How to prepare a scanned PDF before OCR

Check whether OCR is needed

Try selecting a sentence in the PDF first. If the viewer cannot select or search the words, the pages may be image-only and OCR is an appropriate next step. If text is already selectable, a text-based tool such as PDF to Word may be a better fit.

Improve the source before recognition

Use the clearest copy available and make sure pages are upright. Strong contrast between the page and its text usually helps more than simply increasing the file size. Remove unnecessary borders or shadows when you can create a cleaner scan.

• Use a straight scan with even lighting.
• Avoid a photo where fingers, glare, or curved pages cover letters.
• Keep pages in the correct reading orientation.
• Choose the language that matches the document’s main text.

Know what the current OCR workflow returns

The browser-local OCR workflow can produce extracted text and a searchable PDF for supported Latin-script output. Hindi OCR is available as text output. The current workflow is bounded to the first 10 pages, so a longer document should be handled in sections.

A quick pre-OCR checklist

For a receipt or form photographed at an angle, retake the photo or straighten the page before OCR. Avoid edits that make thin letters disappear.

For a document with Hindi and English mixed together, choose the language that best matches the text you need to recognize and expect to review the other language manually. Hindi OCR in this workflow returns text, not a searchable PDF.

For a document longer than 10 pages, process it in batches within the tool limit and label the downloaded results so you can keep the original page order.

Verify the parts that matter

OCR is recognition, not a visual copy of the scan. Compare names, dates, account numbers, totals, and technical terms with the page image. A single character error can change the meaning of a short field even when the rest of the page looks accurate.