Actions80
- Add Attachment To PDF
- Add Barcode To PDF
- Add Form Fields To PDF
- Add HTML Header Footer
- Add Image Stamp To PDF
- Add Image Watermark To Image
- Add Margin To PDF
- Add Page Number To PDF
- Add Text Stamp To PDF
- Add Text Watermark To Image
- AI-Invoice Parser
- AI-Process Contract
- AI-Process HealthCard
- Classify Document
- Compress Image
- Compress PDF
- Convert HTML To PDF
- Convert Image Format
- Convert JSON To Excel
- Convert Markdown To PDF
- Convert PDF To Editable PDF Using OCR
- Convert PDF To Excel
- Convert PDF To PowerPoint
- Convert PDF To Word
- Convert To PDF
- Convert URL to PDF
- Convert VISIO
- Convert Word to PDF Form
- Create Images From PDF
- Create PDF/A
- Create Swiss QR Bill
- Crop Image
- Delete Blank Pages From PDF
- Delete Unwanted Pages From PDF
- Split PDF By Barcode
- Disable Tracking Changes In Word
- Enable Tracking Changes In Word
- Extract Attachment From PDF
- Extract Form Data From PDF
- Extract Pages From PDF
- Extract Resources
- Extract Table From PDF
- Extract Text By Expression
- Extract Text From Word
- Fill PDF Form
- Find And Replace Text
- Flip Image
- Flatten PDF
- Generate Barcode
- Generate Document Single
- Generate Documents Multiple
- Get Document From Pdf4me
- Get Image Metadata
- Get PDF Metadata
- Split PDF By Swiss QR
- Get Tracking Changes In Word
- Image Extract Text
- Linearize PDF
- Merge Multiple PDFs
- Overlay PDFs
- Parse Document
- Protect PDF
- Read Barcode From Image
- Read Barcode From PDF
- Read SwissQR Code
- Remove EXIF Tags From Image
- Repair PDF Document
- Replace Text With Image
- Replace Text With Image In Word
- Resize Image
- Rotate Document
- Rotate Image
- Rotate Image By EXIF Data
- Rotate PDF Page
- Sign PDF
- Split PDF By Text
- Split PDF Regular
- Unlock PDF
- Update Hyperlinks Annotation
- Upload File To PDF4me
Overview
This node operation converts a PDF file into an editable PDF using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It is useful when you have scanned documents or image-based PDFs that contain text not selectable or searchable, and you want to transform them into editable, searchable PDFs. Typical use cases include digitizing paper documents, extracting text from scanned contracts, invoices, or forms, and preparing PDFs for further editing or data extraction.
For example, if you receive scanned invoices as PDFs, this node can convert them into editable PDFs where the text can be selected, searched, or copied. Another scenario is converting image-only PDFs into searchable documents for archiving or compliance purposes.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PDF Input Data Type | Choose how to provide the PDF file: - Binary Data: Use PDF file from previous node - Base64 String: Provide PDF content as base64 encoded string - URL: Provide URL to PDF file |
| PDF Binary Field | Name of the binary property containing the PDF file (used only if input type is Binary Data) |
| PDF Base64 Content | Base64 encoded PDF content (used only if input type is Base64 String) |
| PDF URL | URL to the PDF file (used only if input type is URL) |
| Quality Type | OCR quality level: - Draft: Suitable for normal PDFs, consumes 1 API call per file - High: Suitable for image/scanned PDFs, consumes 2 API calls per page |
| OCR Only When Needed | Whether to skip OCR if text is already searchable: - True: Skip recognition if text exists - False: Always perform OCR |
| Language | Language of the text in the source file; used if output text is not recognizable |
| Output Format | Output format as a string (likely specifying the desired output file format or encoding) |
| Merge All Sheets | Boolean flag to merge all sheets if applicable (context-dependent, possibly for multi-page or multi-sheet PDFs) |
| Output File Name | Filename for the resulting editable PDF |
| Binary Data Output Name | Custom name for the binary data field in the node's output |
Output
The node outputs the converted editable PDF as binary data under the specified binary data output name (default "data"). The JSON output typically contains metadata about the processed file, but the main payload is the binary PDF file ready for download or further processing in the workflow.
If the node supports multiple items, each item will contain its own binary data representing the editable PDF generated from the corresponding input.
Dependencies
- Requires access to an OCR service capable of converting PDFs to editable PDFs.
- Needs an API key or authentication token configured in n8n credentials to connect to the external OCR service.
- Internet access may be required if providing PDF via URL or if the OCR service is cloud-based.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Providing incorrect or inaccessible PDF URLs will cause failures.
- Supplying invalid base64 strings or missing binary data fields will result in errors.
- Choosing "High" quality OCR increases API usage and processing time; ensure quota sufficiency.
- If the language setting does not match the document language, OCR accuracy may degrade.
Error messages:
- Errors related to missing input PDF data indicate misconfiguration of input properties.
- Authentication errors suggest missing or invalid API credentials.
- Timeout or network errors imply connectivity issues with the OCR service.
Resolutions:
- Verify input data type and corresponding property values.
- Confirm API credentials are correctly set up in n8n.
- Check network connectivity and service status.
- Adjust OCR quality and language settings according to document characteristics.