🤔 Does This Sound Familiar?
You have a scanned PDF textbook or paper and want to convert it to EPUB for mobile reading, but:
- Direct conversion → Garbled text or blank pages
- Online tools → Completely broken layout
- Calibre conversion → Each page becomes an image, no searchability
This happens because scanned PDFs are essentially collections of images, not text documents!
Understanding the Problem: Scanned vs Text PDFs
| Feature | Text PDF | Scanned PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Content Type | Selectable text | Pure images |
| Text Search | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Direct to EPUB | ✅ Works well | ❌ Garbled/blank |
| Required Processing | Format conversion | OCR + conversion |
💡 How to Tell if It's Scanned?
Open the PDF and try to select text:
- Can select → Text PDF, can convert directly
- Cannot select or selects as one block → Scanned, needs OCR
What is Reflowable EPUB?
EPUB has two layout modes:
| Type | Reflowable | Fixed Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Font Size | Adjustable | Fixed |
| Line Wrapping | Adapts to screen | No |
| Search | Supported | Not supported |
| Best For | All screen sizes | Large screens |
Solution: OCR + Conversion
Converting scanned PDFs to reflowable EPUB requires two steps:
- OCR Recognition: Extract text from images
- Format Conversion: Convert to EPUB format
Method 1: Use Our OCR Tool (Recommended)
Our tool integrates advanced OCR engines for one-stop recognition and conversion:
1Upload Scanned PDF
Drag and drop to the OCR conversion page
2Select Recognition Language
Supports English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more
3Choose EPUB as Output
System automatically performs OCR and generates reflowable EPUB
4Download Result
Get searchable, adjustable-font EPUB file
✅ Our Tool's Advantages
- Supports multi-language recognition
- Auto-detects document structure
- Preserves basic formatting
- Generates true reflowable layout
- Optional image preservation
Use Case Recommendations
📚 Academic Papers/Textbooks
Text-heavy academic documents with few formulas. Perfect for reading and annotating on phone/Kindle.
Recommended: Online OCR tool or ABBYY
⚖️ Legal Documents
Legal texts, case analyses. Convert to EPUB for text-to-speech reading.
Recommended: Online OCR tool
📊 Documents with Many Charts
Statistical reports, financial statements. Charts should be kept as images.
Recommended: Fixed layout EPUB or keep as PDF
Tips for Better OCR Quality
1. Improve Scan Quality
- Scan at minimum 300 DPI
- Ensure even lighting, avoid shadows
- Keep pages straight, no skewing
2. Pre-process the PDF
- Adjust contrast with PDF editor
- Crop excess margins
- Deskew if needed
FAQ
Q: What if OCR has errors?
OCR isn't 100% accurate, especially for blurry scans. Use Sigil to proofread the EPUB and batch-fix common errors with find/replace.
Q: Can formulas be recognized?
Math formula OCR is challenging. Simple formulas may work; complex ones are usually kept as images.
Q: Can tables be recognized correctly?
Simple tables work for most OCR tools; complex tables may need manual adjustment.
📝 Try OCR Conversion Now
Upload your scanned PDF and convert to readable EPUB in one click
Start OCR Conversion →