The best format depends on what you want to do with the document. Find what you are trying to do in the left column, and pick the format on the right.
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I want to...
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Choose this
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Listen to a reading while walking, driving, or working out
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MP3 audio
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Have a screen reader read a scanned PDF
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Accessibility conversion, then Tagged PDF (Text over image)
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Edit, copy, or reuse the text
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Accessibility conversion, then Word (DOCX)
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Read on a phone, tablet, or ereader with text that resizes
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Ebook, then EPUB
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Read on a Kindle
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Ebook, then MOBI
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Read with bigger text
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Ebook, with a larger base font
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Use a Braille display or embosser
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Braille (PEF or TXT)
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Get just the words with no formatting
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Accessibility conversion, then plain text (TXT)
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A note on tagged PDF options
When you convert a scanned document to a tagged PDF, you will see two choices.
- Text over image puts the recognized text on top. This is usually the more accessible choice and the one to pick for screen reader users.
- Image over text keeps the original look of the page, with the recognized text underneath so it can still be searched and read aloud.
Still not sure?
Start with Word (DOCX). It works well with screen readers, it opens on almost any device, and you can fix any mistakes the conversion made.