Extracting text from scanned PDFs is a breeze with PDF.co and Make. This tutorial will guide you through the step-by-step process of performing said task.

  1. Create a Google Drive module
  2. Download a File
  3. Google Drive Module Setup
  4. Create a new module for PDF.co
  5. Choose Convert from PDF
  6. PDF.co Module Set Up
  7. Run the Scenario
  8. Get the Output Link
  9. Extracted Text Output
  10. Video: Extract Text from Scanned PDF using Make

 

Screenshot of Scanned PDF
Screenshot of Scanned PDF

Using the document above as a sample, we will begin the process by going to the Make Scenarios Interface and clicking on the Create a New Scenario button.

Step 1: Create a Google Drive Module

Creating a google drive module

Step 2: Download a File

NOTE: We are using Google Drive as our cloud storage for this tutorial. If you are using a different cloud storage service with similar options as this, you may opt to use it instead.

Choosing download a file

Step 3: Google Drive Module Set Up

  • Start by choosing a connection for Google Drive.
  • Next, choose between Select from the List or Enter Manually for the Enter a File ID combo box.
  • Then, select My Drive as the drive to be used.
  • Lastly for this phase, choose the folder and the file to use.

Setting up the google drive module

Step 4: Create a New Module for PDF.co

Choosing PDF.co as the other module

Step 5: Choose Convert from PDF

Choose convert from PDF

Step 6: PDF.co Module Set Up

  • Begin by choosing a connection for PDF.co.
  • You may opt for Upload a File or Input a File from URL to enter in the Input File combo box.
  • Next, you can choose between Google Drive – Download a File or Map Manually for the Source file.
  • Select PDF to CSV for Convert Options.
  • If you want to extract all the pages, just leave the Pages blank.
  • If you want to automatically display the extracted data, set Inline to true. Otherwise, if you opt to get a downloadable file, then set it to false.

Setup the PDF.co module

Setup the PDF.co module

Step 7: Run Scenario

Runs the scenario

Step 8: Get the Output Link

If no errors are found, you can readily view the output link.

Get the output link

Step 9: Extracted Text Output

Screenshot of output text
Screenshot of output text

Congratulations! You just learned how to extract text from scanned PDFs using Make.

Extract Text from Scanned PDF using Make