Run OCR on the signed scanned contract from [date=June 2] and export it as a searchable PDF so I can quickly find the …
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.
To get the best results when recognizing text, scan your document at a resolution of 300 DPI. A higher DPI means a clearer image, which helps the OCR software accurately read the text. Scanning at a low DPI, like 72 DPI, can make the text blurry and harder for the software to recognize.
A searchable text layer is an invisible layer of actual text that Acrobat adds to your scanned PDF. This layer sits on top of the image of the text. It's important because it allows you to search for specific words within the document, copy text, and even edit it, just like a regular text document. Without this layer, a scanned PDF is just an image, and you cannot interact with the text.
No, if your PDF page already contains 'renderable text' (meaning it has real text, not just an image of text), Acrobat's Scan & OCR feature will not work on that specific page. This tool is designed to convert image-only pages into searchable documents. You will likely see an error message if you try to run OCR on a page that already has text.
Choosing the correct language before you recognize text is very important for accuracy. OCR software uses language-specific dictionaries and rules to identify characters and words. If you select the wrong language, the software might misinterpret characters, leading to many errors in the recognized text. This means your searchable layer will not be accurate.
| Feature | Desktop Application (Acrobat) | PDF Services API |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Manual control over page range, language, and immediate visual feedback. | Programmatic control, ideal for batch processing and integration into other systems. |
| Use Case | Single document processing, user-driven tasks, visual verification. | Automated workflows, large volumes of documents, backend processing without user interface. |
| Setup | Requires Adobe Acrobat software installed on your computer. | Requires development knowledge to integrate the API into your code. |