Inspiration

Like many others, I need to convert scanned pdf files to editable and searchable docx or xlsx files at work. I tried many softwares in my laptop, and many online services as well. They either do not work well or are paid services which let you use a limited times. So I decide to develop a free tool which allows people to convert their files online for unlimited times.

What it does

At the present, it just allows you to convert pdf to docx or xlsx files, I will add a bunch of other features in the future.

How I built it

I am using PHP to process and file uploads and downloads, in the backend I use Python to do the real converting job.

Challenges I ran into

It takes a little while longer than my competitors as I use OCR technology. It also allows only one converting process at the same time.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

For the first time, people across the global can enjoy free converting service online.

What I learned

At the moment, I am still trying my best to reduce the time it takes to convert large pdf files. In the meantime, I am also tweaking the UI to make it more user friendly.

What's next for PDF2OCR - Convert pdf to word or excel

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