Why Is My OCR Failing?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) fails when images are too blurry, dark, or poorly scanned. Here's how to fix it.
Common OCR Problems & Solutions
Problem: "OCR Failed" Error
Image too blurry, text too small, or lighting too poor for OCR engine to read.
Solutions:
- • Retake photo with phone camera in good lighting
- • Hold phone steady (use two hands)
- • Get closer to document (fill frame)
- • Clean camera lens
- • Try scanning instead of photo (if you have scanner)
Problem: OCR Accuracy Low (70-80%)
OCR completed but extracted garbled text ("Ac1ne C0rp" instead of "Acme Corp")
Good news:
The AI (GPT-5) corrects many OCR errors automatically. It reads "Ac1ne C0rp" and knows you meant "Acme Corp" based on context. Even at 70% OCR accuracy, invoice generation often succeeds.
Best Practices for Photos
- ✓ Good lighting: Natural light or bright room (not shadows)
- ✓ Flat surface: Place receipt on table (not hand-held)
- ✓ Straight angle: Camera perpendicular to document
- ✓ Fill frame: Document should occupy 80% of photo
- ✓ Focus: Tap phone screen on document to focus before shooting
OCR Accuracy by Image Quality
Clear, well-lit photo (phone camera, steady)95%+ accuracy
Screenshot (email, app)95%+ accuracy
Standard scanner (300 DPI)90-95% accuracy
Slightly blurry photo80-90% accuracy
Very blurry or dark photo60-80% accuracy
Illegible photo (too dark, motion blur)OCR fails completely
When In Doubt, Upload Anyway
Even if image quality isn't perfect, try uploading. OCR + AI often works on receipts you'd think are too messy.
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