I'm writing here following https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/402407/how-to-convert-pdf-containing-math-made-from-latex-to-word and http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/questions/9715/reopening-thread-that-i-dont-think-is-off-topic.
1. My main goal is just to use MathType in Word and to edit with Word. Therefore, what is the best way to convert an Adobe PDF containing math (equations, symbols, tables, etc.) into a Word document?
2. Is there another way to make the PDF appear in Word? I was thinking that maybe the PDF doesn't need to be converted. Instead, each page of the PDF could be convertered/terated as a picture which could then be pasted onto a Word document. This process takes too long to do for each page. What program or recourse is available? Thank you very much!
Unfortunately, it would take too much time for me to retype the PDF, because it is essentially a free textbook containing maths on which I must annotate. Also, I do not have the LaTeX source file for the PDF, only the PDF itself.
I've spent at least 3 hours trying to research and resolve this question, including reading http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=507174 and
http://forums.adobe.com/message/3906332.
I've tried the following PDF to Word converters, but ALL of them deform, disfigure, and distort the math, the fonts, and the formatting: Zamzar.com, Wondershare PDF to Word Converter 4.0.1, Able2Doc PDF to Word Converter v7.0.34, and UniPDF.
Best Answer
It can not be done! PDF is a complex document format which is not intended for editing. Think of it as a crippled PostScript which is never meant to be open again. What can be done is uploading PDF in some kind a character recognition software which is going to extract the information. Short of that there are bunch of small command line text extract utilities which will get you text but formula no way. You can then use Pandoc to do the rest of the job.