Digitize Arabic books — from scan to editable Word

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a text-based PDF and a scanned PDF?

A text-based PDF contains real characters you can select, copy, and search; a scanned PDF is just pictures of pages with no text in them at all. Test your file: open it and try to select a line with your mouse — if you can copy it, it is text-based and you can paste it into Word directly; if the whole page selects as one image, it is scanned and needs OCR to turn the pictures into text. Most classical Arabic books circulating as PDFs are the scanned kind, which is exactly what this tool is built for.

Does it handle matn, sharh, and footnotes?

Yes — layered classical layouts are the design case. A page combining core text (matn), commentary (sharh), and footnotes comes out in Word with each layer in its place: the commentary does not merge into the core text, footnotes are separated at the bottom with their numbering, and tashkeel survives in every layer. We still recommend reviewing annotation-heavy pages against the original before relying on them — old editions vary in how visibly they separate the layers, and review is part of the work, not a flaw in the tool.

Does it preserve chapter structure across a whole book?

Yes — pages are processed in order and come out as a single Word file that keeps the book’s sequence: headings and sections in place, paragraphs flowing as in the original, footnotes attached to their pages. That is the practical difference between a tool built for books and one that processes loose pages: you do not have to reassemble the text by hand after conversion. Afterwards, review the headings in Word and adjust the styles to your taste before final output.

How much does digitizing a 500-page book cost?

A few dollars, not hundreds. You start free with 50 pages, then up to 20 free pages every month, no credit card required — each page of your book uses one page of balance, whatever you turn it into. One-time page packs start at $5 for 100 pages and never expire, so a 500-page book runs about $15 — while manual transcription of the same book costs $500–2,500 at the going $1–5 per page and takes weeks instead of minutes.

What file formats and size limits apply?

ScribeTools accepts PDFs and images in JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and other common formats. Files can be up to 25 MB on the free plan and 512 MB once you buy any page pack or subscribe to Pro. For large books, paid accounts support batch uploads — 20 files at once with page packs and up to 100 on Pro — so a book scanned in parts converts in one go.

Are free tools enough for digitizing a scanned book?

For clean, modern, unvocalized print — quite possibly: Google Docs reads clean pages well and free, though it works page by page and keeps no book structure. For classical books — vocalized, footnote-heavy, in older typography — generic tools strip the diacritics, merge footnotes into the text, and reverse the direction on export to Word. Run a few pages of your book on the free pages and compare the output yourself before deciding.