How to Extract Text from Scanned PDFs Using OCR
Have you ever scanned a paper document to PDF only to find you can't search or copy the text? That's because scanned PDFs are stored as images, not as editable text.
This is where OCR (Optical Character Recognition) comes in. OCR recognizes characters within images and converts them into usable text data.
What Is OCR (Optical Character Recognition)?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology that identifies text in images or scanned documents and converts it into editable, searchable text data. It can automatically read both handwritten and printed characters.
Benefits of OCR Text Extraction
- Full-text search within the PDF (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F)
- Copy and paste text from the document
- Run the text through translation tools
- Dramatically reduce manual data entry work
- Easier long-term storage as a digital archive
How to Use OCR with PDFrog
With PDFrog's OCR (Text Recognition) Tool, you can extract text from scanned PDFs right in your browser.
- Upload your scanned PDF
- Select the recognition language (English, Japanese, etc.)
- Run the OCR process
- Download the text-enabled PDF
Tips for Better OCR Accuracy
Improve Scan Quality
Scanning at 300 DPI or higher significantly improves recognition accuracy. Avoid skewed or dirty scans, as these are common causes of misrecognition.
Ensure Good Contrast
The clearer the contrast between the background and text, the better OCR performs. Light text or colored backgrounds may reduce recognition accuracy.
Summary
Running OCR on scanned PDFs is the first step toward making paper documents digitally useful. Try PDFrog's OCR tool to convert your scans into searchable, editable PDFs.