How to Read a Scanned Document

You can upload a scanned PDF or a photo of a page to an import screen. DonorDesk reads the text with text recognition, so you do not need to retype it.

Upload it

On any import screen (for example, activities or indicators), select Upload Excel/CSV or choose the file, and pick a PDF or an image (PNG, JPG or TIFF).

If the PDF already has selectable text, DonorDesk reads that directly. Text recognition is used only for scanned pages and photos.

Check the result

After reading, the text appears in the box, with this note above it:

Read from the scanned page by text recognition: check names and numbers against the original.

Before you create records, check:

• Names of people and places.
• Numbers, especially totals and dates.
• Lines that look cut off or run together.

Correct anything in the box, then continue as usual.

When it cannot read the file

You will see No readable text was found in…. Common causes:

• The page is very faint, blurred, or photographed at an angle.
• The file is larger than the size limit or has more than 20 pages (only the first 20 are read, and the note says so).
• The file is password-protected.

Try a clearer scan, or paste the text instead.

Good to know

• Handwriting and tables are read as lines of text. Re-check the columns when you paste them into a table.
• A file that already has selectable text is never read by recognition, so its text is exact.