Fix PDF Converts to Chinese Characters When Printed or Exported
Question details
The user experiences an issue where converting or printing a PDF results in unreadable, Chinese-looking characters instead of the original text.
- Product
- PDF Converter
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document or exporting it to another file format like Word.
- Observed behavior
- The output text displays corrupted, unreadable symbols that resemble Chinese writing due to font rendering or OCR misinterpretation.
Ensure that the original PDF file is not corrupted and verify that your printer drivers or PDF conversion software are fully up to date.
Disable Optical Character Recognition (OCR) During Export
Turn off the OCR feature during conversion if the PDF contains native, selectable text rather than scanned images, as unnecessary OCR can misinterpret standard fonts.
Conversion quality depends heavily on the original PDF file. When you apply OCR to a document that already has a text layer, the software attempts to 'read' the text visually. This can cause the converter to misinterpret the font shapes, outputting strange symbols or Chinese-like characters.
Launch your PDF converter software and select the PDF file you wish to export.
Before clicking 'Convert' or 'Export', look for an 'Options', 'Settings', or 'Advanced' button in the conversion dialog box.
Find the setting for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or 'Recognize Text' and uncheck the box to disable it.
Proceed with the export. The converter will now extract the embedded text directly without trying to visually recognize the characters.
Print the PDF as an Image
If printing directly causes font encoding issues, printing the document as an image bypasses the printer's font rendering process.
Convert and Print PDFs Accurately with WPS Office
Use WPS Office's built-in PDF tools to seamlessly print, edit, and convert PDF files without font corruption or encoding issues. WPS Office provides precise text extraction and smart printing options.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF document that is causing the text issues.
- 2. Access PDF to Word: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab and click on 'PDF to Word' for a highly accurate conversion that preserves the original font encoding.
- 3. Adjust Print Settings: If you need to print, go to 'Menu' > 'Print', click 'Advanced', and select 'Print as Image' to ensure the output perfectly matches what you see on screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF text turn into weird symbols when copied or printed?
This usually happens due to missing embedded fonts or incorrect font encoding in the original PDF file. When the software or printer cannot find the exact font dictionary, it substitutes the characters incorrectly, often resulting in gibberish or Chinese-like symbols.
Does OCR always cause text corruption?
No, OCR is incredibly helpful for scanned images. However, applying OCR to a PDF that already has a native text layer can confuse the software, causing it to misinterpret standard fonts as strange symbols.
Can I fix a PDF that already has damaged fonts?
If the source file has corrupted font mapping, conversion tools may not be able to recover the original text. In this case, you will need to recreate the PDF from the original source document (like the original Word file) using a reliable PDF creator.
