Aiseesoft PDF to Text Converter — Best Features and Step-by-Step TutorialAiseesoft PDF to Text Converter is a desktop tool designed to extract plain text from PDF documents quickly and accurately. It’s aimed at users who need editable or searchable text from reports, ebooks, invoices, or scanned documents. This article covers the software’s best features, practical use cases, a step-by-step tutorial for converting PDFs to text, tips for improving accuracy, limitations to be aware of, and alternatives to consider.
Why convert PDF to text?
PDF files are great for preserving layout and formatting, but they can be cumbersome when you need to edit, analyze, or index their contents. Converting PDFs to plain text lets you:
- Reuse content in editors or content management systems.
- Search and index text for faster retrieval.
- Perform text analysis, data extraction, or translation.
- Reduce file size when formatting isn’t needed.
Key features
- Batch conversion: Convert multiple PDFs at once to save time when dealing with large numbers of files.
- OCR support: Recognize text in scanned or image-based PDFs so they become editable and searchable.
- Language support: OCR for multiple languages, improving accuracy for non-English documents.
- High accuracy: Preserves characters and common punctuation with minimal errors for digital PDFs.
- Preview and selection: Preview pages and select specific page ranges or single pages to convert.
- Fast processing: Uses local processing to convert files quickly without uploading to the cloud.
- Simple interface: User-friendly layout suitable for nontechnical users.
- Output options: Save results as plain .txt files compatible with most text editors and downstream tools.
Practical use cases
- Extracting invoice or receipt information for bookkeeping.
- Preparing e-book text for reformatting or captioning.
- Pulling quotes and references from academic PDFs for literature reviews.
- Indexing documents in search systems or enterprise content management.
- Converting archived scanned files into searchable text for legal discovery.
System requirements and installation (general guidance)
Aiseesoft PDF to Text Converter is typically a Windows application; check the vendor site for macOS versions if needed. Minimum requirements often include a modern Windows version (Windows 7/8/10/11), at least 2 GB RAM, and sufficient disk space for temporary files. Download the installer from Aiseesoft’s official site, run it, and follow on-screen prompts to install.
Step-by-step tutorial: Convert PDF to plain text
- Open the Aiseesoft PDF to Text Converter application after installation.
- Click “Add File(s)” or drag-and-drop the PDF(s) you want to convert.
- If you only need certain pages, set the page range (e.g., 1–5, or choose single pages).
- Choose output folder where the resulting .txt files will be saved.
- If your PDFs are scanned or image-based, enable OCR and select the correct language for best accuracy.
- Select conversion settings (for example, whether to keep original layout as much as possible or extract plain flowing text).
- Click “Convert” (or similar) and wait for the progress bar to finish.
- Open the output .txt file in your preferred editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.) and proofread for OCR errors, especially around special characters or complex layouts.
Tips to improve OCR accuracy
- Use the correct OCR language matching the document’s language.
- Crop or rotate pages before conversion if images are skewed.
- Increase image DPI if you can regenerate the PDF from source images (300 DPI or higher helps).
- Convert smaller batches if you notice memory or speed issues.
- Manually correct common misrecognitions (e.g., “1” ↔ “l”, “0” ↔ “O”) using a find-and-replace pass after conversion.
Limitations and cautions
- OCR isn’t perfect: expect errors with complex layouts, low-resolution scans, handwriting, or unusual fonts.
- Converting PDFs with heavy formatting (tables, multi-column text, footnotes) may produce content that requires manual cleanup.
- Local software depends on your machine’s resources; conversion speed will vary.
- Licensing: a free trial may limit pages or add watermarks; full features often require purchase.
Alternatives to consider
- Adobe Acrobat Pro (robust OCR and layout retention).
- ABBYY FineReader (highly regarded OCR accuracy and document-processing features).
- Free open-source options like Tesseract (powerful OCR engine, steeper setup).
- Online converters (convenient but may have privacy or file-size concerns).
Comparison table
| Feature | Aiseesoft PDF to Text Converter | Adobe Acrobat Pro | ABBYY FineReader | Tesseract (open-source) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCR accuracy | Good | Very good | Excellent | Good–Excellent (depends on setup) |
| Batch conversion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Possible (via scripting) |
| Ease of use | Easy | Moderate | Moderate | Technical |
| Cost | Paid (trial available) | Paid | Paid | Free |
| Local processing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Layout retention | Basic | Advanced | Advanced | Limited |
Quick troubleshooting
- If conversion fails, ensure the PDF isn’t password-protected.
- For blank output from scanned PDFs, enable OCR and select correct language.
- If application crashes, try converting fewer files at once and update the app to the latest version.
Conclusion
Aiseesoft PDF to Text Converter is a straightforward tool for extracting plain text from both digital and scanned PDFs. Its strengths are batch conversion, OCR support, and a simple interface, making it suitable for users who need quick, local conversions without complex setup. For heavy-duty or high-accuracy OCR needs, you may compare results with specialized tools like ABBYY FineReader or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
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