did you check the checkbox for using the OCR function in PDF2TXT? and then try scanning it, it sounds like this is the age old problem of a scanned image used to create the .PDF, instead of a text document, and will require OCR to read it if it's possible to do at all. inthane proprietor, The Grab Bag, for blind computer users and programmers http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com Owner: Alacorn Computer Enterprises "own the might and majesty of a Alacorn!" www.alacorncomputer.com Owner: Agemtree "merchants in fine facetted and cabochon gemstones" www.agemtree.com operator: Fruit Basket Demo Sight, where you can find a similar project done in several programming languages, along with its source code, so you can decide what language is right for you http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com ----- Original Message ----- From: programming To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 2:41 PM Subject: another pdf to text problem Hi list, When I open the listed pdf file into PDF-TO -TEXT, I get the following message: " Cannot convert August 2008 Beacon.pdf File name=C:\PDF2TXT\PDF\August 2008 Beacon.pdf File size=1945487 Author=Panasonic Communications Co.,LTD. Title=Network Scan Data Subject=MFP Image Format Creator=HPDFlib Producer=HPDFlib 1.01(MFP) PDF version=1.2 Page count=15 Number of form fields=0 User Password=No Master Password=No Printing=Fully Allowed Changing the Document=Allowed Content Copying or Extraction=Allowed Authoring Comments and Form Fields=Allowed Form Field Fill-in or Signing=Allowed Content Accessibility Enabled=Allowed Document Assembly=Allowed Encryption Level=Blank" Is there any way to read this pdf file? Jamel, would it be OK for me to send you the file so you can work with it? If so, what is your email address? Thanks for any help you can give me as the file is one of my churches newsletters. Bob