Apple - How to convert a pdf file into a text file?

ps2ascii is a part of Ghostscript, which can be installed on Mac OS X (and it might already be by default from the factory).

Adobe Reader has a "Save as Text…" option under the File menu. Easiest way.

I’m not aware of any OS X native utility that does that, however, you can install most of the unix/linux commands with any of these three methods:

Homebew: Homebrew is the easiest and most flexible way to install the UNIX tools Apple didn't include with OS X.

Fink: The Fink project wants to bring the full world of Unix Open Source software to Darwin and Mac OS X.

Macports: The MacPorts Project is an open-source community initiative to design an easy-to-use system for compiling, installing, and upgrading either command-line, X11 or Aqua based open-source software on the Mac OS X operating system.

Homebrew is the “new kid on the block” and promises to solve the “problems and limitations” that the other two have (whatever those problems may be). I suggest you take a look at all of them and use what you consider most flexible/simple for your needs.

There is, however, an app (Payware) that used to do that (I don’t know if it still does it). I’m talking about DEVONthink, and you can try a demo for a few days.

update: According to this post, you could install DevonThink (trial version) and extract the ‘pdftotext’ binary "which is free, of course" [sic] out of the bundle.