simply convert MultiPage PDF into formatted text

Hi Wm Marston

welcome to the Apple (user-to-user) Community!

Re: I wish to read – or have my iPhone speak – the 200 page dissent in a Supreme Court of the United States filing.

System Preferences > Accessibility > Spoken Content can show you the optioins for what is available on your Mac.

Eg: You can use VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader on your Mac, to speak what’s on the screen, and the text in documents, web pages and windows.

.

For MacOS 10.15: (Non-Apple article): step by step instructions for enabling VoiceOver, the in-built screen reader

From Apple Support: (ie: browse as needed)

Turn VoiceOver on or off on Mac - Apple Support

Use VoiceOver to read text on Mac - Apple Support

Use VoiceOver to select text on Mac - Apple Support

What is the VoiceOver cursor on Mac? - Apple Support

Customize VoiceOver with VoiceOver Utility on Mac - Apple Support

______________________________________________

Re: "simply convert MultiPage PDF into formatted text"

Wondering where the Multipage pdf is available to you,

Eg: It may be on a webpage where you can download a copy, or perhaps in a file already on your Mac.

You could try opening the .pdf document in the Preview app ...

There you can choose Edit > "Select all" and then "Copy" (ie: unless there are some restrictions set by its creator.)

If all goes well: Next: Open a new blank document in "Text Edit" app or "Pages" app, and choose "Paste".

Remember to "save" a copy now and then as you work on it ... keep a copy safe so you can go back to it if needed.

Else if the document is protected, and is on Safari, you may be able to add it to the "Reading List" for ease of use.

Keep a Reading List in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Re: "I do not wish to hear or read the long page footers".

If deleting all footers by working through the multipages to delete them wherever they appear seems too tedious :

If the footers are numbered sequentially. ... you could use "find" to work through the numbers and move from footer to footer deleting as you go. Jump to locations in TextEdit documents on Mac - Apple Support

or

You may be able to use "find and replace" with these footers (ie:"find" if there is any repeating phrase at the top of the footers and "replace" them all by leaving the "replace with" text field blank)

More info. on how to Find and replace text in Pages on Mac - Apple Support

or

Find and replace text in TextEdit on Mac - Apple Support

(Important: Leaving the bottom text field blank deletes all instances of the found text).

Also: "save" again when you are done, in Text Edit

or from "Pages": you can save as a .pages file, or export the document in a new format.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Resources:

Pages User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

(MacOS 10.15)TextEdit User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

For accurate info. Choose MacOS 15 at the top of articles in: VoiceOver User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

All the best :-)