LibTiff Mailing List

On Tue, 2009-02-17 at 13:40 -0500, Raghu Udupa wrote:

>      1. Using latest libtiff library, can I create a searchable tiff 
>      2. Will tif2pdf that comes with latest libtiff library create a
>         searchable PDF? 
>      3. If not, is there a open source software that I can use to
>         create a searchable PDF and/or searchable TIFF document?
> 

Raghu,

I think you are trying to do something unrelated to the focus of
libtiff.  If you are scanning documents into tiff image files, I think
you'll find that images are not searchable by normal means, and if you
then convert a tiff image to a pdf file using tif2pdf, I suspect it is
then just an image embedded within a pdf file format, still leaving it
not searchable.

To create a searchable pdf file, you would need to perform some type of
image OCR (optical character recognition) on the scanned document image
to convert the text in the image to actual text content and then convert
the resulting text-based "document" to a pdf file.  Typically, optical
scanners and their provided software can perform this functionality, but
document print quality will determine the success of any OCR
operation.  

To my knowledge, there's nothing in the libtiff code related to OCR
functionality.  I think you're asking the wrong group of people for help
converting your documents into something that can be searched and/or
modified later through available pdf tools.  Try searching the Internet
for OCR or Optical Character Recognition to find what you need.  I don't
believe the libtiff group can help you with your specific requirements,
as their focus is purely on tiff image formats, not text-based
documents.

Honestly, I get the impression you don't fully understand the difference
between an image file and a PDF file.  The PDF file format is a just a
framework definition that can be used in a variety of ways to create
shareable documents, and not all of them will provide what you are
seeking.  You may want to do some further study on PDF formats in order
to ask for appropriate help from others.

Hope that helps,

  Gene Amtower


AWARE [SYSTEMS]		Imaging expertise for the Delphi developer
		TIFF and LibTiff Mailing List Archive
	LibTiff Mailing List TIFF and LibTiff Mailing List Archive February 2009 Previous Thread Next Thread Previous by Thread Next by Thread Previous by Date Next by Date Contact The TIFF Mailing List Homepage This list is run by Frank Warmerdam Archive maintained by AWare Systems	Thread 2009.02.16 16:27 "Editable PDF creation from a tiff image", by Raghu Udupa 2009.02.16 17:25 "Re: Editable PDF creation from a tiff image", by Toby Thain 2009.02.17 18:40 "creating Searchable PDF and searchable tiff", by Raghu Udupa 2009.02.17 20:34 "Re: creating Searchable PDF and searchable tiff", by Gene Amtower 2009.02.17 20:34 "Re: creating Searchable PDF and searchable tiff", by Gene Amtower On Tue, 2009-02-17 at 13:40 -0500, Raghu Udupa wrote: > 1. Using latest libtiff library, can I create a searchable tiff > 2. Will tif2pdf that comes with latest libtiff library create a > searchable PDF? > 3. If not, is there a open source software that I can use to > create a searchable PDF and/or searchable TIFF document? > Raghu, I think you are trying to do something unrelated to the focus of libtiff. If you are scanning documents into tiff image files, I think you'll find that images are not searchable by normal means, and if you then convert a tiff image to a pdf file using tif2pdf, I suspect it is then just an image embedded within a pdf file format, still leaving it not searchable. To create a searchable pdf file, you would need to perform some type of image OCR (optical character recognition) on the scanned document image to convert the text in the image to actual text content and then convert the resulting text-based "document" to a pdf file. Typically, optical scanners and their provided software can perform this functionality, but document print quality will determine the success of any OCR operation. To my knowledge, there's nothing in the libtiff code related to OCR functionality. I think you're asking the wrong group of people for help converting your documents into something that can be searched and/or modified later through available pdf tools. Try searching the Internet for OCR or Optical Character Recognition to find what you need. I don't believe the libtiff group can help you with your specific requirements, as their focus is purely on tiff image formats, not text-based documents. Honestly, I get the impression you don't fully understand the difference between an image file and a PDF file. The PDF file format is a just a framework definition that can be used in a variety of ways to create shareable documents, and not all of them will provide what you are seeking. You may want to do some further study on PDF formats in order to ask for appropriate help from others. Hope that helps, Gene Amtower

LibTiff Mailing List

Thread

2009.02.17 20:34 "Re: creating Searchable PDF and searchable tiff", by Gene Amtower