Make an image-only paper record possible to edit
Read a scanned page image into text that you can correct and reuse. Straight pages and clear print improve the starting point; compare reading order and punctuation carefully when a scan contains columns, stamps or background noise.
Older paper correspondence
Prepare a checked text copy of a scanned letter, retaining dates, names and the original page for reference.
Searchable text notes from printed material
Extract relevant wording into a text file and add source references yourself before incorporating it into a research collection.
Check scan quality and reading order before exporting text
- Use an upright scan and inspect it for cut-off edges or unreadable print.
- Select the source language and compare the extraction with each text column.
- Correct words and page breaks, then download TXT or copy the reviewed passage.
Scan resolution, annotations and searchable-PDF alternatives
- Can scanned image to text process an existing scanned PDF?
- This uploader is for image files. Use PDF to Text when your scan is already packaged as a PDF document.
- What scan resolution should I start with for OCR?
- Use a scan where small printed characters remain distinct when viewed normally. Increasing resolution cannot restore detail already missing from a poor original.
- How do stamps or handwritten annotations affect scan OCR?
- Marks crossing printed lines can obscure words or enter the result in the wrong place. Compare those regions manually with the source page.
- Will OCR preserve the scan as a searchable page image?
- This page produces editable text. Use Image to Searchable PDF if you want the visible scan and a recognized text layer in one document.
