Windows can already read text from a scanned drawing: Snipping Tool’s Text actions and PowerToys Text Extractor both run text recognition on your PC and copy what they read to the clipboard. That is enough for one sheet number or a note. For a whole scanned plan set, where every page needs its sheet number, title and revision, SheetStamp, a Windows app from Automata Labs, reads the title block on every page from one rectangle you draw, puts the results in a table you can correct, and writes a new PDF with bookmarks and page labels, or one PDF per sheet.
This guide compares the three on the job of reading title blocks, using Microsoft’s own documentation for the built-in tools.
Draw one box around the title block, and get every sheet number, title and revision in a table.
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Why can’t you search a scanned plan set?
A scanned or flattened PDF is a picture of each sheet. There is no text layer, so Ctrl+F finds nothing and you cannot copy the sheet number. The same is true of many CAD plots that were printed to PDF as images. To get text out, something has to run optical character recognition (OCR) on the image.
All three tools below run that recognition on your PC.
How do you copy text with Snipping Tool?
Microsoft’s Snipping Tool support page describes the steps:
- Press the Windows logo key + Shift + S and drag a box around the title block on screen.
- In the captured snip, select the Text actions button.
- Select and copy specific text, or use Copy all text.
Microsoft says all text recognition in Snipping Tool runs locally on your device. Text actions also offers Quick redact for email addresses and phone numbers, which is handy when a sheet carries contact details you do not want to pass on.
Good for: one sheet, one number, right now. Not built for: a 90-page set, because every page is a separate capture and paste.
How do you copy text with PowerToys Text Extractor?
PowerToys Text Extractor is part of Microsoft’s free PowerToys utilities. Per Microsoft’s documentation:
- The default shortcut is Windows logo key + Shift + T. Drag over the area, and the recognized text goes straight to the clipboard.
- It uses OCR, and Microsoft says the output “may not be perfect,” so proofread it.
- It can only recognize languages whose OCR language pack is installed. The default comes from your Windows keyboard language settings.
- Microsoft now recommends using Snipping Tool instead of Text Extractor for capturing screenshots.
Good for: grabbing text without opening an editor, one region at a time. Not built for: whole sets either.
How does SheetStamp read a whole set?
SheetStamp does one job: it names the sheets in a plan-set PDF.
- Open the PDF and draw one rectangle around the title block on page 1.
- Let it read. SheetStamp reads each page’s sheet number, sheet title and revision with the text recognition built into Windows. Nothing is uploaded, and the app makes no network connections.
- Review the table. Pages that need a look come first, and every cell can be edited. Text recognition can miss very short isolated marks, such as a single-letter revision, so uncertain rows are flagged for you to fix.
- Choose the output. A new PDF with bookmarks such as “A-101 - FIRST FLOOR PLAN” and page labels, so the viewer’s page box shows A-101 instead of 2, or one PDF per sheet, saved to a folder you pick.
Your original PDF is never changed. SheetStamp runs on Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11, on x64 and Arm64, and it does not need Acrobat.
Turn a scanned plan set into a bookmarked PDF, or one file per sheet, in one pass.
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How do the three compare?
| Snipping Tool Text actions | PowerToys Text Extractor | SheetStamp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included with Windows | Free (PowerToys) | One-time purchase, free trial |
| Recognition | On your device | Windows OCR, needs the language pack | Windows built-in text recognition |
| Scope | One capture at a time | One region at a time | Every page, from one rectangle |
| Output | Clipboard | Clipboard | Table, then bookmarked PDF with page labels, or one PDF per sheet |
| Review | Proofread by eye | Proofread by eye | Uncertain rows flagged first; every cell editable |
| Best for | A sheet number or a note | Quick grabs while you work | Naming a whole set |
The free tools are the right answer for a one-off. Once you are paging through a set to type sheet numbers into bookmarks or file names, the cost is your time, and that is the case SheetStamp is for.
How do you check which OCR languages Windows has?
Text Extractor and SheetStamp both use the text recognition built into Windows, so it helps to know which recognition languages are installed. Microsoft’s Text Extractor page gives the PowerShell commands. In Windows PowerShell (not PowerShell 7), this lists the languages available for recognition:
[Windows.Media.Ocr.OcrEngine, Windows.Foundation, ContentType = WindowsRuntime]
[Windows.Media.Ocr.OcrEngine]::AvailableRecognizerLanguagesIn an elevated PowerShell, this lists the OCR language packs and whether each is installed:
Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object { $_.Name -Like 'Language.OCR*' }Microsoft’s page also shows how to install a pack with Add-WindowsCapability, and notes it can take several minutes.
How do you get better reads from scanned title blocks?
- Scan at a resolution where the small text is sharp. Sheet numbers are usually large; revision letters and dates often are not.
- Keep sheets straight. A skewed scan moves the title block relative to the rectangle you drew.
- Use one title block layout per run. If a set mixes consultants’ title blocks, split it and run each part separately.
- Expect to fix short marks. Single letters and digits on their own are the hardest reads for any OCR. Check flagged rows and the revision column.
Our construction drawing sheet numbers guide explains what the numbers mean, and the extract sheet numbers page covers the SheetStamp workflow in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can Windows read text from a scanned PDF?
Yes, from what is on screen. Snipping Tool’s Text actions and PowerToys Text Extractor both recognize text in a captured area and let you copy it. Neither adds a text layer to the PDF.
Does SheetStamp upload my drawings?
No. Recognition runs on your PC with Windows built-in OCR, and the app makes no network connections. There is no account and no sign-in.
Why do page labels not show in my browser’s PDF viewer?
Some viewers, including browser viewers, ignore page labels but still show bookmarks. Page labels show in Adobe Acrobat. Our page on plan set PDF page labels covers this.
Does SheetStamp measure or estimate?
No. It does not do takeoff, estimating or measurement. It reads and writes sheet names.
Try SheetStamp
SheetStamp is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a free trial. Open the last scanned set you had to page through, draw the title block once, and count the rows that need a look. More detail is on the SheetStamp product page.
Name every sheet in a plan set from its title block. No upload, no account, no subscription.
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Windows, PowerToys and PowerShell are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and Acrobat is a trademark of Adobe. SheetStamp is not affiliated with either.
Last updated 20 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.