diff --git a/docs/release_notes.rst b/docs/release_notes.rst
index 958b4512..1cd7d7ac 100644
--- a/docs/release_notes.rst
+++ b/docs/release_notes.rst
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ v9.0.5
 -  The primary Docker image (jbarlow83/ocrmypdf) has been improved to take on
    the extra features that used to be exclusive to the Alpine image.
 -  No changes to application code.
+-  pdfminer.six version 20191020 is now supported.
 
 v9.0.4
 ======
diff --git a/requirements/main.txt b/requirements/main.txt
index eec5dc7a..f7c2275f 100644
--- a/requirements/main.txt
+++ b/requirements/main.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # installation
 cffi == 1.13.2
 img2pdf == 0.3.3
-pdfminer.six == 20181108
+pdfminer.six == 20191020
 pikepdf == 1.6.5
 Pillow >= 6.2.0
 reportlab == 3.5.32
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index b7d2e2d7..1dcebd40 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ setup(
         'chardet >= 3.0.4, < 4',  # unlisted requirement of pdfminer.six 20181108
         'cffi >= 1.9.1',  # must be a setup and install requirement
         'img2pdf >= 0.3.0, < 0.4',  # pure Python, so track HEAD closely
-        'pdfminer.six == 20181108',
+        'pdfminer.six >= 20181108, <= 20191020',
         'pikepdf >= 1.6.5, < 2',
         'Pillow >= 6.2.0',
         'reportlab >= 3.3.0',  # oldest released version with sane image handling
diff --git a/src/ocrmypdf/pdfinfo/layout.py b/src/ocrmypdf/pdfinfo/layout.py
index 9bb7f3a5..31d0e8eb 100644
--- a/src/ocrmypdf/pdfinfo/layout.py
+++ b/src/ocrmypdf/pdfinfo/layout.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from math import copysign
 from pathlib import Path
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
+import pdfminer
 import pdfminer.encodingdb
 import pdfminer.pdfdevice
 import pdfminer.pdfinterp
@@ -36,51 +37,54 @@ from ..exceptions import EncryptedPdfError
 STRIP_NAME = re.compile(r'[0-9]+')
 
 #
-# Unconditional pdfminer patches
+#  pdfminer 20181108 patches
 #
 
+if pdfminer.__version__ == '20181108':
 
-def name2unicode(name):
-    """Fix pdfminer's name2unicode function
+    def name2unicode(name):
+        """Fix pdfminer's name2unicode function
 
-    Font cids that are mapped to names of the form /g123 seem to be, by convention
-    characters with no corresponding Unicode entry. These can be subsetted fonts
-    or symbolic fonts. There seems to be no way to map /g123 fonts to Unicode,
-    barring a ToUnicode data structure.
-    """
-    if name in glyphname2unicode:
-        return glyphname2unicode[name]
-    if name.startswith('g') or name.startswith('a'):
-        raise KeyError(name)
-    if name.startswith('uni'):
-        try:
-            return chr(int(name[3:], 16))
-        except ValueError:  # Not hexadecimal
+        Font cids that are mapped to names of the form /g123 seem to be, by convention
+        characters with no corresponding Unicode entry. These can be subsetted fonts
+        or symbolic fonts. There seems to be no way to map /g123 fonts to Unicode,
+        barring a ToUnicode data structure.
+        """
+        if name in glyphname2unicode:
+            return glyphname2unicode[name]
+        if name.startswith('g') or name.startswith('a'):
             raise KeyError(name)
-    m = STRIP_NAME.search(name)
-    if not m:
-        raise KeyError(name)
-    return chr(int(m.group(0)))
+        if name.startswith('uni'):
+            try:
+                return chr(int(name[3:], 16))
+            except ValueError:  # Not hexadecimal
+                raise KeyError(name)
+        m = STRIP_NAME.search(name)
+        if not m:
+            raise KeyError(name)
+        return chr(int(m.group(0)))
 
+    pdfminer.encodingdb.name2unicode = name2unicode
 
-pdfminer.encodingdb.name2unicode = name2unicode
+    original_PDFFont_init = PDFFont.__init__
 
-original_PDFFont_init = PDFFont.__init__
+    def PDFFont__init__(self, descriptor, widths, default_width=None):
+        original_PDFFont_init(self, descriptor, widths, default_width)
+        # PDF spec says descent should be negative
+        # A font with a positive descent implies it floats entirely above the
+        # baseline, i.e. it's not really a baseline anymore. I have fonts that
+        # claim a positive descent, but treating descent as positive always seems
+        # to misposition text.
+        if self.descent > 0:
+            self.descent = -self.descent
 
+    PDFFont.__init__ = PDFFont__init__
 
-def PDFFont__init__(self, descriptor, widths, default_width=None):
-    original_PDFFont_init(self, descriptor, widths, default_width)
-    # PDF spec says descent should be negative
-    # A font with a positive descent implies it floats entirely above the
-    # baseline, i.e. it's not really a baseline anymore. I have fonts that
-    # claim a positive descent, but treating descent as positive always seems
-    # to misposition text.
-    if self.descent > 0:
-        self.descent = -self.descent
+#
+# end of pdfminer 20181108 patches
+#
 
 
-PDFFont.__init__ = PDFFont__init__
-
 original_PDFSimpleFont_init = PDFSimpleFont.__init__
 
 
@@ -97,6 +101,7 @@ def PDFSimpleFont__init__(self, descriptor, widths, spec):
 
 
 PDFSimpleFont.__init__ = PDFSimpleFont__init__
+
 #
 # pdfminer patches when creator is PScript5.dll
 #