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PDF Shows Only "0" Characters? Here's How to Fix It
PDF Shows Only "0" Characters? Here's How to Fix It

Fix "0" characters with this OCR tool

C
Written by Calvin Cheung
Updated over 3 weeks ago

The Problem

If you've uploaded a PDF to Memo and you're seeing only "0" characters in the output, this typically means your PDF contains scanned images rather than actual text. This happens because the PDF consists of pictures of text rather than machine-readable text.

Why This Happens

  • Your PDF might be:

    • A scanned document

    • Screenshots compiled into a PDF

    • Images converted to PDF format

    • A PDF where text is rendered as images

The Solution

To fix this issue, you'll need to convert your image-based PDF into a text-searchable PDF using OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Here's how:

  1. Upload your PDF file

  2. Select the appropriate language of your document

  3. Process the file using their OCR service

  4. Download the OCR-processed PDF

  5. Upload the new PDF to Memo

Additional Tips

  • Make sure the original scan quality is clear and readable

  • If possible, use dark text on a light background for best OCR results

  • After OCR processing, verify that the text is selectable in your PDF viewer

Still Having Issues?

If you continue experiencing problems after following these steps, please contact our support team at [email protected] for additional assistance.

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