What to do when OCR does not recognize text.
Learn what to do if your OCR software isn’t reading your documents.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology converts scanned documents into digital files. This technology uses automation to turn a scanned document into a machine-readable PDF file. OCR can turn even handwritten pages into PDFs that you can then manage digitally. Struggling with OCR not recognizing text? There are a number of things you can try to troubleshoot and remedy the issue.
Why is my PDF not recognizing text?
There are several common reasons why OCR might fail to recognize text in a PDF. Addressing these common pitfalls can significantly improve OCR performance and ensure more accurate text recognition:
- Image quality. Low-resolution scans, poor image clarity, or text distortion can hamper OCR accuracy.
- Complex fonts and characters. OCR may struggle with non-standard or decorative fonts, unusual characters, or handwriting.
- Scanned images vs. searchable text. PDFs created from scanned images rather than native text are less OCR-friendly.
- Encrypted or password-protected PDFs. Security measures can block OCR access to text content.
- Background images. Pages with distracting background images may interfere with text recognition.
- Improper OCR settings. Incorrect language selection, low confidence thresholds, or other misconfigurations can impact results.
How to fix issues with OCR not recognizing text.
When scanning physical documents with Acrobat using OCR software, your pages will be instantly formatted and transcribed in the exact format of the original file. Because you can use custom fonts, you never have to worry about whether the fonts match, even if the original document was handwritten. But what if your OCR software is not recognizing text correctly? Here are some things you can check:
- Make sure you have a high-quality scan. Scanning with more dots per inch (DPI) will allow the software to read it more accurately.
- Scan your documents with plenty of light. If the scanned image is too dark, OCR technology may be unable to differentiate between some characters.
- Be sure your scan is straight. If the document is skewed when scanned, the characters can become unrecognizable.
Advantages of fixing an OCR recognition issue.
The benefits of using OCR to get text from an image far outweighs other methods. And there are many advantages to scanning physical documents and converting them to editable digital files. Perhaps the most obvious advantage is that you can save time by not having to enter data manually. With OCR technology, the software automatically converts the information into a digital format, which you can edit, share, and store electronically. Another advantage is that digitizing your documents can be a great way to protect them from damage or loss. If something happens to your physical documents, they may be lost forever. However, if they’re stored digitally, they’ll be safe and sound no matter what happens, so it’s worth troubleshooting to have peace of mind.
More troubleshooting for OCR not recognizing text
If your OCR software is not recognizing text you have scanned, double-check to ensure the image is clear, light, and straight. Make adjustments as needed and rescan your documents. In most cases, this will fix the issue. However, if the problem persists, consider the following additional troubleshooting steps to improve OCR accuracy and overcome potential obstacles:
- Contrast and lighting. Ensure that the text has sufficient contrast against the background and that the lighting conditions are optimal. Poor lighting or extreme shadows can negatively impact OCR performance. Adjust the brightness, contrast, or exposure settings during scanning or use image editing software to enhance the image’s clarity.
- Resolution and DPI. OCR works best with high-resolution images. If the text appears pixelated or unclear, increase the scanning resolution (DPI) to capture finer details. However, be cautious not to use excessively high resolutions, as they can increase file size without significant OCR benefits.
- Image format. Save scanned documents in OCR-friendly formats such as TIFF or PNG rather than JPEG. These formats preserve image quality and avoid compression artifacts that could hinder text recognition.
- Use OCR-ready fonts. When creating digital documents, use standard, machine-readable fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri. Avoid decorative or handwritten fonts, as OCR may struggle to interpret them accurately.
- Check language settings. Ensure that the OCR software is set to the appropriate language for the scanned text. OCR engines perform best when configured for the specific language of the document.
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