Scanning and OCR Options Compared: OneDrive, Adobe Acrobat, and PaperCut

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology converts scanned images, PDFs, or photos of text into machine-readable formats. OCR can digitize documents, enable full-text search, and automate data extraction. Ithaca College supports three tools that can perform OCR: Microsoft OneDrive, Adobe Acrobat, and PaperCut (used on IC's networked multifunction printers/copiers). This article compares all three so you can choose the right one for your task.

Audience

This article is intended for students, faculty, and staff.

Platform

Microsoft OneDrive, Adobe Acrobat, PaperCut MF

Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive supports OCR for scanned documents uploaded from multifunction printers or copiers. OCR converts images of text into searchable and selectable content.

  • OCR is automatic for supported file types; no manual activation is required.
  • Supported file types include common image formats (.bmp, .png, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .heic, and various camera raw formats) and scanned or hybrid PDFs.
  • Embedded images in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files are extracted and scanned.
  • For best results, ensure scans are high quality and text is clear.
  • Images must be less than 50 MB.

Upload and search

  1. Scan your document using a multifunction printer or copier that saves files as PDF or image formats.
  2. Upload the scanned file to OneDrive or a SharePoint document library.
  3. Wait for OCR processing to complete (it happens automatically in the background).
  4. Use the search bar in OneDrive or SharePoint to find text within the scanned document.

Open and edit text

  1. Locate the scanned PDF in OneDrive.
  2. Open the file in Microsoft Word (right-click the file > Open in Word).
  3. Word attempts to extract editable text from the scanned PDF.
  4. Review and edit the extracted text as needed.

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat includes built-in OCR tools that convert scanned or image-based PDFs into searchable and editable documents.

Desktop application

  1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. In the right pane, select Edit PDF.
  3. Acrobat automatically applies OCR and converts the document into a fully editable copy.

Online application

  1. In Adobe Acrobat Online, go to Convert > Recognize Text with OCR.
  2. Select the PDF file you want to process.
  3. Acrobat automatically applies OCR and converts the document into a fully editable copy.

See also: OCR software for PDFs (adobe.com)

Papercut

PaperCut is the print and scan management software running on IC's networked multifunction printers/copiers. Unlike OneDrive and Acrobat, which apply OCR after a file already exists somewhere, PaperCut applies OCR as part of the scanning workflow itself, before the file ever lands in its destination.

  • OCR is enabled per scan action by IT (either through PaperCut's Cloud OCR service or a self-hosted Document Processing server), so it requires no setup by the end user.
  • Scan actions are preconfigured, one-touch options on the MFD touchscreen — for example, "Scan to OneDrive," "Scan to Email," or "Scan to Department Folder" — and the same actions are available across supported MFD brands on campus.
  • In addition to OCR, PaperCut can clean up scans automatically: it straightens crooked pages (deskew), removes speckling, strips blank pages from double-sided jobs, and can output archival PDF/A files.
  • File names can be generated automatically using substitution variables such as %user% (the person who scanned the job) and %date% (the scan date), so files are named consistently without anyone having to type a filename at the device.
  • Once OCR is complete, PaperCut delivers the searchable file directly to its configured destination — OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, a network folder, or email — rather than requiring a separate upload step.

Scan and search

  1. At the MFD touchscreen, select the scan action that matches where you want the file to go (for example, "Scan to OneDrive").
  2. Load your document and tap Start.
  3. PaperCut applies OCR automatically as part of that scan action.
  4. The searchable file is delivered directly to the configured destination — no separate upload needed.
  5. Use the search bar at that destination (OneDrive, SharePoint, your email client, and so on) to find text within the document.

If you don't see an OCR-enabled scan action for the destination you need, contact the IT help desk. Scan actions are configured centrally and can be added or adjusted on request.

See also: PaperCut scanning and OCR overview (papercut.com) and PaperCut substitution variables/macros (papercut.com)

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