# Is it dumb to expect a scanner to be capable of

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dumb-to-expect-a-scanner-to-be-capable-of/368076>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 9, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dumb-to-expect-a-scanner-to-be-capable-of/368076 "2006-08-09T22:53:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dumb-to-expect-a-scanner-to-be-capable-of/368076/21 "2006-08-10T12:02:32Z")

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[QUOTE=Palooka]  
This thread is madness!

Why not just select the text in the PDF, copy it, and paste it to another document that you can edit?  
[/QUOTE]

I hope this is a whoosh.

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**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dumb-to-expect-a-scanner-to-be-capable-of/368076/22 "2006-08-10T12:23:37Z")

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[QUOTE=XJETGIRLX]  
I hope this is a whoosh.  
[/QUOTE]  
Nah, many of my cow-workers don’t realise

1. that you _can_ select PDF text usually

2. that you _can’t_ select text on a locked PDF (which the OP’s appears to be)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dumb-to-expect-a-scanner-to-be-capable-of/368076/23 "2006-08-10T12:46:18Z")

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[QUOTE=e-logic]  
Nah, many of my cow-workers don’t realise

1. that you _can_ select PDF text usually

2. that you _can’t_ select text on a locked PDF (which the OP’s appears to be)  
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I was assuming the latter. For the most part, if you have need to edit the PDF and you don’t know how I’m going to assume that you didn’t create it, and that you got it from a third-party who is likely using the PDF format specifically so people won’t edit it.

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