Use case · OCR · Printed books
How to Listen to Scanned or Printed Books
Some of the best books never get an audiobook edition. Textbooks, out-of-print classics, obscure academic works. SayTXT turns any printed page into audio — free.
What SayTXT's OCR can read
- Printed books (via camera). Point your phone at a page. SayTXT extracts the text.
- Scanned PDFs. Old journal articles, digitized textbooks, archive scans.
- Photos of documents. Anything you've photographed — contracts, letters, forms.
- Screenshots. Grab text from apps that don't allow copy/paste.
- Faded or old text. OCR handles yellowed paper and non-standard fonts reasonably well.
How OCR works in SayTXT. The OCR runs on your device — no photos are uploaded to a server. Once text is extracted, review the result before playing, since OCR accuracy can vary with image quality and unusual characters.
Situations where this is uniquely useful
- Textbooks that were never made into audiobooks — most academic books never get an audio edition
- Out-of-print classics you found in a used bookstore
- Foreign-language books (SayTXT reads in 31 languages)
- Cookbooks while cooking — hands-free recipe reading
- Historic documents and archive scans
- Handwritten notes (if legible enough)
3 steps to listen to a printed page
- Open SayTXT and tap the camera / scan icon.
- Point at the page. Hold steady, snap. Or scan multiple pages at once.
- Tap play. SayTXT extracts text and reads it aloud.
OCR quality tips
- Good light. Bright, diffused. Avoid shadow across the page.
- Flat page. Press the book open flat, or use a book weight.
- Straight angle. Hold the camera parallel to the page.
- One page at a time for maximum accuracy on cramped layouts.
- Review before playing — OCR accuracy can vary with page quality and unusual characters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit OCR text after it is extracted?
No. You can review the extracted text before playback, but SayTXT does not currently let you edit the OCR result.
Are scanned page photos uploaded to a server?
No. OCR runs on your device, and photos are not uploaded to a server.
Legal note. Please only OCR books you own or have permission to reproduce. SayTXT is a tool — how it's used is on you.
