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PDF workflows

How to tell if a PDF has text or is only images

By DeckleUpdated

To tell whether a PDF has real text or is only page images, try to select a word in your PDF viewer. If you can highlight and copy it, the PDF is text-based; if dragging only draws a box over the page, it is image-only, usually a scan or photo. For a quick check on every page, run the file through PDF to text: image-only pages come out empty.

PDF to text
Illustrated report, proposal and notes beside a numbered page sequence.
Illustration · choose the pages and order for your reader.

Text-based vs image-only PDF at a glance

Text-based PDF Image-only PDF
How it is made Saved or exported from Word, a browser, a design tool Scanned, photographed, or built from images
Select and copy text Yes No
Search with Ctrl+F or Command-F Yes No
Zoom Text stays sharp Text blurs as you zoom in
Screen readers Can read the text Cannot read it
File size Usually small Usually larger, one picture per page
PDF to text Extracts the words Produces empty pages

A PDF can also be mixed: a typed report with one scanned signature page, or a scan where someone has already run OCR so a hidden text layer sits behind the pictures.

How to check a PDF in four tests

  1. Select a word. Drag across a line in your viewer. Highlighted characters mean text; a rectangle over the page means an image.
  2. Search for a word you can see. If the viewer finds nothing on that page, there is no text there.
  3. Zoom to 400%. Text drawn as text stays crisp at any zoom. Text in an image shows pixels and fuzzy edges.
  4. Extract the text. Open PDF to text, choose your PDF, keep All pages, and choose Extract text. Open the .txt file: pages with no selectable text are empty.

The result screen of PDF to text reports how much of the selectable text was kept. On an image-only file it reports there is no selectable text to compare, rather than a score.

Example: a 12-page contract arrives by email. Searching for the tenant's name finds it on pages 1–10 but not on pages 11 and 12. Zooming in on page 11 shows a grainy signature page. Pages 1–10 are text; pages 11 and 12 were scanned after signing and added to the end.

Why the difference matters

Most PDF jobs depend on whether the text is real:

  • Copying and quoting need text. From a scan you would retype it.
  • Search across a folder of PDFs finds words only in text-based files.
  • Accessibility depends on text that a screen reader can read.
  • Conversion to images works the same for both: PDF to JPG and PDF to PNG render whatever is on the page.
  • Page edits such as merging, splitting, rotating and reordering work the same on both kinds.

Turning one kind into the other

Text to image is easy and one-way. Exporting pages with PDF to JPG and rebuilding a PDF with JPG to PDF gives an image-only PDF. The text layer, links and form fields are gone; what changes when a page becomes an image lists everything that is lost.

Image to text needs OCR (optical character recognition), which reads the letters in the picture and adds a hidden text layer. Deckle does not offer OCR; apps such as Adobe Acrobat can recognise text in scanned PDFs. Check names, numbers and dates afterwards, because OCR makes mistakes on poor scans.

Tips

  • Ask for the original file. If someone sends a scan of a document they typed, the original Word or PDF export will have real text.
  • Scan at 300 DPI. Clearer scans give OCR software better results later.
  • Do not print and scan to "flatten" a PDF. You lose the text and gain a larger file.
  • Check before you extract. One selection test saves an empty text file.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a PDF is scanned?

Try to select a word. If you cannot, and the text blurs when you zoom in, the page is a scanned image.

Why can I not copy text from my PDF?

The page is probably an image. If the PDF asks for a password, Unlock PDF removes a password you know so you can work with the text.

Why is my PDF to text file empty?

The PDF has no selectable text, which is normal for scans and photographed pages.

Can a PDF have both text and image pages?

Yes. Mixed files are common, such as a typed report with a scanned signature page at the end.

Related tools

  • PDF to text to extract selectable text and spot image-only pages
  • PDF to JPG to turn pages into images
  • Split PDF to separate scanned pages from text pages

Sources