PDF FAQs: Scanned PDF Documents (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a scanned PDF and a PDF? ›

For a scanned page, you will get a blurry image as soon at the resolution rate has been excedeed. On the contrary, for a native PDF, the graphics, vector-based, will remain smooth at any zoom level. The text in particular remains perfectly drawn.

No, they are not. PDF documents can be created in a variety of ways. The two main methods you will commonly come across are PDFs created by an electronic source and PDFs created by scanning in paper documents. This results in a “native” PDF and a scanned PDF, respectively.

A scanned PDF is a typical example, sometimes it looks like the normal PDF file created from Word, but when you scan a paper using a scanner, the whole content will be captured as an image. So when you save it as a PDF file, there's no text content but only an image embedded in the PDF file.

A Native PDF file is the easiest to convert, has a 100% accuracy rate, and requires no manipulation for character recognition. A Scanned PDF file is a little more complex. It will require an OCR engine to convert and depends a lot on the scan quality of the PDF file.

You can generally visually determine if a document is a scanned document by enlarging the picture on your screen and looking closely at the text. A scanned image will appear to have much poorer resolution, when looked at closely, than electronically created PDF document.

Once your scanned PDF has been converted into an editable file with Acrobat, you're free to edit and remove text as you see fit. Use the Edit tool to click on text block you want to change. Once they're highlighted, you can use your cursor and keyboard to make changes to the text.

It converts physical documents into digital files that can be stored, edited, and shared electronically. In the context of computer security, "scan" involves searching for vulnerabilities or malicious software within a system, often performed by security tools to ensure the integrity of digital environments.

For documents without a written form requirement, a scanned signature is legally valid.

Edit a scanned document

Open the scanned PDF file in Acrobat. From the All tools menu, select Edit a PDF. Acrobat automatically applies OCR to your document and converts it to a fully editable PDF copy. Select the text element that you want to edit and start typing.

With your phone camera, you'll have to crop the image your take, and you might not be able to crop precisely if the documents come in an unusual format. With a scanner, documents of any size are automatically cropped, whether it's a business card or a legal page. The scanner's image quality is superior in general.

Are scanned documents considered original? ›

The scanned document must accurately represent the original, the scanning process must be reliable and verifiable, and there should be no doubt as to the integrity and authenticity of the scanned copy. If these requirements are met, a scanned document can indeed be considered original.

Different Results of Scanning and Copying

If the machine is a copier, it simply prints the digital image onto one or more blank sheets of paper. If the machine is a scanner, it stores a digital copy of the image on a memory card or USB device, or it transmits the image to a computer.

Be sure the DPI (dots per inch) is set between 300 and 400. Documents scanned at a low resolution will not be recognized by conversion software. Scanning documents at 600 dpi might be necessary for certain STEM content or other highly formatted documents.

A native PDF is a PDF of a document that was “born digital” because the PDF was created from an electronic version of a document, rather than from print. A scanned PDF, by contrast, is a PDF of a print document, such as when you scan in pages from a print journal and then save this file as a PDF.

Open a PDF file containing a scanned image in Acrobat for Mac or PC. Click on the “Edit PDF” tool in the right pane. Acrobat automatically applies optical character recognition (OCR) to your document and converts it to a fully editable copy of your PDF. Click the text element you wish to edit and start typing.

Ultimately, whether you choose PDF or Tiff files for your scanning project will depend on your specific needs and preferences. However, it's worth noting that for most people, PDF files will likely suffice for their needs.