Scanned Documents

Upload any PDF - whether it was created digitally or scanned from paper. Renewly automatically detects scanned documents and processes them using vision capabilities.

How It Works

When you upload a PDF, Renewly analyses the text density of each page. If the document has very little embedded text (common with scanned or photographed documents), it is flagged as a scanned document.

Scanned documents are processed using vision capabilities that read text directly from the page images. This means even handwritten notes, stamps, and signatures are captured alongside printed text.

What You See

• Scanned document badge- After extraction completes, scanned PDFs show a "Scanned document" indicator on the contract detail page.
• Same extraction quality - All standard fields (parties, dates, values, terms) are extracted from scanned documents just like digital PDFs.
• Confidence scoring - The extraction confidence score reflects how clearly the text could be read. Very faded or low-resolution scans may produce lower confidence.

Tips for Best Results

• Resolution - Scan at 300 DPI or higher for best results. Lower resolutions may reduce extraction accuracy.
• Orientation - Ensure pages are straight and not rotated. Skewed scans can affect text recognition.
• Clarity - Avoid scanning through plastic sleeves or with heavy shadows. Clean, well-lit scans produce the best results.
• File size - Large scanned PDFs (over 20 MB) may take longer to process. The maximum file size is 25 MB.

Supported Formats

Renewly processes PDF files only. If your scanned document is in another format (TIFF, JPEG, PNG), convert it to PDF before uploading. Most scanning software and operating systems include a "Save as PDF" option.

FAQ

Do I need to enable anything?

No. Scanned document detection is automatic for all users on all plans.

Why does my digital PDF show as scanned?

Some PDF generators create image-based pages even for digital documents. This is common with certain print-to-PDF tools. The extraction quality is not affected - Renewly processes these the same way.

What about multi-page scanned contracts?

Multi-page scanned PDFs are fully supported. Each page is analysed individually and all pages are included in the extraction.