Why is the extraction of text from a PDF document such a hassle

When I use a text editing tool such as Microsoft Word then it is quite natural that I can select a portion of text and copy it to the clipboard and paste it in to a window of any other tool. Not so with PDF. At least not with any kind of document. Why is that?

A good PDF printer tool can be amazingly versatile

As the name suggests a PDF printer tool is meant to put the contents of a PDF document onto paper. However, it is surprising how many applications can be built when using a printer tool in collaboration with the Windows Printing Subsystem.