Information, not advice. This guide describes common practice for litigation staff. It is not legal advice. Rules differ by jurisdiction, court and judge, and orders in your case can change them. Check what governs your matter and ask your supervising attorney.
Four ways to hold one transcript
The reporter's work product is one transcript. The formats are different containers for it, and none is a perfect copy of another.
- PDF. The page as printed, with margin line numbers. It may have a text layer or be only a picture of the page.
- TXT or ASCII. Plain text with no layout. Review tools often ask for it, with page and line numbers in set positions.
- PTX. A proprietary bundle that is read in a viewer, not in a word processor.
- Markdown. Plain text that a converter writes from one of the others.
The certified transcript is the reporter's product and the other formats are copies. If two copies disagree, ask the reporter which one governs.
How to choose and check a format
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Ask what the reporter delivered
Reporters often send several: a PDF, a text file, sometimes a PTX with exhibits or video sync. Ask which is the certified copy.
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Keep that copy as the reference
Label every other copy as a copy, with its source and date. See rough draft vs certified.
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Pick the format for the job
Reading, filing and printing: the PDF. Import into a review platform: the text file, in the shape the platform asks for. Exhibits and the word index: the PTX in its viewer. Searching and summarising: text or Markdown with page:line on every line.
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Compare the copy with the original
Check the page count, the first and last lines of a few pages, and the certificate and errata pages.
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Check what dropped
Look for headers, footers, condensed pages, the word index and exhibits. Note anything missing so nobody assumes it came through.
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Search the copy you will use
Search for a phrase you know is on a page. A scan with no text layer returns nothing. See searching a transcript.
What each format keeps
| Format | Keeps | Often loses | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF with a text layer | The printed page, numbers and certificate | Clean line-by-line text on copy and paste | Reading, filing, printing |
| PDF scan | A picture of each page | Searchable text, until OCR is run | Archive; the source for OCR |
| TXT (ASCII) | Words and, usually, page and line numbers | Layout, condensed pages, exhibits | Review platforms, imports |
| PTX (E-Transcript) | Full and condensed transcript and word index; may carry exhibit links | Needs its viewer; export may drop annotations | Review in the viewer |
| Markdown | Plain text with page:line on each line | Layout, images, exhibits | Search, summaries, cites |
What goes wrong
- Treating a text copy as the record. A copy can drop the certificate, the errata or a page without any warning.
- Copying text out of a PDF viewer. Margin numbers can land in the middle of lines or in a separate block.
- Assuming a scan is searchable. With no text layer there are no hits, and OCR can misread names and figures.
- Importing a file the platform rejects. Some platforms require consecutive page numbers and a set number of numbered lines per page.
- Losing the index or the condensed view. Exporting text from a PTX may leave the word index and the exhibit links behind.
- Mixing versions. A rough draft text file next to a certified PDF gives different pages and lines.
How DepoScript helps
DepoScript takes a PDF, full-size or condensed, and returns Markdown with the page and line on every line, a Turns table and a Checks tab that reports gaps and repeated pages. It does not take TXT or PTX files, and its output has no layout, images or exhibits. The download is a .md file, which is plain text; text with line numbers shows the output. Try the converter. Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account. See pricing.
Questions
What is a PTX file?
A transcript bundle in the E-Transcript format. Vendor support pages describe it as holding the full transcript, a condensed version and the word index, and it is opened in a viewer. Other programs use the same extension for unrelated files.
Why do review platforms prefer TXT?
A text file with consecutive page numbers and a fixed number of numbered lines per page is easy to import. Each platform states its own requirements.
Can I get text out of a PTX?
Usually, through the viewer's export. Vendor documentation describes exporting a PTX as a text document, which then follows the TXT rules. Annotations and links may not survive.
Is a PDF searchable?
Only if it has a text layer. A scan has none until OCR is run, and OCR errors are likely in names and numbers.
Which copy do I cite?
The certified transcript, in whatever form the reporter says is official. Check any quotation from another copy against it.
Does a format change confidentiality?
Not in itself. A protective order typically covers the testimony in whatever form it takes. See confidentiality and AI tools.
Does DepoScript accept PTX or TXT?
No. It accepts a transcript PDF, either full-size pages or condensed pages with several to a sheet.
Keep reading
- Rough draft vs certifiedWhat a rough draft is good for, and why cites must be re-checked against the certified transcript.
- Searching a transcriptFind testimony by term, speaker and exhibit, and record every hit as page:line.
- Confidentiality and AI toolsWhat protective orders, privilege and vendor terms mean before a transcript goes to an outside tool.
- All twelve guides