Search historical scans
Make scanned contracts, letters and project records easier to locate by names, reference numbers or familiar phrases.
FOCUSED DESKTOP TOOLS
Make scanned PDFs searchable
Understand the difference between scanned page images and a searchable text layer before preparing documents.
How this workflow works
A scanned document can be visually faithful but difficult to search, copy from or index. Dual PDF is intended to retain the visible scan while adding an OCR-derived text layer for finding content later.
Typical situations
Improve archive retrieval
Prepare searchable copies for a document collection where the original page appearance still matters.
Copy text for reference
Use recognized text to find or reference passages without recreating the document as a fully editable page.
What to check first
OCR is not a guarantee
Small text, skewed pages, stamps, handwriting and complex tables can cause recognition mistakes. Always verify important names, amounts and clauses against the visible scan.
Preservation and signatures
Adding a text layer changes the PDF file. Keep originals and do not modify digitally signed or legally sensitive copies without checking signature and retention requirements.