Example of the PDF Conversion Utility

Example of the PDF Conversion Utility

Adobe has included on their Access site a utility which they say will convert a PDF file to a text or html alternative.

Example 1 - Moderately Formatted Form with Tables - to Text

Here is an image of a PDF form:

Sample PDF Page - see below for description

This PDF form is a registration form used to apply for workforce development opportunities. The top third of the form consists of one column with blanks to be filled in with personal information. The bottom two-thirds of the form consists of a 3-column table of 5 rows. Each cell represents a different class, with from one to five different offering dates/locations. At the bottom of the form are lines for the supervisor's signature, name and the date.

The form was submitted to Adobe's Access Site's Adobe PDF Conversion by Simple Form page, and the result was saved to a text file. As you can see, it is quite difficult to locate the dates/times for each course offering using this file. When using the Advanced form (an option from the Simple form page), the resultant HTML file isn't much more useful.

Example 2 - Page Including an Embedded Graphic

Here is a page which contains an embedded graphic:

A PDF Version of a Page from a Network Documentation Manual - see below for description

This is a page from our network documentation manual which provides an overview of the agency's network configuration. The top half of the page is a large graphic showing how the network is laid out; the bottom half of the page provides simple statements embellishing the diagram.

When we submitted the URL for this page to the Adobe PDF Conversion pages, neither the HTML result or the text version even acknowledged the graphic, so a non-visual user who used this utility wouldn't know that there had been a graphic there, much less what information the graphic imparted.

Return to the Technology Page

Copyright 2000 Debi Orton