How to uniformly create black-and-white scanned versions of multiple PDFs? Color mode and PPI batch processing methods

The electronic PDF font is too clear, but when submitting or displaying, a black-and-white photocopy or scanned style is required. Converting each file individually creates a large amount of repetitive work. This article uses multiple text-based PDFs as an example to explain how to import an entire folder via HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , use the "Convert PDF to Scanned Effect" feature to uniformly set pure black and pure white, grayscale, or color modes, and select 96, 150, 200, or 300 PPI according to reading or printing needs, quickly completing batch output and result checking.

PDFs exported from Word, docx, doc, typesetting systems, or web pages usually feature clear fonts, accurate colors, and clean page backgrounds. However, in material submission, paper archive display, printing of teaching materials, and print effect testing, what is sometimes needed is not the standard electronic version, but a black-and-white scanned version that resembles "print, then copy, and then scan back into the computer." When faced with a large number of PDFs, if manual methods such as screenshots, image conversion, and reassembly are used, repetitive work will quickly increase, and it is difficult to keep the clarity and color standards consistent across different files.

This article will focus on uniformly converting multiple PDFs into black-and-white scanned versions, with emphasis on how to choose the color mode and PPI clarity, and how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to complete batch tasks. The entire process does not require opening each PDF one by one, and is suitable for processing multiple contract attachments, course materials, exam papers, manuals, or archived documents at once.

1. What problems can batch creation of PDF scanned versions solve

Reduce the repetitive work of converting files one by one

The traditional approach often requires opening each PDF in turn, exporting page images, adjusting the black-and-white effect, regenerating the file, and saving it separately. The more files there are, the more operations are required, and the easier it is to miss one midway. A batch processing tool can first add all files to the task list, then set parameters uniformly and execute them centrally.

Ensure consistent color standards across the entire batch of files

If different people or different times are involved in manual conversion, some PDFs may be pure black-and-white, some grayscale, and some may retain color, resulting in inconsistent final delivery. Using the same batch task allows all PDFs in the list to adopt the same color mode.

Unify page image clarity

The text appearance of a scanned PDF is closely related to the clarity parameters. If some pages are clear and some are blurry, reading and printing will be affected. The software provides multiple PPI options, allowing a unified standard to be established for the entire batch according to business needs.

Facilitate centralized saving and checking

Through the process of "select records—set processing options—set save location—start processing", the results can be output centrally to a designated location. Compared with saving separately in multiple original directories, centralized saving makes it more convenient to check quantities and spot-check pages.

2. Applicable scenarios: which PDFs are suitable for processing into a photocopy-scan style

Teaching and exam materials: Course handouts, class notes, exam papers, and exercises are generated directly from electronic documents. When it is necessary to preview the approximate effect after black-and-white photocopying, scanned-style versions can be produced in batches.

Contracts and process materials: Some internal process materials need to be displayed in a form close to paper scans. The source files may come from doc, docx, or other formats and can be processed uniformly after first exporting them to PDF.

Archives and historical material simulation: When a batch of electronic PDFs needs to look visually closer to scanned archival materials, pure black-and-white or grayscale mode can be selected.

Print quality testing: When it is necessary to compare the presentation of text, tables, headers, and footers at different PPI levels, a small number of files can be tested first before determining the batch parameters.

It should be noted that the scanned-document effect is a page presentation method and is not equivalent to an actual paper scanning process involving genuine stamps, signatures, or legal effect. For materials with explicit authenticity and compliance requirements, actual business specifications should be followed.

3. Preview of effects before and after processing

Before processing: a clear electronic text PDF

The original file is a typical electronic PDF. The dark title bar, blue column headings, and black body text on the page are clearly layered, with smooth font edges and a clean background, making it suitable for direct reading on a computer.

From the page appearance, it can be judged that the processing goal is not to repair blurry files, but to convert an originally overly neat text-based PDF into a visual form closer to black-and-white printing, photocopying, and scanning.

After processing: a unified black-and-white scanned appearance

The processed PDF retains the original page structure, headings, paragraphs, and page number information, but the colors are unified into black and white, and the text edges present an image-like scanned appearance. The original blue column headings no longer retain blue, and the dark header area appears as obvious black.

This example uses the "pure black and pure white" mode and "clear (200 PPI)". This combination is suitable for materials that are mainly text-based and require an obvious black-and-white photocopy effect while still maintaining basic readability of the body text. If the original PDF contains photos, light shading, or gradient charts, pure black-and-white may lose detail, and grayscale or color mode should be considered in that case.

