# How do I know if my PDF is scanned?

Source: https://epubcc.com/answers/how-to-tell-if-a-pdf-is-scanned/ (updated 2026-11-04)

Open the PDF and try to select a sentence or search for a word that you can see on the page: if nothing gets selected or found, the page is an image and the PDF is scanned. If you can select the text but it pastes as gibberish, the PDF has a damaged or poor OCR text layer.

## Four quick checks

- Select text: drag across a line in any PDF viewer. A scanned page selects as one block, or nothing.
- Search: look for a word you can see. No match on a scanned page without OCR.
- Zoom in a lot: real text stays sharp at any zoom; a scan turns blurry or shows pixels and paper texture.
- Copy and paste a paragraph into a text editor: clean text means a usable text layer; missing spaces, wrong letters or symbols mean a weak OCR layer or fonts without a Unicode map.

## Mixed PDFs

Some PDFs mix both: a digital body with a few scanned pages (signatures, old figures, inserted appendices), or a scanned book with an invisible OCR layer added by the library that digitised it. Check a few pages from different parts of the file, not only the first.

## Why it matters for converting to EPUB

A reflowable EPUB is made from text. A scanned page has none until OCR recognises it, and the EPUB inherits every OCR mistake. EpubCC converts PDFs that already have selectable text; it does not offer OCR yet. When it finds scanned pages, the quality report of your free sample says so instead of hiding them, so you know before paying.

**Can a scanned PDF still have selectable text?** Yes, when OCR was run on it: the scan stays as the visible image and an invisible text layer sits on top. Its quality depends on the scan and the OCR software.

**Does EpubCC tell me if my PDF is scanned?** Yes. The quality report of the free sample lists scanned pages as a warning, so you see it before converting the whole book.

**Is a PDF made from a phone photo scanned?** Yes. Any page that is a photograph or an image of paper counts as scanned, whatever the device.