Rayo PDF GOScanned PDF vs. native PDF: what it is and what it is for
Why some PDFs let you copy the text and others are just a picture of the page.
A native (or digital) PDF is generated from a program, such as Word, a spreadsheet or a browser. It contains real text, fonts and graphics, so it can be searched, copied and converted with good quality.
A scanned PDF is generated from a photo or a scanner: each page is an image. At first glance it looks the same, but there is no text to copy or search.
To work with a scan, you need to run it through OCR, which recognizes the letters and adds a text layer. That distinction explains why some PDFs convert well to Word and others do not.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does my PDF not convert well to Word?
If it is a scan, it has no text to convert; it needs OCR first.
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