See the difference on real scans
Nine scans, converted to Word by a leading desktop OCR program and by UnfoldPDF. Nothing edited.
Formatting marks show how a file is built. Frames and text boxes pin text in place, so it won’t flow when you edit.
1 of 9
Budget figures you can edit
Expense form with budget boxes and a ruled table
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- Amounts are editable text ($7,569,000.00). The desktop program kept them as pictures.
- “Current Budget”, not “Current Rudgcl 1”.
- Charge codes sit in a real Word table.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- Signatures become stray text (“123/6”), and one “Date” reads “Dame”.
2 of 9
A typed form in two columns
1976 typed form in two columns
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- “20,000 cigts.”, not “36~7OOO ciqts.”
- “Cigarettes”, not “Ciqarettos”.
- Each label sits next to its value in a table.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- “lbs.” reads “1bs.”, and “Shipping”, under a hole punch, reads “epping”.
3 of 9
Score tables with significance marks
1982 test memo with score tables
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- Labels sit beside their values, not in separate text boxes.
- Scores keep their asterisks (“3.60 **”). The desktop program has “3e64***”.
- “MENTHOL PRODUCT TEST”, not “MENTHOL 匸R0DXT TEST”.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- “PAGE # 1 of 4” loses its “1”.
- Scale notes join the next row’s label, and one row lands in the wrong columns.
4 of 9
Two wide tables and a tick box
Report with tick boxes and two six-column tables
Page 1
Page 1 
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- Both six-column tables are real Word tables.
- The ticked box comes through: “JUNE 30 ☑”.
- “(15 + STORES)”, not “(45 + STORES)”.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- “Retail” reads “Retall”.
- Empty rows push the last row onto a second page.
5 of 9
A handwritten note and a hidden number
Form with a handwritten note and a blacked-out number
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- The handwritten note becomes text. The desktop program has “)uZL-”.
- The blacked-out number shows as “[Redacted]”.
- “☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Pending”, not “Qy®s ONo QPending”.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- The handwritten “Note:” reads “hate:”.
6 of 9
A form filled in by hand
Job application filled in by hand (sample with made-up details)
Page 1
Page 1 
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- Handwriting becomes text: “ROMEO GODFRIED WALTER”, not “KOmEO Lionel ED”.
- Crosses in boxes become ticked boxes (☑).
- Each phone number stays on one line with its label.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- “NAMIBIAN” comes out in Cyrillic, and one “WINDHOEK” as “KINDHOEK”.
- A stray ☑ in the instructions; the form runs onto a second page.
7 of 9
Tick boxes and dates beside each entry
1982 summary with tick boxes and dated entries
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- The ticked box survives: “COMBINED ☑”. The desktop program lost it.
- Dates stay on their entries’ rows, not in text boxes.
- “COMPOUND”, not “COMPOUNO”.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- Signatures become text (“Jimmy J. Bull”).
8 of 9
A boxed lab form
1983 boxed lab form with tick boxes
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- “☑ REFRIGERATOR 8℃”, not “OREFRI6ERAT0R”.
- “VIRGINIA”, not “VlPGlNtA”.
- “is attached”, not “1s attached”.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- “PROJECT NO.” comes after its number.
- The signature becomes text (“D. Stato”).
9 of 9
A legal notice with a stamp
1969 legal notice with a numbered list and a stamp
Page 1
Page 1 
Select a page to open it full size.
UnfoldPDF did better
- Items 1 to 9 are a real numbered list.
- “The Corporation Trust Company”, not “TUt Corporator% Truit^Zompany”.
- The grid of initials is a table, not loose frames.
UnfoldPDF still gets wrong
- The stamp becomes stray text, and smudged words misread (“Servient”).
- One label lands after the grid; the page runs onto a second page.
How these were made
- Scans from a public archive. “A form filled in by hand” is a sample with made-up details; one Social Security number was blacked out.
- Each scan converted once by each program, October 2026. Files offered as produced.
- Pictures are screenshots of Microsoft Word.
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