How To Prepare PDFs For Cleaner Markdown Output

Cleaner Markdown starts with cleaner PDFs. A lot of “bad conversions” are really just PDFs that were never meant to be edited or parsed.

Prefer text-based PDFs

If the PDF is a scan, your conversion depends on OCR. OCR can work well, but results vary with font size, contrast, and page noise.

• Export from the source document when possible (Word, Google Docs, InDesign).
• Avoid “print to PDF” when the original export is available.
• If it’s a scan, ensure it’s straight, high-contrast, and at least 300 DPI.

Reduce layout complexity

Multi-column layouts, floating text boxes, and heavy background shapes can make reading order ambiguous. When you can, simplify.

• Use a single column for reports meant for downstream reuse.
• Prefer native tables over “drawn” tables or screenshots of tables.
• Keep headings consistent (H1/H2/H3 patterns) to preserve structure.

Quick final check

Open the PDF, select text, and copy/paste into a plain text editor. If the pasted text looks scrambled, the conversion will likely need OCR or cleanup.