ABBYY® FineReader® PDF: The smarter PDF solution
Document workflows often rely on multiple tools, creating inefficiencies and delays. This brochure shows how ABBYY FineReader PDF combines OCR, editing, comparison, and protection in one solution to simplify document work. Review the brochure to understand how to streamline and secure your document workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ABBYY FineReader PDF?
ABBYY FineReader PDF is a PDF and document management tool designed for people who work with a mix of paper and digital files. It uses ABBYY’s AI-based OCR (optical character recognition) technology to turn scanned and image-based documents into searchable, editable content.
With FineReader PDF, you can:
- Digitize paper documents and scans so they’re searchable and easier to store and retrieve
- Edit both digital and scanned PDFs, including text, tables, and page layout
- Protect PDFs with redaction, hidden data removal, and access controls
- Sign and verify PDFs with digital signatures
- Share, comment on, and collaborate on PDFs with your team
The goal is to reduce time spent on manual, repetitive document tasks and help information workers focus on their core responsibilities instead of wrestling with different file formats and tools.
How does FineReader PDF improve everyday PDF and document workflows?
FineReader PDF is built to streamline the full lifecycle of working with documents, whether they start as paper or digital files.
Key ways it improves workflows:
1. **Work with all PDFs in one place**
You can open, edit, organize, and protect any PDF—born-digital or scanned—without converting it in and out of other formats. This includes editing full paragraphs, adjusting layouts, and working with tables.
2. **Digitize and reuse content with OCR**
ABBYY’s OCR technology makes scanned documents and images searchable and editable. You can convert them into searchable PDF or into formats like Microsoft Word and Excel for deeper editing. Corporate users can also benefit from more accurate table conversion and extraction.
3. **Create and convert PDFs**
- Convert almost any file format or paper document into a searchable PDF (ISO-compliant, including PDF/A for archiving).
- Convert PDFs back into Word, Excel, and other formats when you need to rework the content.
4. **Protect and sign documents**
You can mitigate security risks by redacting sensitive information, removing hidden data, managing access permissions, and applying or verifying digital signatures.
5. **Collaborate and approve in the PDF itself**
Teams can comment, mark up, and draw directly in PDFs to collect feedback and move approvals forward without switching between multiple tools.
6. **Compare documents (Corporate edition)**
FineReader PDF Corporate lets you compare two versions of a document—even if one or both are non-searchable scans—and export the differences as a commented PDF or a Word file with track changes.
7. **Automate repetitive tasks**
Using automation tools (such as Hot Folder in Corporate), you can set up recurring OCR and conversion routines to process multiple documents into searchable PDFs or editable formats. The Corporate edition supports automated processing of up to **5,000 pages per month on 2 cores**, with the page limit resetting every 30 days.
Overall, FineReader PDF helps reduce the number of separate applications in use, standardize how your organization handles PDFs, and simplify daily document work.
Which FineReader PDF options and licensing models are available?
FineReader PDF is available in two main editions and several licensing models to fit different use cases and IT setups.
**Editions**
1. **FineReader PDF Standard** – For individuals and smaller teams that need to:
- Create and convert PDFs
- Digitize paper documents and scans with OCR
- Edit, protect, and collaborate on PDFs
2. **FineReader PDF Corporate** – For organizations that also need to:
- Automate digitization and conversion routines (e.g., via Hot Folder)
- Compare documents in different formats, including non-searchable scans
- Benefit from enhanced table conversion and extraction accuracy
Corporate includes automated processing of up to **5,000 pages per month on 2 cores**, with the limit resetting every 30 days.
**Licensing options for organizations (starting at 5 licenses)**
1. **Per Seat (min. 5 licenses)**
- Best for organizations of any size with decentralized or local area networks.
- Provides a PDF solution at every desk for regular use.
- Supports central roll-out with a single license key and management via License Manager.
2. **Remote User (min. 5 licenses)**
- Designed for desktop and application virtualization environments such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Microsoft Azure, and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.
- Supports deployment on server farms and centralized license control and user assignment via License Manager.
3. **Concurrent (min. 5 licenses)**
- Cost-efficient for small to mid-sized businesses or workgroups where users access FineReader PDF occasionally.
- Can be deployed on an unlimited number of workstations within a local network, with the number of simultaneous users limited by the number of concurrent licenses purchased.
**Benefits for IT and operations**
- **Subscription flexibility**: One- or three-year subscription plans with progressive volume discounts.
- **Standardization**: A single PDF solution across the organization to support consistent collaboration and document handling.
- **All-in-one functionality**: OCR-driven capabilities for creating, editing, protecting, comparing, and converting PDFs.
- **Simplified management**: Automated deployment, straightforward license management, and support for environments like Microsoft Azure and virtual desktops.
FineReader PDF 16 also introduces a redesigned tabbed interface, a new Organize Pages tool, 64-bit architecture for x64 Windows, improved OCR accuracy, and support for creating searchable PDFs from SVG vector documents (such as drawings, charts, and diagrams). These updates are intended to reimagine how teams work with PDFs while fitting smoothly into existing IT infrastructures.

