Editing text in scanned PDF files might seem challenging, especially when you need to correct errors or update information without going back to the original document. Fortunately, with the right tools like Nitro Pro, it becomes a straightforward process. This guide will walk you through the steps to seamlessly edit text within scanned PDFs, enhancing your document management and ensuring your PDFs are always accurate and up-to-date.
Nitro Pro provides a suite of tools designed to directly modify PDF text, eliminating the need to convert files to other formats or recreate documents from scratch. Whether you need to add new text, correct mistakes, or update existing content, Nitro Pro offers intuitive features to handle these tasks efficiently. Let’s explore how you can leverage Nitro Pro to edit text in your scanned PDFs.
Adding New Text to Scanned PDFs
The Type Text tool in Nitro Pro is perfect for inserting new text anywhere on your scanned PDF document. This is incredibly useful for filling in forms, adding annotations, or including extra information that wasn’t originally part of the scanned document. Here’s how to use it:
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Navigate to the Home tab on the Nitro Pro ribbon.
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In the Tools group, find and click on the Type Text option.
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Click on the specific area of the page where you wish to add text. A text box will appear, ready for your input.
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Before typing, you can customize the text’s appearance. The Format tab will automatically appear, offering options to adjust the font, size, color, and other text properties to match your document’s style or your specific requirements.
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Begin typing your text into the designated area.
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Once you’ve finished adding text, press the Escape key or click the Finish button to finalize your text entry.
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Nitro Pro also includes a spell check feature. If any errors are highlighted, simply right-click on the word to see suggestions or to change the spellcheck language if needed.
For users needing precise alignment, Nitro Pro’s Smart Alignment feature is invaluable. When enabled, it provides visual guides that help you align your new text with existing content on the page, ensuring a neat and professional look. You can toggle Smart Alignment in the Alignment group under the Format tab when the Type Text tool is active.
Editing Existing Text in Scanned PDFs
Nitro Pro’s Edit tool allows you to modify existing text blocks within your scanned PDF. This tool is essential for correcting errors, updating information, or reflowing paragraphs directly in the PDF. Here’s how to edit text:
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Select the Edit button, usually located on the left side of the Nitro Pro ribbon.
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Double-click on the text block you want to edit. This will activate the text box, allowing you to insert, delete, or modify the text.
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As you edit, the text block will dynamically resize to accommodate your changes, ensuring the text reflows naturally within its bounding box.
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To further customize the text, highlight the text you’re working on. A floating toolbar will appear, giving you quick access to change the font, case, color, and size of the selected text.
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Once you’ve completed your edits, press Escape, click elsewhere on the page, or select Finish to save your changes. Similar to adding text, spell check is also available when editing existing text to help maintain accuracy.
Moving Text Blocks in Scanned PDFs
Sometimes, adjusting the layout of your scanned PDF might involve moving text blocks. Nitro Pro simplifies this with the Edit tool:
- Ensure the Edit tool is selected.
- Click on the paragraph or heading you wish to move. A light blue bounding box will appear around the selected text block.
- To move the text, you can either drag the bounding box to a new position on the page or use the arrow keys on your keyboard for finer adjustments, nudging the text block in small increments.
Deleting Text or Images from Scanned PDFs
If you need to remove sections of text or images from your scanned PDF, Nitro Pro makes this process simple as well:
- Again, start with the Edit tool selected.
- Click once on the text paragraph or image you intend to delete. A light blue bounding box will appear around the selected element.
- To delete, press the Delete key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click on the selected text or image and choose Delete from the context menu.
Flattening Text in Scanned PDFs
In Nitro Pro, text can exist on either the annotation layer or the content layer. Flattening text moves it from the annotation layer to the content layer, which can be important for ensuring document integrity and preventing further modifications in some cases. To flatten text:
- Right-click on the text annotation you wish to flatten.
- From the menu, select Flatten Selection to flatten only the selected text, or choose Flatten All to flatten all text annotations in the document.
Alternatively, to flatten all annotations and save the PDF in one step, go to the File menu, select Save As, and choose Flattened PDF. This option is useful for finalizing documents for archiving or distribution, ensuring that all annotations, including text, form fields, and links, become a permanent part of the document content.
By utilizing these tools in Nitro Pro, editing text in scanned PDF files becomes an efficient and manageable task. Whether you are making minor corrections or significant content updates, Nitro Pro provides the functionality you need to maintain professional and accurate PDF documents.
