Embedded fonts in PDF: copy and paste problems -

when trying copy , paste ms word document pdf document has sets of fonts embedded, result illegible.

several symbols changed or disappear.

using adobe acrobat can check specific fonts embedded.

• would installing such fonts in microsoft word work out?
• if so, can or create subsets of fonts need?
• if not, how solve problem?

you should check pdf document's fonts first of pdffonts utility. part of xpdf package windows , can used without installing, dos box.

in order extract text (or copy'n'paste it) pdf, font should either use standard encoding (not custom one), , should have /tounicode table associated inside pdf.

pdffonts returns few basic information items fonts used pdf.

example output:

$ pdffonts -f 3 -l 5 sample.pdf   name                      type          encoding     emb sub uni object id   ------------------------- ------------- ------------ --- --- --- ---------   iadkrb+arial-boldmt       cid truetype  identity-h   yes yes yes     10  0   sskfgj+arialmt            cid truetype  custom       yes yes no      11  0 

the command above asked fonts used in page range 3 (first check) 5 (last page check).

in above case, both used fonts embedded subsets (indicated xyzabc+-prefixes names, yes in emb , sub columns).

the font sskfgj+arialmt uses custom encoding, pdf has no /tounicode font, indicated no entry column headed uni.

hence not easy extract text shown font (extraction require manual reverse engineering -- can "read" pdf pages).

you should check first, if copy'n'pasting of text works if use simple text file target (not ms word document). if doesn't, can forget ms word...

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• would installing such fonts in microsoft word work out?

• very likely: no. (i cannot give definite answer without having myself access pdf in question.)

• if so, can or create subsets of fonts need?

• you extract subsetted fonts pdf itself. (funnily, my popular stackoverflow answer deals question -- dunno why people seem crazy extracting fonts pdf files other debugging purposes...)

• if not, how solve problem?

• there no solution other doing manually.

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update

you can, unfortunately, not same info fonts used pdf via acrobat or adobe reader. can via menu -> file -> properties...

• the font names,
• the subset info (but not prefixes used subset font names),
• the encoding and
• the font type.

but not info presence of /tounicode table.