Make a scanned PDF searchable in a Google Docs PDF
Add an invisible text layer to scanned pages so you can search and copy them. This works on the PDF Google Docs exported, so you do not need the original file.
How to do it
- 1.Open the PDF exported from Google Docs in MythosPDF.
- 2.Add the scanned PDF.
- 3.Download the searchable PDF.
How Google Docs writes PDFs
- • Download as PDF uses Google Fonts, embedded as subsets.
- • Lines often end with an invisible zero width space.
- • Text is positioned word by word.
What that means when you make a scanned PDF searchable
- • Google Docs fonts are open, so any new letter can be set in the exact same font. Invisible line end characters are handled, so edits do not leave stray spaces.
What happens to the rest of the page
- • The scan image is kept as it is; the text layer is added on top.
- • Accuracy depends on scan quality.
Questions people ask
+Does OCR change how the page looks?
No. The text layer is invisible.
+Is it better to edit in Google Docs?
If you have the original Google Docs file and a lot to change, yes. For quick changes to the PDF itself, editing the PDF is faster and keeps it exactly as sent.
Other edits in Google Docs PDFs
Make a scanned PDF searchable in PDFs from
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