How FixMyScan works
You upload a scanned book once, set the crop once for every page, and download a PDF with white pages, sharp black text and words you can search.
Key takeaways
- FixMyScan takes scanned PDF and DjVu files of up to 1,000 pages and gives back a PDF.
- You set one crop, or one per side for left and right pages, and it applies to the whole book.
- Plain text pages become black on white; pages with pictures stay in greyscale so the pictures survive.
- Hidden text goes under every page, so search, highlight and dictionary look-up work.
- Every page keeps its order and its printed page number, so citations still match the printed book.
What you start with
Most scanned books arrive the same way: a PDF or DjVu file of page photos. It might come from a library archive, a scanning service, your phone or a flatbed scanner. On a computer it looks fine. On an e-reader the whole page, margins included, is shrunk to fit a 6 to 10-inch screen, so the text comes out small and grey, and because the pages are pictures you can’t search them.
FixMyScan changes the pages themselves, once, so the book reads well on whatever device you use.
The steps
- Upload the book. Add a scanned PDF or DjVu file of up to 1,000 pages.
- Set the crop. You see your pages layered on top of each other, with a box already found around the text. Left and right pages get a box each, unless you switch that off. The crop is applied to every page in the book, so you never adjust page by page.
- Let it work through the book. The pages are cleaned, straightened and given a text layer, as described below. One book is processed at a time.
- Download the PDF. You get a single PDF with every page in its original order.
- Send it to your device. For a Kindle, Amazon’s Send to Kindle website takes PDFs up to 200 MB, and email takes up to 50 MB. Kobo, reMarkable, Boox, PocketBook and tablets open the PDF too.
What happens to each page
The crop
The crop removes the white margins, the dark edge of the scanner bed and the shadow of the spine. On a small screen this is the change you notice first: the text block fills the screen, so the words are bigger at normal size without zooming.
White paper, black text
Old paper scans as yellow or grey, and faint print scans as grey too. E-ink shows only shades of grey, so a grey page and grey text blur together. Plain text pages are turned to pure black and white. Pages with illustrations or photos stay in greyscale, because forcing a picture to black and white destroys it.
Straight pages
Slightly tilted pages are straightened, so lines run level across the screen and the crop doesn’t cut into the ends of sloping lines.
Searchable text
Every page is read with text recognition (OCR), and the recognised words are placed as invisible text under the page image. The page looks exactly as before, but search, highlight, copy and dictionary look-up now work on your e-reader and computer.
FixMyScan reads 19 languages, including English, German, French, Latin, Italian and Spanish, plus old German Fraktur type and Ancient Greek mixed with Latin. It finds most languages by itself. Ukrainian and Greek you choose on the crop screen or in Settings.
What you get back
A standard PDF. Every page keeps its order and its printed page number, so citations still match the printed edition. If two-page scans are split, the PDF has more pages than your scan did. Footnotes, tables and pictures stay on their pages, because nothing is reflowed.
Clean black-and-white pages usually compress far better than grey scans, so the cleaned file is often much smaller than the one you uploaded. That helps with the 50 MB email limit for Kindles.
You can see real pages before and after on the samples page.
What it doesn’t do
- It doesn’t scan. You need the scan first. Our guide to scanning a book covers the options.
- It doesn’t convert to EPUB. Your book stays a PDF with its original pages. Our guide to scanned PDF or EPUB explains why.
- It doesn’t read handwriting. Printed text only.
What it costs
Plans are $9.99 a week or $79.99 a year, with unlimited books under fair use of 5,000 pages a week, up to 1,000 pages a book, one book at a time.
Your files
Your files are private to your account. Every upload is deleted 24 hours after the book is ready, or 24 hours after upload if it was never converted. The details are on privacy and deletion.
Questions
What files can I upload?
Scanned PDFs and DjVu files, up to 1,000 pages a book. You always get a PDF back.
Do I have to set the crop on every page?
No. You set one crop for the whole book, or one each for left and right pages, and it is applied to every page.
Will my page numbers change?
The printed numbers don't. Every page stays in order, so citations still match the original book. If two-page scans are split, the PDF has more pages than your scan did.
What happens to illustrations and photos?
Pages with pictures stay in greyscale so the pictures survive. Only plain text pages are turned to pure black and white.
Which languages can it read?
19 languages, including English, German, French, Latin, Italian and Spanish, plus old German Fraktur type and Ancient Greek mixed with Latin text. Most are found automatically. Ukrainian and Greek you choose on the crop screen or in Settings.
Can it read handwriting?
No. It reads printed text. Handwritten letters, registers and notes need a handwriting tool such as Transkribus.
Can I process several books at once?
One book is processed at a time. When it is ready you can start the next.
What happens to my file afterwards?
Every upload is deleted 24 hours after the book is ready, or 24 hours after upload if it was never converted. See privacy and deletion.