Knowledgebase

Question:

Why can't I select text when I use PDF-XChange Standard to create PDF versions of web pages in Mozilla Firefox?

Answer:

Mozilla Firefox uses hardware acceleration to render pages, which means PDF converters that capture print jobs do not operate correctly. Additionally, some browsers send text data as curves instead of standard text, and it is not possible to select curves in the same manner as standard text. Disabling hardware acceleration resolved this issue in older versions of Mozilla Firefox, but may not be effective in version 76.0.1 and later. Unfortunately, we cannot control how applications print fonts and similar data, which means the fix given below will not work in all cases (for example, pages that use web fonts may be problematic). Additionally, browsers may decide to print in curves or raster format in cases where pages are 'complex', and recreating the page using the limited subset of commands that a general printer implements is difficult to achieve. PDF XChange is currently working on a Firefox Plugin that will enable the conversion of webpages to PDF format without the need to use a printer (similarly to the existing IE Plugin) with the aim of resolving these issues. Until the Firefox Plugin is available the only workaround we have for this problem is to use the fix detailed below, which unfortunately does not work in all cases. 

Resolution:

Hardware acceleration must be disabled in Mozilla Firefox in order to resolve this issue:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and press F10. The Menu Toolbar will be displayed at the top of the browser.

2. Click Tools and then click Options in the submenu.

3. Click Advanced in the settings list and then click the General tab.

4. Clear the Use hardware acceleration when available box:

5. Restart Mozilla Firefox. It will then be possible to select text in PDF versions of web pages.

Please note that this method is a workaround - a full fix is dependent on the Mozilla team.