Batch Exporting pdfs in Preview

(* pdf_scan_embed.applescript Select a PDF that was scanned (PDF wrapper around an image of the scanned text) and then using GUI scripting, open the PDF in Preview, open the Export panel, and select Embed Text (OCR), Optimize images for screen, and save images as JPEG before saving the renamed PDF. This PDF now supports text search. Revision: 2 Tested: macOS Sequoia v15.3.1 (probably will work on previous versions of Preview that provide the embed text Export item Requirements: None Author: VikingOSX, 2025-03-05, Apple Support Communities, No warranty at all. *) use scripting additions -- property TAG_NAME : "PDF/A" set macOS_product_version to (do shell script "sw_vers -productVersion") if macOS_product_version < 14 then display alert "macOS " & macOS_product_version message "Preview export to PDF/A unsupported in this version of macOS." as critical giving up after 15 # seconds return end if set thisPDF to (choose file of type {"com.adobe.pdf"} default location (path to desktop)) -- test if PDF has fonts in it. If scanned but not ORC'ed the font count will be 0 try set isORCed to (do shell script "egrep -ac \"(\\/FontName)\" " & (POSIX path of thisPDF)'s quoted form) if isORCed > 0 then return end try tell application "Preview" activate open file thisPDF tell application "System Events" tell process "Preview" set frontmost to true click menu item "Export…" of menu "File" of its menu bar tell sheet 1 of window 1 -- remove .pdf from input filename set temp to text 1 thru -5 of ((value of text field "Export As:" of it) as text) set value of text field "Export As:" of it to temp & "_ocr.pdf" (* set tagx to value of text field "Tags:" of it key code 48 # tab to Tags field click text field "Tags:" of it delay 1 if tagx = "" or tagx = missing value then keystroke TAG_NAME end if key code 53 # send an escape key to dismiss tag menu delay 2 # the PDF/A and Linearized selections are toggles and without # the following tests, subsequent clicks on them when already # set will switch these features off in the export. The value of # 1 means it is already selected. if not ((value of checkbox "Create PDF/A" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Create PDF/A" of it end if delay 1 if not ((value of checkbox "Create Linearized PDF" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Create Linearized PDF" of it end if delay 1 *) try -- only macOS 14 and later have this Export panel checkbox if not ((value of checkbox "Embed Text" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Embed Text" of it end if on error -- for some reason the Export panel did not show checkbox click button "Cancel" of it tell application "Preview" to if it is running then quit return "Either a regular PDF or already OCR'd PDF" end try delay 1 -- only macOS 15 has these two Export panel entries if macOS_product_version ≥ 15 then if not ((value of checkbox "Optimize images for screen" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Optimize images for screen" of it end if delay 1 if not ((value of checkbox "Save images as JPEG" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Save images as JPEG" of it end if click button "Save" of it end if end tell end tell end tell close front document end tell tell application "Preview" to if it is running then quit return

(* pdf_scan_embed.applescript Select a PDF that was scanned (PDF wrapper around an image of the scanned text) and then using GUI scripting, open the PDF in Preview, open the Export panel, and select Embed Text (OCR), Optimize images for screen, and save images as JPEG before saving the renamed PDF. This PDF now supports text search. Revision: 3 Tested: macOS Sequoia v15.3.1 (probably will work on previous versions of Preview that provide the embed text Export item Requirements: None Author: VikingOSX, 2025-03-05, Apple Support Communities, No warranty at all. *) use scripting additions -- property TAG_NAME : "PDF/A" set macOS_product_version to (do shell script "sw_vers -productVersion") if macOS_product_version < 14 then display alert "macOS " & macOS_product_version message "Preview export to PDF/A unsupported in this version of macOS." as critical giving up after 15 # seconds return end if set thisPDF to (choose file of type {"com.adobe.pdf"} default location (path to desktop)) -- this is the variable to set in the Where pop up button on the Export panel tell application "System Events" to set where_location to name of container of thisPDF -- test if PDF has fonts in it. If scanned but not ORC'ed the font count will be 0 try set isORCed to (do shell script "egrep -ac \"(\\/FontName)\" " & (POSIX path of thisPDF)'s quoted form) if isORCed > 0 then return end try tell application "Preview" activate open file thisPDF tell application "System Events" tell process "Preview" set frontmost to true click menu item "Export…" of menu "File" of its menu bar tell sheet 1 of window 1 -- remove .pdf from input filename set temp to text 1 thru -5 of ((value of text field "Export As:" of it) as text) set value of text field "Export As:" of it to temp & "_ocr.pdf" -- set the current files folder location instead of last export location tell first pop up button of it click tell menu 1 click menu item where_location end tell end tell (* set tagx to value of text field "Tags:" of it key code 48 # tab to Tags field click text field "Tags:" of it delay 1 if tagx = "" or tagx = missing value then keystroke TAG_NAME end if key code 53 # send an escape key to dismiss tag menu delay 2 # the PDF/A and Linearized selections are toggles and without # the following tests, subsequent clicks on them when already # set will switch these features off in the export. The value of # 1 means it is already selected. if not ((value of checkbox "Create PDF/A" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Create PDF/A" of it end if delay 1 if not ((value of checkbox "Create Linearized PDF" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Create Linearized PDF" of it end if delay 1 *) try -- only macOS 14 and later have this Export panel checkbox if not ((value of checkbox "Embed Text" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Embed Text" of it end if on error -- for some reason the Export panel did not show checkbox click button "Cancel" of it tell application "Preview" to if it is running then quit return "Either a regular PDF or already OCR'd PDF" end try delay 1 -- only macOS 15 has these two Export panel entries if macOS_product_version ≥ 15 then if not ((value of checkbox "Optimize images for screen" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Optimize images for screen" of it end if delay 1 if not ((value of checkbox "Save images as JPEG" of it) = 1) then click checkbox "Save images as JPEG" of it end if click button "Save" of it end if end tell end tell end tell close front document end tell tell application "Preview" to if it is running then quit return