Adobe Reader should work with JAWS. It always prepares the document or at least part of the document for reading first. You could try fiddling around with the accessibility options. It may be that the PDF in question actually contains no digitized text to read and is just a scanned image of text, in which case you'd get better results by passing it through an OCR program. Or it maybe that something is wrong with your setup.
There are some help user's guides to using PDF with screen readers which may help:
Adobe's guide: http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/reader/ RNIB's guide: http://urlx.org/rnib.org.uk/9001cIf all you're going to do is convert the digitalized text in the PDF to a text file, you don't need to fiddle with Adobe Reader. You can use Adobe's online service (or one of various other conversion utilities):
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.htmlSupposedly you can open PDF directly with the free, JAWS-friendly TextPal text editor and it will convert it. The direct link for the binary download for that is:
http://www.empowermentzone.com/palsetup.exeAnother option would be to see if JAWS can operate with the fast free Foxit Reader 2.0:
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php -- Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis Yardbird wrote:
Hi guys,Unless I'm missing something, I think I can safely add that you shouldn't have to open Adobe Reader or Acrobat first in order to read a .pdf file with it. If a copy of the program is on your computer, it should simply launch when you click on the .pdf file. That's the way it always works for me, anyway. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Liz Wade" <ewade@xxxxxxxxxx>To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 3:10 PM Subject: RE: Reading PDF Documents! Hi Claudia: Have you tried saving the document as text after first opening acrobat reader then the pdf document? That's how I've got around that problem. Send me a message if you need help. Regards, Liz Wade -----Original Message----- From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Claudia Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 2:47 PM To: blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Reading PDF Documents! Hello, I have difficulty reading PDF documents. When I try to open a document, I am told that the document is being formatted, but nothing ever happens. I'm using JFW 7.10 with Windows XP Pro. Any ideas or suggestions, as I need to read a PDF document, as part of an exam I need to take! Claudia Join either of my groups; the first is for visually-impaired women, while the other is for people wishing to discuss homemaking issues. our-safe-haven-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx makinghouseworkeasier-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.1/822 - Release Date: 5/28/2007 11:40 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.1/822 - Release Date: 5/28/2007 11:40 AM -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.comJFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxTo unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfwIf you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
