OCR scanned PDFs
A scan is a picture of the page. OCR reads it and adds words you can search. The page still looks the same.
Watch OCR
SCAN
TEXT LAYER
The page still looks like the scan.
The words can be searched.
Use it when
Use this when a name or a date in an annexure cannot be found, or when the court portal asks for a searchable PDF.
- The annexure is a scan.You cannot select the text, and a search for a name or a date finds nothing.
- E-filing asks for OCR.The portal wants the book to be searchable before you upload it.
Steps
- 01Open OCR and upload the PDFsIn Case PDF, open Tools, then OCR. Drop in every scan you want read. You can add more than one file. Each file stays its own PDF. Nothing is sent until you start.
- 02Check which pages need OCRClick “Check which pages need OCR”. Case PDF looks at the file on your computer and marks pages that have no real text. A page that already has words is left off that list.
- 03Choose the pages and startPick “Need it” to read only the marked pages, or “All pages” to read every page. The screen shows how many OCR page credits that uses. If you are short, buy credits, then start from this step. Click “Start OCR” and leave the tab open until it finishes. Closing the tab stops the reading.
- 04DownloadDownload each finished file on its own, or download the ones you tick. A file that already had text can come back unchanged.
Expected output
The download is a PDF with “_searchable” on the name. Open it and the page still looks like the scan. The words can now be searched and copied, so a name in an annexure can be found.
Files stay separate. OCR does not merge them, number them, or build an index.