Have you ever gotten a PDF file that looked like an image instead of a document? It could have been a scanned document, a form, or even a page that was handwritten. Did you ever wonder how you could take out, copy, or even edit the content? You are not the only one. There are many people that run into this problem when trying to edit a scanned PDF that is locked, unsearchable, or even untranslatable.
The good news is that current Optical Character Recognition technology... or OCR... makes it simple to take a scanned PDF, extract the text, and convert it into an editable document. In this ultimate guide, we are going to explain what OCR is, how it works, and the best ways to extract text from scanned PDFs in an efficient and precise manner.
What Is a Scanned PDF?
A scanned PDF happens when a paper document is scanned and saved as a PDF file. Instead of containing digital text, the pages are actually images of the original paper. If you can’t highlight or copy the text, it is because the computer sees it as an image of text, not text itself.
To do this, you need to extract the text using OCR technology. In this case, specifically OCR software.
The Importance of OCR and Its Impacts
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology is showcased by its combination of new machine learning and deep learning classifiers along with his century old machine learning technology, OCR opens new field of hand-printed and complex printed text recognition – formats that can't be recognized by any other technology
OCR also has limitations i.e. it has limited language support though deep learning OCR OCR is limited when it's not on limited languages, languages.
To recognize characters, OCR software looks for patterns. It needs AI or pattern recognition techniques to figure out and identify how to recognize individual letters, numbers, and even symbols.
It is being quite interesting when one needs to put text from an old journal for editing compare to making any slight amendments on it.
To readily translate printed materials to other languages.
Consequently, it has become so easy to store samples of old records which can be located immediately by using inbuilt search engine.
In addition, it that one case when for instance book can be composed of 1999 pages it as it might take too much time to copy the relevant information out.
This is what is interesting though if one looks deeper into the matter, Hinton also might be partially correct in the sense that OCR on limited languages and machine learning OCR need not be limited.
Every research paper, assignment, or work project, well, every piece of writing, relies on accurate text extraction to save time and avoid stress.
How to Efficiently Convert Scanned PDFs to Editable Text
Let’s see best possible approaches to making scanned PDFs editable.
1. Using Mosagraphic’s Free PDF to Text Tool
Looking to convert scanned PDFs and PDF documents? Mosagraphic PDF to Text Tool is secure, fast, and free. The text extraction software offers a simple interface. You have to upload a scanned PDF file and then the software will text extract automatically. Then you can edit, download, or copy text within a couple of minutes.
Key Benefits
- No need to register or log in.
- Works on any device or browser.
- Uses artificial intelligence, OCR, for accuracy.
- Ad and file limit free.
Mosagraphic’s solution is perfect for scanned and PDF documents in bulk for a business or legal practice, or for managing personal documents.
2. Google Drive OCR
Google Drive offers yet another free method. You can upload a PDF file to Google Drive and right-click to open the file in Google Docs. The OCR software included will automatically extract text from PDF document.
For simple PDFs or for use within the Google ecosystem, this is a best, most convenient option. Formatting may be slightly off, but you can use it as much as you want.
Considered the Best: Adobe Acrobat Pro
Adobe Acrobat Pro has one of the most accurate OCRs in the market. It detects multiple languages, understands complex layouts with multiple columns, and keeps the original formatting.
What’s the downside? It’s Adobe, so of course, it comes at a price. But for professionals who do this for a living, the investment is justified.
Online OCR
i2OCR, OnlineOCR.net, and Prepostseo are a few of the websites that provide free OCR services. They do have limitations (ads, daily usage limits, etc.), and for users who want something quick, Mosagraphic is a more private and reliable option.
Tips for the Best OCR
To maximise OCR accuracy, follow these tips:
Use high quality: Blury, dark or pixelated images are more complex and challenging for OCR.
Avoid handwriting: OCR misreads anything that is informal or sloppily composed.
Use legible fonts: Always require basic fonts (Arial, Times New Roman) for printed portions of documents.
Review extracted text for errors. OCR often misses small errors, and big empty gaps.
Keep it under 20 MB: Very large files may process slowly on free tools.
Processing Optimally.
Improving OCR conversions is as simple as a few tweaks!
Editing Extracted Text
After text extraction, you can:
Copy to Word, Google Docs, Notepad.
Edit directly in Mosagraphic’s browser-based editing.
Translate it via the web, translating tools, or language APIs.
Download cleaned text to upload to reports, websites, or archives.
Combining these options in one place simplifies the workflow tremendously.
The Future of OCR and Text Extraction
The year 2025 and the vision of the Future is here, OCR powered with AI technology evolves at a remarkable pace. It can now read and understand documents with intricate handwritings, of different languages, and even complicated tables or forms.
The Future of OCR will likely incorporate editing, translation, and other cloud-based services interactivity via chatbots, delivering polished real-time text extraction and editing right into the hands of users on mobile and browser apps.
For now, Mosagraphic is empowering everyone and anyone with these automations and integrations, all via web access and without the need for complex software.
The process of extracting texts from scanned PDFs was once intricate and used to take a lot of time. Mark scanned documents with Mosagraphic, it will take a few clicks. AI powered OCR technology will mark those scanned documents instantly, accurately and it is free.
No matter if it’s an edited scanned contract, translating a paper report, or digitizing an old book, OCR is a technology that converts static images into editable and useful text files.
So, when you find a scanned or locked PDF, and need a text without the need to retype it, use Mosagraphic’s PDF to Text Converter, and extract text in seconds.
Experience easy document conversion now at Mosagraphic.com/pdf-to-text