OCR

Make scanned PDFs searchable with Optical Character Recognition.

What is OCR?

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts images of text into actual searchable, selectable text. This enables:

• Searching within scanned documents
• Copying text from images
• Better accessibility
• Text extraction for other tools

Running OCR

Single Document

1. Open the scanned PDF
2. Click Tools → OCR
3. Select language(s)
4. Click Run OCR
5. Wait for processing

Batch OCR

1. Select multiple documents
2. Click Tools → OCR
3. Configure settings
4. Process all documents

OCR Settings

Languages

Select the document language(s):

• English
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Portuguese

Multiple languages can be selected for mixed documents.

Output Options

Searchable PDF

Text layer added over image:

• Original appearance preserved
• Text is searchable and selectable
• File size increases slightly

Text Only

Extract text to a separate file:

• Plain text output
• No formatting
• Smallest file size

Searchable PDF + Text

Both outputs:

• Searchable PDF
• Separate text file

Recognition Options

• Auto-rotate pages: Fix skewed scans
• Detect orientation: Portrait/landscape
• Deskew: Straighten tilted text
• Remove noise: Clean up artifacts

OCR Quality

Best Results

• Clear, high-resolution scans (300+ DPI)
• Standard fonts
• Good contrast
• Minimal skew

Challenging

• Low-resolution images
• Handwritten text
• Decorative fonts
• Faded or damaged documents

Reviewing Results

After OCR:

1. Select text to verify accuracy
2. Search for known words to test
3. Review any unclear sections
4. Correct errors if needed

Plan Limits

API Access

OCR is available via API for automation:

POST /api/ocr
{
  "documentId": "doc_xxx",
  "languages": ["en"],
  "outputType": "searchable_pdf"
}

See OCR API for details.

Tips

• Scan at 300 DPI minimum
• Use black and white for text documents
• Clean the scanner glass
• Select correct language(s)
• Review important documents

Next Steps

• Images to PDF - Convert scanned images to PDF before running OCR
• PDF to Office - Convert OCR-processed PDFs to editable Office formats
• Accessibility Checker - Verify OCR output is accessible