OCR PDF
Make your scanned PDFs searchable and selectable
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Select a single PDF file to perform OCR.
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What is OCR (Optical Character Recognition)?
OCR is a technology that converts different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDFs, or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data.
When you scan a book or a form, you're only creating an image of the text. You can't select, copy, or search that text. Our OCR PDF tool reads this image, recognizes the characters, and places an invisible, searchable text layer over the original image. The result is a PDF that looks identical to your scan but is fully searchable.
Comparison: Manual Typing vs. OCR
| Feature | Manual Typing | Sj480 OCR |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Slow (Hours) | Fast (Seconds) |
| Accuracy | Prone to typos | High Precision |
| Cost | High (Labor) | Free |
| Formatting | Manual Recreation | Preserved |
Why Make a PDF Searchable?
A searchable PDF is far more powerful than a simple image scan. Here's why:
- Find Information Fast: Instantly search your entire document for a specific word, name, or number using Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F).
- Copy and Paste: Easily select and copy text from your scanned documents to use in emails, reports, or other files.
- Accessibility: Screen readers can read the text, making your documents accessible to visually impaired users.
- Better Archiving: Makes your digital archives (like invoices, contracts, or old books) infinitely more useful.
- Extract Data: You can optionally extract all the recognized text into a simple `.txt` file for data processing.
Common Use Cases
- Digitizing Archives: Convert old paper records into a searchable digital library.
- Legal Discovery: Quickly search through thousands of scanned legal documents.
- Student Research: Copy quotes and references from scanned textbooks and papers.
- Data Entry Automation: Extract text from invoices and receipts for processing.
Troubleshooting
- Low Accuracy: Ensure the original scan is clear and at least 300 DPI. Blurry images yield poor results.
- Wrong Characters: Verify that you have selected the correct language from the dropdown menu.
- Upload Failed: Check if your file exceeds the 100MB limit or is corrupted.
Sj480 Team
We build simple, secure, and free online tools to help you work smarter. Our AI tools are designed with privacy first.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is my file secure?
Absolutely. We use secure connections for all file transfers. Your files are automatically deleted from our servers one hour after processing. We do not view, copy, or share your content.
What languages does the OCR support?
Our tool supports a wide range of languages. You can select the primary language of your document from the "Language" dropdown for the most accurate results. This includes English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and many more.
How accurate is the text recognition?
Accuracy depends on the quality of your original scan. For clear, high-resolution documents, the accuracy is very high. If the document is blurry, handwritten, or has complex formatting, some errors may occur. Selecting the correct language improves accuracy significantly.
What is the difference between "Searchable PDF" and "Plain Text"?
Searchable PDF: This is the most popular option. It creates a new PDF that looks exactly like your original scan, but with a hidden text layer. You can search and copy text from it.
Plain Text (.txt): This option extracts *only* the recognized text and gives you a simple `.txt` file. This is useful if you don't care about the original layout and just want the raw text content.