PDF-Tools Use of Multiple Tools Reverses Output Results on Some PDF Documents

[PDFJIM]

Multiple use of the tools on the same Document, sometimes, but not always, changes the output result, for example:

1) Task: Using Batch Processing on PDF documents, OCR to create selectable searchable image text layer.
Result: Selectable searchable image text layer successfully created.

2) Task: Using Batch Processing on OCR’ed PDF documents, Optimize to bring all documents up to PDF Standard 1.7.
Result: Selectable searchable image text layer and optimized PDF successfully created.

3) Task: Using Batch Processing on OCR’ed Optimized PDF documents, then Sanitize to remove metadata.
Result: On some, but not all PDF documents, the Sanitize Tool causes the Selectable searchable image text layer to be lost, although the optimized PDF is not affected.

Have tried swopping the Optimized task for the OCR task (presuming the Sanitize task is best left till last), but doing that does not help.

Thank you in advance for your kind help to resolve my issue.

PDF-XChange PRO v. 10.2.1.385
PDF-Tools V10
Windows 10 Pro 22H2

[Jordan - PDF XChange]

Hello PDFJIM,

There are some settings for the Sanitize Document tool that if selected will remove the invisible text layer created by the OCR:

image.png

Do you have any of those two selected in your Tool?

And starting with the Optimize in order to do one less OCR does sound like a reasonable optimization of your process.

[PDFJIM]

Thanks Jordan,

Yes have both of those tool checked, incase either tool did more than remove the OCR layer. Is that a possibility?

[Jordan - PDF XChange]

Hello PDFJIM,

This will depends on the content of your documents processed.

If I understand correctly your intended use of the Sanitized document tools is to remove the meta data.

In that case is there a reason why you do not run the Sanitized tool second and leave the OCR for last?

Optimize >> Sanitize >> OCR

[PDFJIM]

Thanks again, have done as you suggest and that works for me

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]