# What is a scanned PDF?

Source: https://epublab.com/glossary/scanned-pdf/ (updated 2026-11-03)

A scanned PDF holds photographs of paper pages, so each page is an image with no text layer unless OCR was run on it. It looks like text but a computer sees only pixels.

## Why it matters when you convert a PDF to EPUB

Without text, there is nothing to re-flow: a scanned PDF needs OCR before it can become a reflowable EPUB, and the EPUB is only as good as the OCR. EPUBLab does not offer OCR yet; it is planned as a separate route.