PDF to Word Conversion Guide — Keep Tables & Logos
Why converters fail on invoices and scans. pdf2docx, OCR, and page-render fallbacks explained.
Published June 1, 2025 · 1 min read
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Why most PDF→Word converters fail
Free tools often dump plain text and destroy tables, logos, and multi-column layouts. Real business PDFs — GST invoices, agency decks, scanned brochures — need a multi-engine pipeline.
RatPDF conversion strategy
- pdf2docx reconstructs editable text, tables, and images.
- Page-render fallback embeds each page at 200 DPI when graphics would break (common on scans).
- OCR extracts text when no digital text layer exists.
- LibreOffice provides an additional pass on servers where installed.
Document types we handle well
- Invoices with line-item tables and company logos
- Marketing PDFs with full-bleed images
- Scanned office letters and forms
- Multi-column reports and proposals
Tips for best results
- Use the original digital PDF when possible — not a photocopy re-scan.
- Unlock password-protected files before upload.
- Image-heavy scans may produce Word with page images — visually identical, ideal for printing.
Frequently asked questions
Can scanned PDFs become editable Word?
Scanned PDFs become high-res page images or OCR text depending on the file.
Will tables survive conversion?
Digital PDFs with real tables usually convert; flat scans may need manual cleanup.
Sources & references
Primary references used when researching and fact-checking this guide. See our editorial methodology.
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pdf2docx — PDF to DOCX library
— Artifex Software / GitHub
Table and layout extraction approach used in PDF to Word conversion. -
Tesseract OCR — documentation
— Google / open source
OCR accuracy factors and language packs. -
LibreOffice — Export as PDF
— The Document Foundation
Word/Excel to PDF export and print settings.