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OCR

OCR

Optical Character Recognition that turns scan images into machine-readable text.

Definition

Converts image-based text into selectable, searchable content.

Why it matters

Needed for scanned PDFs and data extraction workflows.

Related PDFHQ workflows

Use this concept when optimizing, converting, validating, or troubleshooting document workflows.

Related Knowledge

Deskewing

Image correction step that straightens tilted scanned pages.

OCR Confidence

Score indicating OCR engine certainty in recognized text.

Searchable PDF

PDF where text can be found and copied, often via OCR.

CSV

CSV is a plain-text table interchange format where each row is serialized into delimited fields.

TXT

TXT is plain text without embedded rich formatting semantics.

DJVU

DjVu is a format designed for efficient storage of scanned documents, often with layered text/image approaches.

PDF

Portable Document Format is a fixed-layout document standard designed to preserve appearance across software, operating systems, and devices.

XLSX

XLSX is the standard modern Excel workbook format using OOXML package + worksheet XML parts.

JBIG2

JBIG2 is a bi-level image compression standard optimized for scanned text-like pages.

Text Layer

Machine-readable text content embedded alongside scanned page imagery.

Binarization

Converting images into black-and-white pixels for OCR and compression workflows.

JBIG2 Decode

Bi-level image compression method used in scanned monochrome content.

CCITT Group 4

Fax-era bi-level image compression commonly used for monochrome document scans.

Tools to Apply This

Merge PDF

Combine multiple PDF files into a single document.

Compress PDF

Reduce file size without sacrificing readability.

Excel to PDF

Convert Excel spreadsheets into PDF files.

PDF to Excel

Convert PDF tables and data into Excel spreadsheets.

Split PDF

Split one PDF into multiple files by page range.

Watermark PDF

Add text or image watermarks to PDF documents.

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