The scan got the words down but the text is soft. Edges fuzz. Small print is hard to read. Print it and the softness compounds.
What's actually going wrong
Scanned PDFs store text as images. Image resolution determines sharpness. Below 300dpi, text loses crispness. Below 200dpi, it visibly softens. The image itself is fixed by scan resolution — you can't recover detail that wasn't captured.
But you can replace the soft image text with crisp vector text using OCR. The visible text becomes sharp at any zoom.
The quick fix
Convert PDF to Word. Flint's OCR reads the soft text and generates clean vector equivalents. Open the Word doc — confirm recognition is good — then export back to PDF.
The new PDF has crisp text that stays sharp at any zoom. The visible content matches the original; only the rendering improved.
If that didn't work
OCR quality depends on source legibility. Very blurry scans produce more errors. Proofread the OCR output before relying on it for critical content.
If you have access to the physical original, rescanning at 300dpi (text documents) or 400dpi (small print) is the best long-term fix. Modern scanners and phone scanning apps often produce better results than older scanners.
Prevent it next time
Scan at 300dpi or higher. Enable OCR on scan if your scanner supports it. For phone scanning, use apps with built-in OCR and good edge detection. And keep originals accessible in case you need to rescan later.
FAQ
Can OCR sharpen text without rescanning?
Yes — OCR rebuilds text as vector graphics that stay sharp at any zoom, independent of source image resolution. The image stays soft but the searchable text layer is crisp.
What scan resolution should I use?
300dpi for text documents, 400-600dpi for documents with small print or detailed diagrams. Higher = larger files but sharper output.
Will my OCR'd PDF look different visually?
If you export the Word output back to PDF using vector text, yes — sharper. If you keep the original image and add OCR as an invisible layer, visual appearance is unchanged but selection works.
Why is my scan blurry at 300dpi?
Scanner glass might be dirty, the document might be on uneven surface, or the scanner needs calibration. Clean the glass, flatten the document, and rescan.
Scan sharpness comes from vector text. OCR via Flint and rebuild crisp.