You might recognize Adobe Reader since it is the most used software to open PDF files.

You can use Adobe Acrobat to scan documents, create and annotate PDFs and even recognize text using OCR. Since Adobe created the pdf file format, what better software to use, right?

All you need to do is open Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools -> Create PDF and from there click on Scanner. You will be presented with a lot of presets and options so that you get the best results.

The presets available cover the most common documents that you might need to scan:

  • a black and white document preset: useful for scanning text documents and running OCR
  • color document preset: similar to the one above but it includes colors
  • grayscale document
  • color photograph

For scanning documents and creating a PDF with multiple text files in it we recommend using the black-and-white preset from Adobe Acrobat and also setting the scanner to 300dpi. This is the optimum value for OCR.

Once you finished scanning, it’s time to continue with Adobe Acrobat to combine all files into a single PDF, adjust the text, edit images, add password protection, or create an interactive form.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Check out the best scanner software that perfectly matches your Windows 10 computer.

Retyping an old document is time-consuming. You can save time by using Soda PDF’s OCR engine to convert scanned documents and images into searchable PDF files.

With this OCR feature, you can also automatically detect the text along with images. You can manually choose which part of your PDF you want to scan.

This PDF editor is among the best in its field, especially if we consider the quality-price ratio. Just like the other programs mentioned so far, Soda PDF also allows you to easily edit PDFs.

The software exists in two different versions: Standard and Pro. The Pro version allows you to transform scanned PDF files into editable and searchable documents.

Both versions only allow you to edit and convert PDF files. The only difference is that you have some plus-minus advanced functions.

Pros

  • The OCR function is really effective.
  • It allows you to protect and sign PDFs.

Cons

  • Protection and signature functions are also included in the Pro version only.

Compatible Systems: Soda PDF is compatible with both Windows and macOS & IOS.