What OCR actually does to a scanned page, and which Alohi product handles it versus the different AI approach Fax.Plus uses instead.
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts an image of text into machine-readable, searchable text.
- Scan.Plus runs two OCR processes: an automatic on-device pass for search and naming, and a manual cloud pass for copyable text.
- Fax.Plus doesn't run traditional OCR, but its Alohi AI tools extract structured data and generate a text transcript from a fax.
- Neither product's OCR-style processing adds a selectable text layer to an exported PDF.
What Is OCR?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is technology that converts an image of text, like a scanned page, into machine-readable, searchable text, rather than leaving it as a static picture. Unlike compression methods built only to shrink a fax's file size, OCR reads what's actually written on the page.
OCR in Scan.Plus
Scan.Plus runs two separate OCR processes. An automatic, on-device pass runs when a document is first scanned and again when it's saved, powering search and suggesting a document name without sending anything to a server. A second, manual Image to Text pass uploads a page to Scan.Plus's servers and returns text a user can read, copy, and share. Neither adds a selectable text layer to an exported PDF, exported files stay image-based.
The Related Feature in Fax.Plus
Fax.Plus doesn't market a feature called OCR. Its Alohi AI tools serve a related purpose on a fax's pages instead: AI Text Transcript converts a fax into a full text version, and AI Data Extraction pulls structured fields like names and dates into a copyable format. Both work differently from classic OCR and are available on the Enterprise plan.
A Common Case: Two Different Reads
A wellness provider in Maryland receives intake forms by fax and uses Alohi AI to pull the patient's name and appointment date into structured fields automatically, instead of retyping them. The clinic's broader stack of scanned paperwork still relies on Scan.Plus's own OCR for search and smart naming, a related but separate process running on a different product.
FAQs
What does OCR stand for?
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, the technology that converts an image of text into machine-readable, searchable text.
Does Fax.Plus use OCR to read faxes?
Not exactly. Fax.Plus doesn't run traditional OCR, its Alohi AI tools use a different approach to extract text and structured data from a fax. Scan.Plus is the product that runs OCR.
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