Run OCR on the scanned permit application for [parcel=Parcel 212-07] so the applicant name and address become searchab…
Open the scanned PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Go to the Tools menu.
Select Scan & OCR from the tools list.
Click Recognize Text and choose In This File.
In the settings panel, ensure PDF Output Style is set to Searchable Image.
Click Recognize to start the OCR process.
Save the PDF after OCR is complete.
Best practiceFor best OCR accuracy, scan your documents at 300 dpi and ensure the images are clear before running OCR.
After OCR completes, you can search, copy, and highlight text in your previously scanned PDF.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Recognizing text in a scanned permit makes the document searchable. This means you can easily find specific information, like a name or date, using the search function. It also allows you to copy text from the permit, which is useful for data entry or sharing information.
Acrobat's text recognition feature is designed for pages that are entirely images. If your scanned permit already contains renderable text (meaning it's not just an image, but has real, selectable text), the OCR process will fail. This is because the tool is trying to convert an image into text, not re-process existing text. Always check if your page is image-only before attempting OCR.
If your scanned permit is blurry, the text recognition might not work well, or it could make many mistakes. OCR needs clear images of text to convert them accurately. Blurry text makes it hard for the software to identify letters and words correctly. Try to rescan the permit at a higher quality if possible to get better results.
| Feature | Regular Scanned PDF | OCR Scanned Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Text Search | Not searchable (it's just an image) | Searchable (text is recognized) |
| Text Selection | Cannot select or copy text | Can select and copy text |
| File Type | Image-based document | Document with a searchable text layer |