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Finding a contract by SIRET company number, clause or amount requires indexed text, not just a file name.
Glossary · Capture
OCR
Technology that converts a scanned document or an image into machine-readable text so it can be searched, extracted and archived.
Also known as: Optical Character Recognition · text recognition
What is OCR?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) recognises the characters in an image — a scan, a photo of a contract, a non-text PDF — and produces a text layer. Without OCR, an “image” PDF is just a picture: you can see it, but you can’t search it, extract from it or index it. In business, OCR is the gateway to any serious document automation.
Why OCR matters in business
Incoming documents (e-mail, post, supplier portals) often arrive as scans. Without OCR, teams re-key dates, amounts and references — a source of errors and delays.
Preparing for extraction
OCR feeds classification and data extraction: end dates, parties, amounts.
Less re-keying
Less manual typing = fewer discrepancies between the PDF and your business records.
Common pitfalls
Confusing OCR with understanding
OCR reads characters; it does not decide the document type or its legal validity. Validation remains a human task.
Neglecting image quality
Blurry photos, folded pages or very low-resolution scans reduce the recognition rate — and with it the whole downstream pipeline.
OCR in DocPilot
DocPilot applies OCR to incoming documents (upload, e-mail, photo) to make their content searchable and prepare assisted extraction before validation.
- Multi-channel capture followed by automatic OCR
- Indexed text for document search
- Foundation for extraction and approval workflows
Related DocPilot pages
To learn more about the product and the guides.
“How-to” guides
Step-by-step methods to make real progress.
- Automate processingA guide to automating document processing: capture, OCR, classification, approval. Method, mistakes to avoid and DocPilot.
- Centralise documentsA guide to centralising business documents: source of truth, metadata, access and search. Steps, mistakes to avoid and the role DocPilot plays.
- Organise a DMSA guide to organising a company document management system (DMS): governance, types, access rights, workflows. A practical method, mistakes to avoid and rollout with DocPilot.
Related articles
DocPilot blog posts on the same topic.
- Asking a document a question with AI: how it worksQuery a document or a whole file with AI: how it works, source citations, and legal and operational use cases.
- Semantic search across business documentsSemantic search vs keywords: find a document by business intent, not just by its file name.
- AI extraction of dates and amounts: reliable data without re-keyingExtract dates, amounts and parties from a document with AI: cut re-keying, check the critical fields and complete business records faster.
Terms and product pages
Related pages to refine your research.
- Document OCRTurn PDFs, scans and photos into structured data. DocPilot combines OCR and AI extraction to pre-fill your records — with human confirmation before approval.
- Contract OCRUse OCR and AI to read your PDF or scanned contracts: type, parties, amounts, dates and notice periods, with human confirmation in DocPilot.
- Data extractionThe process of turning a document’s content into reusable structured fields (dates, amounts, parties, references).
- Document AIThe range of artificial intelligence uses applied to documents: typing, extraction, summarisation, questions with sources, semantic search.
Take action
Make your scans usable
Turn on DocPilot capture: OCR, a structured record and an approval flow as soon as documents arrive.