Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: pdftotext - Error: Illegal entry in bfchar block in ToUnicode CMap

Error in pdftotext output due to invalid ToUnicode CMap, potentially affecting PDF text extraction.

Quick Answer: The error is likely caused by a corrupted or incomplete ToUnicode CMap table in the PDF. Run pdftotext with the -layout option to ignore this issue and continue extracting text.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The 'Illegal entry in bfchar block in ToUnicode CMap' error occurs when the pdftotext command encounters an invalid character mapping in the PDF file's Type 3 font dictionary. This issue typically affects PDF files created using older versions of Adobe Acrobat or other software that uses the same font encoding schemes.

This error can be frustrating, as it may cause the output text to appear garbled or corrupted. However, in most cases, the error does not result in data loss or corruption, and the output file can still be read and used.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The primary reason for this error is that pdftotext relies on a mapping between the PDF's Type 3 font dictionary and the system's TrueType font encoding. If the PDF contains invalid or corrupted mappings, the command will fail with an 'Illegal entry in bfchar block' error.
  • Another possible cause of this error is if the PDF file uses a font that is not supported by pdftotext's default configuration. In such cases, the command may attempt to use an incorrect mapping, resulting in the error.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Using the -xml option with pdftotext

  1. Step 1: To resolve this issue, try running pdftotext with the -xml option. This will enable pdftotext to use a more modern and flexible font encoding scheme, which can help to avoid issues with invalid character mappings.
  2. Step 2: The command would be: `pdftotext -xml input.pdf output.txt`
  3. Step 3: This option may not always resolve the issue, but it is worth trying as it can often improve the accuracy of the output.

Using a different font mapping or encoding scheme

  1. Step 1: If the -xml option does not work, you may need to try using a different font mapping or encoding scheme. This could involve specifying a custom font map file or using a different PDF viewer that supports a more modern font encoding scheme.
  2. Step 2: For example, you can use the `fontmap` command to specify a custom font map file: `pdftotext -fontmap /path/to/fontmap.map input.pdf output.txt`
  3. Step 3: Alternatively, you can try using a different PDF viewer or software that supports a more modern font encoding scheme. This may involve converting the PDF files to use a different font encoding before processing them with pdftotext.

💡 Conclusion

In most cases, the 'Illegal entry in bfchar block in ToUnicode CMap' error does not result in data loss or corruption. By trying out the primary fix method (using the -xml option) and alternative fix methods (such as using a different font mapping or encoding scheme), you should be able to resolve the issue and obtain accurate output from pdftotext.

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