I just collected handwritten intercept surveys from last week's show and need them searchable for the analyst call at …
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.
| Feature | Regular PDF (Image-only scan) | Searchable PDF Scan (with OCR) |
|---|---|---|
| Text Selection | Cannot select text | Can select and copy text |
| Search Function | Cannot search for words | Can search for words within the document |
| File Content | Just an image of the document | Image of the document with a hidden text layer |
This message means the page already has real text, not just an image. Acrobat's OCR feature is designed to recognize text in image-only documents, like scanned paper. If the text is already 'renderable,' it means a computer can already read and select it, so OCR is not needed for that page. You should only use OCR on pages that are pictures of text.
If your scanned document is blurry, the OCR process might struggle to recognize the text accurately. Blurry images make it hard for the software to distinguish letters and words. For the best results, always try to use a clear, high-quality scan. If the original scan is poor, the OCR output will likely have many errors.
The main benefit is that you can easily find information within the document. By making a scan searchable, you can use the search function to quickly locate specific words or phrases, just like in a regular digital document. This saves a lot of time compared to reading through every page.