1. Scanned vs. Searchable PDFs
Searchable PDFs contain a text layer layered over the visual page layout, allowing you to select and copy text directly. Scanned or image-based PDFs contain only a flat photo of the document, which requires OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract the text.
2. The OCR Conversion Workflow
- Upload the File: Open the scanned document in the browser-based PDF to Word converter.
- Enable OCR: Check the "Enable OCR" setting in the settings panel.
- Set Language: Select the language of the PDF (e.g. English) to load the correct language dictionary.
- Convert: The engine renders the pages to a canvas, analyzes the pixel patterns, and generates editable text paragraphs in the Word file.
💡 OCR Speed Tip
Local OCR relies on your computer's CPU. For large documents (over 15 pages), process pages in smaller ranges to speed up the conversion.
3. Handling Skewed Pages and Low Contrast
Low contrast or skewed scans can reduce OCR accuracy. Make sure your scans are straight and clean for the best text extraction results.
4. Post-Conversion Formatting Checks
Once converted, review the Word document for any spelling errors or formatting shifts, as low-resolution scans can occasionally cause misread characters.
