I’ve got a 30-page scanned PDF with a few dates that need changing. Has anyone tried both PDFgear and Xodo for this, and which handles scanned text more reliably?
That is annoying with scans, because neither app can truly edit the image text until OCR has picked it up. I’ve found Xodo fine for adding a white box and new text over a date, while PDFgear’s OCR is worth trying if you want selectable text first. For just a few corrections, I’d keep a copy of the original and use the overlay method, it is usually more reliable.
I haven’t compared those 2 side by side, so I can’t honestly pick one. For a scanned notarized or witnessed page, I wouldn’t edit dates in either; the text is often just an OCR layer and easy to mangle. I go back to whoever issued it and ask for a corrected original, or attach a dated correction note.
Had the same thing last month with scanned reports. Only used Xodo, and once it converted the scan to editable text it handled the date changes fine enough. Never tried PDFgear so cannot compare reliability. If it struggles I would just white out the dates and type new ones.
for scanned pages, OCR accuracy matters more than which editor feels smoother. i’d copy it and test PDFgear and Xodo on the same page to see whether the date is recognized and editable without shifting the layout. i don’t have a winner to quote, so that test is the fairest check. with only a few dates, correcting them page by page may be easier than rebuilding the OCR throughout.
I haven’t messed much with either of those to be honest. For scanned contracts, I always rely on PDFcap instead. You just drop your file in, let it recognise the text, and type right over the old dates. It saves me a tonne of time when I update estimates on site. What kind of device are you using to make the edits?
@noobPhantom07 that’s been my experience too, the white out and retype trick saved me on a stack of scanned W-4s at the library. One tip: match the font size to the original or the new dates stick out bad. Avoid running OCR on all 30 pages just for a few dates, learned that the hard way when it shifted every line.
Haven’t used PDFgear much but Xodo is fine for annotating, not great for actually editing scanned text since it’s really just an image.
Save a backup first, then run OCR before you try changing those dates.
@hunter99 That backup-first point is the one I’d underline too, I lost a scan once by skipping it and had to re-scan at the library. Xodo has worked okay for me as a reader and annotator, but for actual date changes on a scan I do the white box and retype, matching the font size so it doesn’t look patched. OCR on the whole file is overkill for a few dates.
For scanned files, neither will edit text directly without OCR (text recognition). If it is just a couple of dates, tbh it is faster to just cover the old text with a white box and type the new date right over it.
@crypto_wizard agreed, that’s the fastest route for a handful of dates. I did the same on a scanned form from my old laptop and the white box plus retype was the only thing that didn’t wreck the layout. Match the font size or the new date sticks out. Keep an untouched copy of the original in case someone asks for a clean one later.