PDF Text Extraction: Best Practices and Common Issues

PDF text extraction can be straightforward or challenging depending on the type of PDF you're working with.

## Native vs Scanned PDFs
Understanding the difference is crucial:

### Native PDFs
- Created digitally with selectable text
- Text can be copied directly
- Fastest and most accurate extraction

### Scanned PDFs
- Images of documents saved as PDF
- Require OCR processing
- May have layout and formatting challenges

## Common Challenges

### Complex Layouts
- Multi-column text
- Tables and forms
- Headers and footers
- Mixed text and images

### Formatting Preservation
- Maintaining paragraph structure
- Preserving bullet points and lists
- Handling special characters

## Best Practices

1. **Identify PDF Type First**: Determine if OCR is needed
2. **Pre-process if Necessary**: Enhance image quality for scanned PDFs
3. **Choose Right Tools**: Different tools for different PDF types
4. **Post-process Results**: Clean up extracted text
5. **Validate Output**: Always review results for accuracy