Topic: PDF search for text...sometimes works...sometimes doesn't

[yarnstormer]

I am trying to make searchable PDFs of countywide maps. It is a large file with a lot of road names of course.
I am running civil 3d 2012. The dwg file has drawings with text xreffed in.

I am finding that it does not reliably create a pdf with searchable text. The only text I am interested in searching is road names. If I try to do the whole county it will not work. Is there a limit? Do I need to make my outputted pdf a certain size?

I even tried making a copy of the file with the text in it, and inserting that file as a block instead but it still is not searchable on the large drawing.

I have converted the text to TTF and checked the box in the graphics tab...but it still seems limited.

Thanks for any suggestions you all might have!

[Rob...]

Don't have time to check but I think there is a box to check to "capture" all text fonts as text?

[Krushert]

Which PDF driver are you using?

[mjfarrell]

And why not use database instead?

I mean you have MAP...and it is designed to do exactly what you are attempting to do....
and from here it appears you already have the data....

[yarnstormer]

I have not used database....will look into that.

I have tried dwg to pdf, adobe pdf, and whatever else is built in. Adobe PDF works some of the time.

My goal was to make searchable pdfs available to non-cad users. I have the county mapped now and would like for it to be searchable for them.

[Jeff H]

Specs for pdf readers require 14 fonts so if I ever want to make sure a pdf has searchable text I use one the 14 non-platform specific fonts


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

Fonts
A font object in PDF is a description of a digital typeface. It may either describe the characteristics of a typeface, or it may include an embedded font file. The latter case is called an embedded font while the former is called an unembedded font. The font files that may be embedded are based on widely used standard digital font formats: Type 1 (and its compressed variant CFF), TrueType, and (beginning with PDF 1.6) OpenType. Additionally PDF supports the Type 3 variant in which the components of the font are described by PDF graphic operators.

Standard Type 1 Fonts (Standard 14 Fonts)

Fourteen typefaces, known as the standard 14 fonts, have a special significance in PDF documents:
Times (v3) (in regular, italic, bold, and bold italic)
Courier (in regular, oblique, bold and bold oblique)
Helvetica (v3) (in regular, oblique, bold and bold oblique)
Symbol
Zapf Dingbats

These fonts are sometimes called the base fourteen fonts. These fonts, or suitable substitute fonts with the same metrics, must always be available in all PDF readers and so need not be embedded in a PDF. PDF viewers must know about the metrics of these fonts. Other fonts may be substituted if they are not embedded in a PDF.

[Jeff H]

Basically those 14 will not have to be imbedded since it is required to installed for any pdf viewer