ClaroRead How To Articles
Make a PDF accessible
Some PDFs are inaccessible, that is, they contain images of text rather than characters and words. You will not be able to select text in an inaccessible PDF, or read it aloud using ClaroRead’s Play button.
While you can use ClaroRead’s Scan from screen tool to read out sections of inaccessible text, it is often more useful to convert the entire PDF into accessible text that can be read aloud, copied into other documents, and so on.
To make an inaccessible PDF accessible:
1. Click the Scan button on the ClaroRead toolbar, and then select Scan from PDF/File.
2. ClaroRead prompts you for a PDF or image file. Select the inaccessible PDF and then click Open.
3. ClaroRead scans the PDF and then opens the Preview window. This enables you to set reading order, remove parts of the document that you do not want to scan, and so on.
4. When you have finished adjusting the document, click Save as PDF, near the top right of the Preview window.
5. Specify a file name and location for the PDF, then click Save.
6. ClaroRead saves an exact copy of your original PDF, but with accessible text that you can read aloud, copy to other applications, and so on.
ClaroRead isn’t restricted to scanning inaccessible PDFs. It can also scan images – a photo of a document taken using a smartphone, for example. If you just want the text from a document without worrying about its format, you can send it directly from ClaroRead to Word instead of saving it as a PDF.
Note that ClaroRead can be configured to simplify the scanning process by skipping the Preview window. If you want even more control over your scanning, however, you can turn on ClaroRead’s Proofing window, which enables you to edit PDFs before saving them – you can check (and correct) spelling, redact or highlight text, and so on.