Convert Scanned PDF into Searchable PDF in PHP using PDF.co Web API

In this tutorial, we will show you how to convert scanned PDF into searchable in PHP using PDF.co Web API. The image below shows the source file and the searchable PDF output.

1. Source Code
2. Start Apache
3. Run program
4. Searchable PDF output
5. Make PDF Searchable Demo

Step 1 – Source Code

To begin, let’s copy the HTML and the PHP source code here. Save it in a folder inside the /www or /htdocs directory depending on whether you are using XAMPP or WampServer.

Step 2 – Start Apache

Next, let’s start the Apache server so we can run the program on our local machine.

Step 3 – Run Program

Now, let’s run our program. Type in localhost/folder_name/sample.html in your browser. Then, enter your PDF.co API Key and the scanned PDF to be converted. You can get your API Key in the dashboard here.

NOTE: You can get a copy of our sample files here.

Step 4 – Searchable PDF Output

PDF.co will return a temporary URL to access the searchable PDF output. Kindly open the URL to see the result.

Step 5 – Make PDF Searchable Demo

Here’s the Make PDF Searchable in action.

In this tutorial, you learned how to convert scanned PDF into searchable in PHP using PDF.co Web API. You also learned how easy it is to set up the code samples to get your program running right away.