is that it is very difficult to edit or otherwise change the content of the document. Another reason is that what ever word processor one has, downloading the .PDF reader which is free will render the document readable to the sighted anyway. Hope this helps understand those apparently blank .PDF files. Dale Leavens. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kenbu" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:10 PM Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file > OK, a portable file formqat, it sounds like you can format a file, then > why would you do that? Ken B > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Simon" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:40 PM > Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file > > >> its short for portable file format. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Kenbu" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:49 PM >> Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file >> >> >>> EXcuse my ignorance; What is a pdf file? Is that much like say, a mthl >>> or >>> something like that? Ken B >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Flor Lynch" <[email protected]> >>> To: <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 4:23 PM >>> Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file >>> >>> >>>> Before investing in OCR programs for this rather simple image >>>> conversion >>>> job, try out the free program pdf2txt, downloadable from >>>> >>>> http://EmpowermentZone.com/p2tsetup.exe >>>> >>>> PDF2TXT >>>> >>>> which is now at version 3.3 and was (and is being) developed by Jamal >>>> Mazrui. i wrote on this to the list a few weeks ago, so I'm sure it's >>>> already mentioned in the archive. >>>> Flor. >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: "Mike & Barbara" <[email protected]> >>>> To: "jaws-users-list" <[email protected]> >>>> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 8:07 PM >>>> Subject: [JAWS-Users] Opening a PDF file >>>> >>>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> We received an attachment in the form of a PDF file from our CPA. >>>> There >>>> are >>>> no graphics. It is just a straight letter but, when I try to convert >>>> it >>>> with Adobe it says, "Alert, Empty document". Is there something that I >>>> can >>>> do so Jaws will read this letter? I also tried to copy it but, when I >>>> try >>>> to select all I get this message, "This is a secure document. Selection >>>> is >>>> not allowed." I had my better half look at the attachment and that is >>>> how I >>>> know that the letter contains only text. I am running XP/SP3 Home, >>>> Office >>>> Home 2002, Adobe 9.1, & Jaws 10 latest. All help will be greatly >>>> appreciated. Thanks much, take care. >>>> Mike >>>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >>>> >>>> >>>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >>> >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> >>> >>> No virus found in this incoming message. >>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>> Version: 8.5.329 / Virus Database: 270.12.29/2114 - Release Date: >>> 05/14/09 >>> 06:28:00 >>> >>> >>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >>> >> >> >> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.329 / Virus Database: 270.12.29/2114 - Release Date: 05/14/09 > 06:28:00 > > > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: > http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
