--- title: 5 Final Ways to Rid Your Life of Scanned PDFs description: In addition to creating hours of manual tasks and complicating review cycles, scanned PDFs increase liability risk. image: https://blog.linksquares.com/hubfs/5%20Final%20Ways%20to%20Rid%20Your%20Life%20of%20Scanned%20PDFs%20-%20Copy%20of%20Legal%20Best%20Practices_Thumbnail.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.linksquares.com/5-final-ways-to-rid-your-life-of-scanned-pdfs#main-content) [LinkSquares](https://blog.linksquares.com/) Open Mobile Menu [LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/) Close Mobile Menu [Why LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/why-linksquares/) [Products](https://linksquares.com/products/) --- [The LinkSquares Cloud One platform for all your in-house legal needs](https://linksquares.com/products/linksquares-cloud/) --- Contract Lifecycle Management Create, review, manage and sign contracts Legal Project Management Centralize your work and keep projects moving Cross-product capabilities Get scalability, efficiency and connectivity LinkSquares Onboarding Experience A step by step guide to get started today --- [Solutions](https://linksquares.com/solutions/) [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) Resources Content [LinkSquares+ Content curated for in-house leaders](https://linksquares.com/plus/) [The Library](https://linksquares.com/library/) In the studio [Demo Library](https://linksquares.com/demo-library/) Community & Events [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) [Events & Webinars](https://linksquares.com/events/) Learning [Blog](https://blog.linksquares.com/) [In-House Insights](https://linksquares.com/inhouse-insights/) [Knowledge Base](https://help.linksquares.com/) [Events](https://linksquares.com/events/) [About Us](https://linksquares.com/about-us/) [Careers](https://linksquares.com/careers/) [Press](https://blog.linksquares.com/tag/linksquares-news-press) [Pricing](https://linksquares.com/pricing/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Contract Lifecycle Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Finalize Streamline your contract creation process](https://linksquares.com/products/finalize/) [Sign Get your contracts executed faster](https://linksquares.com/products/sign/) [Analyze Your post-signature analytics & repository](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/) [CLM Suite One platform to rule them all](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Legal Project Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Prioritize Manage, track, and report on legal work in one place](https://linksquares.com/products/prioritize/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [LinkAI Predictive and generative AI](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/ai/) [Integrations Connect the tools you love](https://linksquares.com/integrations/) [Reporting Improve your teams efficiency with KPIs](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/dashboard/) [API Integrate with any third-party app](https://linksquares.com/integrations/linksquares-api/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Onboarding We're here for you from day one](https://linksquares.com/onboarding-services/) [Services Short on time? 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Worse than your ex from college, worse than the haircut your mom gave you in the 5th grade, and worse than standing in an endless security line at the airport.  In parts [one](https://blog.linksquares.com/3-reasons-to-get-rid-of-scanned-pdfs)and [two](https://blog.linksquares.com/3-more-reasons-to-get-rid-of-scanned-pdfs), we covered some of the basic reasons why scanned PDFs are bringing your legal team down. In addition to creating hours of manual tasks and complicating review cycles, they also increase liability risk thanks to the unsearchable image format.  Once you’ve established a digital process, it’s time for the real work. Optical character recognition, or smart [OCR technology](https://blog.linksquares.com/what-is-ocr), lets you convert different types of documents, like scanned PDF images, into editable and searchable data. This way, you can create a centralized contract repository with searchable terms to easily find and identify at-risk contracts. No crying over scanned PDF images required. Here are some best practices when implementing smart OCR: ## #1: Assess the Source Material Optical Character Recognition (OCR) applications rely on lexical data and existing modern-language dictionaries. But for special terminology or historical language, the required lexical data may not exist. Make sure you identify any unique language or characteristics that could make digital conversion more difficult. ## #2: Create a Workflow Develop a smart OCR conversion project plan to set yourself up for success. Without it, you risk jeopardizing the implementation process. ## #3: Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach Files are just like people-each is unique (and sometimes frustrating.) Avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach allows you to focus on the parts of your data that must be treated as unique. ## #4: Be Aware of Common OCR Technology Mistakes Some of the best smart OCR tools are only about 95% accurate. Be on the lookout for common misspellings of words during document conversion, including common ones like: - tenns —\> terms - Sirategic —\> Strategic - perfonn —\> perform - Miscelianeous ## #5: Consider Outsourcing Your Previous Conversions Converting scanned PDFs to a digital process takes a lot of strategy, planning, and time. If you’re considering a smart OCR conversion project but are unsure if you have the bandwidth or patience, [let LinkSquares help](https://go.linksquares.com/demo-request). In this series, we've established that scanned PDFs inevitably lead to frustration, wasted resources, and legal debt. Understanding the risks they present and taking the necessary actions is crucial for business success. LinkSquares OCR is 99% accurate. If you want to learn more about centralizing your contracts with a contract management solution, [schedule a demo](https://go.linksquares.com/demo-request) today.  ![avatar](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-05-09%20at%2012.05.18%20PM.png?width=290&name=Screenshot%202023-05-09%20at%2012.05.18%20PM.png) #### [Christina Sullivan](https://blog.linksquares.com/author/christina-sullivan) Christina Sullivan is a Content Marketing Manager at LinkSquares. ## Subscribe to the LinkSquares Blog Stay up to date on best practices for GCs and legal teams, current events, legal tech, and more. ## Related Articles ### [Christina Sullivan Jul 26, 2022 4 min read 3 More Reasons to Get Rid of Scanned PDFs Welcome back to our smear campaign for scanned PDFs. You already know some of the logistical and practical challenges with ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/3-more-reasons-to-get-rid-of-scanned-pdfs) ### [Christina Sullivan Nov 17, 2022 3 min read 4 Ways to Develop a Contract Management Process Before the dotted line is signed, contracts can face a long journey. Like vulnerable creatures leaving home for the first time, ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/4-ways-to-develop-a-contract-management-process) ### [Alyssa Verzino May 16, 2022 3 min read Why Is OCR Important? Welcome back to the two-part blog series on Optical Character Recognition (OCR). In part one, we covered what OCR is. Now that ... 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[Your Privacy Choices](https://go.linksquares.com/linksquares-do-not-sell-or-share-personal-data) - ![aicpa soc 2](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/soc2_66933e61%20copy.png?width=100&height=100&name=soc2_66933e61%20copy.png) - ![barr certification](https://blog.linksquares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Frame%201921.png?width=129&height=57&name=Frame%201921.png) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "United States", "addressLocality" : "Boston", "addressRegion" : "MA", "postalCode" : "02109", "streetAddress" : "60 State Street" }, "knowsLanguage" : "en", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/Navigation/logo_643dd1b1.svg" }, "name" : "LinkSquares", "url" : "https://blog.linksquares.com/5-final-ways-to-rid-your-life-of-scanned-pdfs" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "abstract" : "In addition to creating hours of manual tasks and complicating review cycles, scanned PDFs increase liability risk.", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Christina Sullivan" }, "dateModified" : "2022-08-04T13:00:01Z", "datePublished" : "2022-08-04T13:00:00Z", "headline" : "5 Final Ways to Rid Your Life of Scanned PDFs", "image" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/5%20Final%20Ways%20to%20Rid%20Your%20Life%20of%20Scanned%20PDFs%20-%20Copy%20of%20Legal%20Best%20Practices_Thumbnail.png", "inLanguage" : "en", "keywords" : "[Contract Management]", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@type" : "WebPage" }, "name" : "5 Final Ways to Rid Your Life of Scanned PDFs", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://6934676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6934676/Navigation/logo_643dd1b1.svg" }, "name" : "LinkSquares" }, "text" : "Welcome to our third and final blog post about why scanned PDFs are the worst. Worse than your ex from college, worse than the haircut your mom gave you in the 5th grade, and worse than standing in an endless security line at the airport. In parts one and two, we covered some of the basic reasons why scanned PDFs are bringing your legal team down. In addition to creating hours of manual tasks and complicating review cycles, they also increase liability risk thanks to the unsearchable image format. Once you’ve established a digital process, it’s time for the real work. Optical character recognition, or smart OCR technology, lets you convert different types of documents, like scanned PDF images, into editable and searchable data. This way, you can create a centralized contract repository with searchable terms to easily find and identify at-risk contracts. No crying over scanned PDF images required. Here are some best practices when implementing smart OCR: #1: Assess the Source Material Optical Character Recognition (OCR) applications rely on lexical data and existing modern-language dictionaries. But for special terminology or historical language, the required lexical data may not exist. Make sure you identify any unique language or characteristics that could make digital conversion more difficult. #2: Create a Workflow Develop a smart OCR conversion project plan to set yourself up for success. Without it, you risk jeopardizing the implementation process. #3: Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach Files are just like people-each is unique (and sometimes frustrating.) Avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach allows you to focus on the parts of your data that must be treated as unique. #4: Be Aware of Common OCR Technology Mistakes Some of the best smart OCR tools are only about 95% accurate. Be on the lookout for common misspellings of words during document conversion, including common ones like: tenns —> terms Sirategic —> Strategic perfonn —> perform Miscelianeous #5: Consider Outsourcing Your Previous Conversions Converting scanned PDFs to a digital process takes a lot of strategy, planning, and time. If you’re considering a smart OCR conversion project but are unsure if you have the bandwidth or patience, let LinkSquares help. In this series, we've established that scanned PDFs inevitably lead to frustration, wasted resources, and legal debt. Understanding the risks they present and taking the necessary actions is crucial for business success. LinkSquares OCR is 99% accurate. If you want to learn more about centralizing your contracts with a contract management solution, schedule a demo today.", "url" : "https://blog.linksquares.com/5-final-ways-to-rid-your-life-of-scanned-pdfs", "wordCount" : "608" } ```