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Uploading documents

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You can upload documents from the dashboard by clicking Upload in the top-right corner, or by dragging files directly onto the dashboard.

Supported file formats

Handwriting OCR accepts the following:

  • Images — PNG, JPG, GIF, HEIC, TIFF (single or multi-page)
  • PDFs — both digitally-generated and scanned PDFs
  • Multi-page documents — upload as a single PDF and Handwriting OCR will process every page

Size limits

  • Files uploaded via the dashboard: up to 100 MB
  • Files uploaded via the API: up to 20 MB
  • For very large books or notebooks, split the source into smaller PDFs (we recommend ~100 pages per file)
  • For best accuracy, scan at 300 DPI or higher (600 DPI is ideal for old or faded handwriting)
  • One document per page — don’t combine multiple documents into a single image, as we scale uploads to 2000 px on the longest side and packed pages reduce per-document resolution

Tips for better results

If your transcription quality is lower than expected, the source image is almost always the cause. A flat, well-lit photo of a single page produces dramatically better results than a glare-streaked photo taken at an angle. See 12 tips for better OCR results for the full list.