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Processing PDF: How to Go from PDF to E-text to Audio

Learn how to convert PDFs into accessible formats for students with limited access issues or accessibility needs. Discover tools, methods, strengths, weaknesses, and resources for processing PDFs effectively.

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Processing PDF: How to Go from PDF to E-text to Audio

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  1. Processing PDF:How to Go from PDF toE-text to Audio Gaeir Dietrich DirectorHigh Tech Center Training Unitof the California Community CollegesFoothill Community College District

  2. PDF from Publishers • Portable document format (PDF) • Reads the same on any computer • Looks like the book • Smaller than TIFFs • Contains all the text • Always check to make sure the book is the right one! • Easy for publishers

  3. Requesting through ATN • Access Text Network • Now free for requesting files from ATN-member publishers • Paid membership to exchange files • www.accesstext.org • Not all publishers • But ATN does have the largest ones

  4. Other Resources at ATN • Accessible Textbook Finder • http://www.accesstext.org/atf.php • Link to Publisher Lookup • http://www.publisherlookup.org/ • Will have to contact non-ATN member publishers directly

  5. Using Publisher PDFs Sometimes students can use files directly Most often files will need further processing for student use At the very least, large files need to be broken into chapters

  6. PDF Strengths • Good format for large print • Cropping • Fit to page on large pages • Print sections on large pages (tiling) • Adobe Reader has some nice features • Change colors • Reflow • Limited voicing • Easy for most publishers to create

  7. PDF Weaknesses • Not always fully accessible • Screen readers do not always like them—even when they are text-based • Reading order can be problematic • May be graphics (pictures of text) • May have too much security

  8. As an Aside… • When faculty create PDFs… • The PDF always started as something else…usually a Word file • Try to get the starting document • Security concerns? • Word files can be password protected • Button > Prepare > Encrypt

  9. Types of PDF Documents • Text-based • Text can be selected • Graphical • Picture of text (i.e., a graphic) • Text cannot be selected • Use text-select tool to tell the difference • Files may be “locked”

  10. Processing PDFs • Adobe Acrobat Professional • Good OCR program • Abbyy FineReader • Nuance OmniPage • IF you are a Kurzweil campus, you will also need Kurzweil

  11. Adobe Tools • Adobe Reader • Free • Useful for students who need minimalaccessibility features • http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/ • Adobe Acrobat Professional • Essential for alt media specialists • Extract text, create accessible PDFs, enabled Adobe Reader features • www.uscollegebuy.com Discounted Price

  12. Acrobat Reader • Reads aloud • But does not highlight or track • Enlarges text • Nice reflow feature • Changes text/background colors • Text highlighting, sticky notes, and comments • Access text-based PDFs

  13. Process with Acrobat Pro • Cropping • Enlargement for printing • Tiling • Combining • Some text extraction • Works with text-based PDF

  14. Processing Graphical PDFs • Must run optical character recognition (OCR) • Computers cannot read pictures • OCR programs recognize the “characters” in the picture • How you process the file depends on the end format the student wants!

  15. Various Options • OmniPage or FineReader • FineReader generally easier to learn • Save to Word or HTML or Text based on student preference • Use virtual printer with Kurzweil • Create KESI files • R&W • Save as Word

  16. Which One When? • Want a Word file? • Best choice is OmniPage or FineReader • Want a Kurzweil document? • Use Kurzweil to process the PDF • For students to do themselves? • Whichever program they prefer

  17. Why? OCR programs are designed to make extraction and editing easy Document readers (R&W, Kurzweil, etc.) are designed to make reading easy…NOT editing.

  18. NEVER!!! • Do NOT run OCR with FineReader or OmniPage…save to PDF…and then take into Kurzweil, R&W, etc. • Kurzweil, R&W, WYNN will run their own OCR on the PDF! • Wastes time, adds error to do OCR twice

  19. OCR Programs • Treat PDFs the same as a TIFF • If you OCR scanned documents, use the same process • Load image file • Select zones • Create templates as needed

  20. PDF Bottom Line • Source files vs. end-user files • Source files = for you to create alt media from • End-user files = alt media formats • PDF • Consider PDFs as source files (files to process) that sometimes double as end-user files (for certain students with limited access issues)

  21. Resource Info Gaeir Dietrich gdietrich@htctu.net 408-996-6047 www.htctu.net Alt media listserv Manuals online

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