> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# PDF Processing Mode

> Control how ABBYY Vantage extracts text from PDF documents — using the embedded text layer, OCR, or a combination of both.

When ABBYY Vantage processes a PDF document, it needs to decide how to extract the text. PDFs can contain an embedded text layer (searchable text written directly into the file) or they may be image-only files that require optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text.

The **PDF Processing Mode** setting gives you explicit control over which method Vantage uses. This is especially useful when:

* You are working in regulated industries where reproducibility and auditability of extraction results are required.
* Your document set contains PDFs with low-quality or unreliable embedded text layers that would produce better results with OCR.
* You are migrating from ABBYY FlexiCapture and need to replicate the processing behavior of your existing workflows.
* You need consistent, predictable processing behavior across all documents regardless of their content.

## Available modes

| Mode                      | Description                                                                                                                              | When to use                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Default** (Recommended) | Uses the embedded PDF text layer when available and supplements it with OCR as needed. This is the standard Vantage processing behavior. | General use. Recommended for most document sets with a mix of text-layer and image-only PDFs.                                                                                                 |
| **Use Text Layer Only**   | Extracts text exclusively from the embedded PDF text layer. If no text layer exists, Vantage falls back to OCR automatically.            | Use when you have high-quality, trusted text layers and want faster extraction without full OCR. Useful for regulated environments where the existing text layer is the authoritative source. |
| **Use OCR Only**          | Ignores any embedded PDF text layer and performs full OCR on every page of the document.                                                 | Use when PDF text layers are known to be unreliable or corrupt, or when you need consistent OCR-based extraction across all documents regardless of their structure.                          |

## Example scenarios

The following examples show typical situations where each mode is the best choice.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Use Text Layer Only">
    Your organization processes digitally-born PDF invoices exported from a vendor's ERP system. The embedded text layer is accurate and machine-generated. Using **Use Text Layer Only** delivers fast, reliable extraction without running unnecessary OCR.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Default (Recommended)">
    You process a high-volume mix of scanned paper documents and digitally-born PDFs in the same workflow. Some files have clean text layers; others don't. **Default (Recommended)** handles both automatically without any per-document configuration.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use OCR Only">
    Your document set consists of PDFs produced by a legacy scanning system that embeds a low-quality text layer during scanning. That embedded layer contains recognition errors that degrade field extraction. **Use OCR Only** bypasses it entirely and extracts clean text directly from the page image.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Regulated Environments">
    You work in a regulated industry (such as financial services or healthcare) where extraction results must be fully reproducible and auditable. Locking the mode to either **Use Text Layer Only** or **Use OCR Only** ensures the same processing path is always used, regardless of how documents arrive.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Where to configure

The PDF Processing Mode setting is available in the following locations:

* **OCR Skill settings** — General tab, under Image Processing
* **OCR activity settings** within a Process skill — General tab, under Image Processing

## Supported Technology Core versions

PDF Processing Mode is supported for skills using **Technology Core 3**. It is not available for earlier Technology Core versions.

## Related topics

* [OCR skill](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/ocr-skill/ocr-skill)
* [Set up an OCR skill](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/ocr-skill/set-up-ocr)
* [OCR activity](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/process/ocr-activity)
* [Technology Core versions](/vantage/documentation/technology-core-versions)
* [Skill Catalog](/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/skill-catalog)