Create PDFs with an invisible OCR text layer. Find text with Ctrl+F, select and copy content from scans, search across your entire document library. Works in any PDF reader.
A regular scanned PDF is just an image—like a photograph of a document. You can view it, but you can't search for text, select words, or copy content. The text is "locked" inside the image.
A searchable PDF adds an invisible text layer created by OCR (Optical Character Recognition). The document looks identical to a regular scan, but underneath the image is a layer of recognized text that computers can read.
This text layer enables searching (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F), text selection, copy/paste, and indexing by search engines and document management systems. The visual appearance remains unchanged—only the functionality improves.
ScanLens uses Apple's Vision framework for neural network-based text recognition. The AI identifies every word, number, and character in your document with high accuracy across 14 supported languages.
Recognized text is positioned precisely behind the scanned image. Each word's location matches its visual position exactly. When you select text, the highlight covers the corresponding image area.
Searchable PDFs follow PDF/A archival standards. The text layer integrates seamlessly with the document structure. Any PDF reader can access the embedded text without special software.
All OCR happens locally on your iPhone. Your documents never leave your device during processing. This ensures privacy for sensitive documents and works without internet connection.
Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to find any word in the document. No more scrolling through pages to find a specific clause in a contract or a number on a receipt. Search finds it instantly.
Click and drag to select text, then copy it to clipboard. Paste into emails, documents, spreadsheets. Extract quotes, copy addresses, grab phone numbers—without retyping.
Spotlight on Mac and Windows Search can index searchable PDFs. Find documents by their content, not just filename. Search "invoice March 2024" and find every matching document.
Enterprise systems like SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox can index searchable PDFs. Corporate document searches return relevant scanned documents alongside native files.
Screen readers can read searchable PDFs aloud. The text layer provides accessible content for visually impaired users. Compliance with accessibility requirements becomes possible.
| Feature | Regular Scanned PDF | Searchable PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Visual appearance | Scanned image | Identical (unchanged) |
| Text search (Ctrl+F) | Not available | Full support |
| Text selection | Not available | Full support |
| Copy/paste text | Not available | Full support |
| OS search indexing | Filename only | Full content indexed |
| Screen reader support | Image only | Full text access |
| File size | Smaller | Slightly larger (+5-15%) |
The only tradeoff is a small increase in file size to store the text layer. For most documents, this is 5-15% larger—a minor cost for significantly improved functionality.
ScanLens OCR recognizes text in 14 languages with high accuracy:
| Language Group | Languages |
|---|---|
| Western European | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch |
| Eastern European | Polish, Ukrainian, Russian |
| Asian | Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean |
| Middle Eastern | Arabic |
Mixed-language documents work well—the OCR engine handles pages with multiple languages. Technical documents with English terms mixed into other languages are recognized correctly.
Contracts, agreements, court documents—all searchable. Find specific clauses across hundreds of documents. Legal discovery becomes manageable with full-text search.
Search receipts by vendor name, amount, or date. Tax preparation simplified—find every deductible expense by searching content rather than guessing filenames.
Scan textbooks and journal articles into searchable PDFs. Find quotes, cross-reference sources, build citations—all from the comfort of text search.
Search patient records by condition, medication, or provider. Clinical staff can find relevant history quickly. Compliance reports generated from searchable archives.
Convert old paper archives to searchable digital format. Family genealogy records, business archives, historical documents—all become accessible and searchable.
A searchable PDF contains an invisible text layer created by OCR (Optical Character Recognition). The document looks like a normal scan, but you can use Ctrl+F to find text, select and copy content, and search across your document library using operating system search.
No, the visual appearance remains identical to a regular scanned PDF. The OCR text layer is completely invisible—positioned precisely behind the scanned image. You only notice it when searching, selecting, or copying text.
ScanLens OCR supports 14 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. Mixed-language documents are handled automatically.
Yes, searchable PDFs work in any standard PDF reader. Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, Chrome's built-in PDF viewer, Microsoft Edge, and all mobile PDF apps can search and select text from searchable PDFs. No special software required.
The text layer typically adds 5-15% to file size, depending on how much text is in the document. A 1MB scan might become 1.1MB with the text layer. The functionality gained is usually worth the minor size increase.
Download ScanLens free and create your first searchable PDF. Full OCR text layer, works in any PDF reader, all processing on your device.