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Reading order is a reconstruction decision
Single-column reports normally produce a natural sequence. Multi-column brochures, sidebars, footnotes and positioned forms can interleave extracted text in ways that need editorial correction.
Use the source preview and the ODT as two views of the same content: one preserves appearance, while the other enables revision.
Match paragraph reconstruction to the document
Automatic heading detection promotes short title-like or uppercase lines to real ODT headings. Disable it when the source uses uppercase labels that should remain ordinary text.
| Mode | Behavior | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Preserve lines | Keeps each extracted non-empty line separate | Forms, labels and audit-sensitive review |
| Flow text | Joins each page into a continuous paragraph | Simple narrative pages |
| Compact blocks | Groups lines into moderate-length paragraphs | Dense reference content |
Use page boundaries only when they help
Preserved page breaks make source-page comparison easier. Removing breaks creates a more fluid working document but loses a convenient provenance cue.
Visible page headings can support review workflows, while ordinary editing copies usually need only page breaks.
Put the workflow into practice
Arrange source documents, select the pages you need, and create one PDF locally in your browser. Review the result before choosing any optional next step.
Try PDF to ODTFrequently asked questions
Clear answers before you merge
Why is column text out of order?
PDF coordinates do not always encode a reliable semantic reading order.
What does heading detection do?
It promotes short title-like lines into editable OpenDocument headings.
Can I remove source page breaks?
Yes. Disable page-break preservation for a continuous document flow.
Do scanned pages need OCR?
Yes. Image-only pages require recognition before editable text exists.
