What is OCR?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is technology that converts images of text into actual editable text. It's essential when working with:
- Scanned paper documents
- Photos of documents
- PDFs created from scans
- Faxed documents
When Do You Need OCR?
Native vs. Scanned PDFs
Native PDFs contain actual text data. You can select and copy text directly. These don't need OCR.
Scanned PDFs are essentially images. The text you see is just pixels, not real characters. These require OCR.
How to Tell the Difference
- Try to select text in your PDF viewer
- If you can highlight individual words, it's native
- If it selects the whole page as an image, you need OCR
OCR Accuracy Factors
Document Quality
- Resolution: 300 DPI or higher works best
- Contrast: Clear black text on white background
- Skew: Straight pages OCR better than tilted ones
Text Characteristics
- Font size: Very small text is harder to recognize
- Font style: Standard fonts work better than decorative ones
- Language: Common languages have better recognition
Multi-Language OCR
Choose an available OCR language in the dashboard. Availability depends on installed models; review the result rather than assuming universal language support.
Step-by-Step OCR Process
- Upload your scanned PDF
- Enable OCR mode in the format selector
- Choose your language from the dropdown
- Select output format (Text, Excel, or JSON)
- Process and download
Tips for Best Results
Before Scanning
- Use a flatbed scanner when possible
- Set resolution to 300+ DPI
- Ensure good lighting
- Keep documents flat and straight
For Existing Scans
- Crop unnecessary borders
- Adjust contrast if text is faded
- Rotate tilted pages before processing
Handling Poor Quality Scans
Even with challenging documents, you can improve results:
- Pre-process the image: Adjust brightness/contrast
- Try different languages: Some language models work better for certain fonts
- Break into sections: Process complex pages in parts
API Integration for OCR
Automate OCR processing with our API:
For supported upload, status and download usage, follow the current Business API documentation. Do not assume undocumented conversion parameters are supported.
Conclusion
OCR transforms static scanned documents into searchable, editable text. Use available OCR models and review extracted content before reusing it. For a statement scan, see the scanned bank statement to Excel guide.