4. Using office software to batch process multiple PDFs

Step 1: Find the scanned-document effect feature in the PDF tools

After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , enter "PDF Tools" from the category on the left. The tool list includes functions such as cropping PDF pages, modifying PDF page layout, converting PDF pages to image form, and converting color PDFs to black and white. This time, number 27, "Convert PDF to scanned-document effect", should be selected.

After clicking the function card, the software enters a dedicated operation page. The top workflow shows four stages: select the records to process, set processing options, set the save location, and start processing. This wizard-style workflow is suitable for batch office tasks and allows files and parameters to be checked item by item before formal execution.

Purpose: Ensure that you have entered the scanned-document effect feature, and avoid mistakenly using a simple PDF-to-image or color-to-black-and-white feature.

Expected result: See the "Convert PDF to scanned-document effect" page and remain on the first step, "Select the records to process".

Step 2: Add multiple PDFs or import from a folder

In the first step, you can click "Add Files" to select PDFs, or click "Import Files from Folder". If the materials to be processed are already centrally stored in one directory by project, importing from a folder is usually more efficient; if only a few of them need to be processed, you can use Add Files to make the selection.

The task list in the screenshot contains 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf, with a total record count of 4. The list also displays the name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time, making it easy to determine whether the correct files have been selected. Mistakenly added files can be removed using the delete icon on that row; if all files need to be selected again, "Clear" can be used. The interface also provides "Filter" and "Sort", which can be used as needed for actual list management, but before starting, the most important thing is to confirm the number of files and their paths.

Purpose: Create a complete list of files to be processed in one go, so that subsequent parameters can be applied to all records.

Expected result: The number of PDFs in the list matches the planned number to be processed, and no unrelated files are mixed in. After confirming, click "Next".

Step 3: Choose pure black-and-white, color, or grayscale according to the content

After entering "Set processing options", you can see the required field "Color mode", with three choices.

Pure black and pure white is suitable for pages dominated by text and lines, such as black-and-white contracts, text handouts, exam papers, notices, and forms. It can create a more distinct photocopy effect, but its ability to preserve light shading and subtle light-dark variations is limited.

Grayscale does not retain the original color information, but can present page content in different shades of gray. When there are many photos, shadows, light graphics, and gradient backgrounds, grayscale is usually more reliable than pure black-and-white.

Color is suitable for files that must retain color headings, charts, markers, or other color information. Its processing goal is still a scanned image effect, but it does not remove page colors the way pure black-and-white mode does.

If you are unsure how to choose, you can first take one file from each different type for testing. For text-only materials, test pure black and pure white first; for mixed text and image materials, compare grayscale and color effects. Do not judge based only on the first page, because inner pages may contain light-colored tables or images.

Purpose: Determine which color information will ultimately be retained in the entire batch of PDFs.

Expected result: The desired color mode is selected. To create a black-and-white scanned version consistent with the example, "Pure black and pure white" should be selected.

Step 4: Set PPI according to reading or printing needs

The image clarity area provides "Basic (96 PPI)", "Normal (150 PPI)", "Clear (200 PPI)", "HD (300 PPI)", and "Custom". PPI can be understood as one of the important parameters for page image clarity, and different options are suitable for different purposes.

• 96 PPI: Can be used for basic preview tests that do not require high clarity.
• 150 PPI: Suitable for general screen reading or ordinary materials where file size is relatively sensitive.
• 200 PPI: Provides a relatively balanced trade-off between text clarity and processing cost, and is the option selected in the screenshot example.
• 300 PPI: Suitable for small-font text, fine-line tables, or materials with high requirements for print detail, but attention should be paid to output size and processing time.
• Custom: Suitable for tasks with an already established clarity standard, and should be filled in according to actual delivery requirements.

PPI selection should be made in combination with the quality of the original pages. If the text in the original PDF is very small and the table lines are very fine, too low a PPI may affect reading; if the files are only used for quick preview, blindly choosing high parameters may increase the processing burden. Therefore, sample testing before batch processing is very necessary.

Purpose: Ensure that the entire batch of files uses the same clarity and achieves a balance among readability, file size, and efficiency.

Expected result: A selected mark appears before the option. For ordinary office text materials, you can first refer to the screenshot and select "Clear (200 PPI)".

Step 5: Specify the output location and execute batch processing

After confirming the parameters, click "Next" to enter "Set save location". It is recommended to create a separate output directory for this task, for example, a folder named by project name or processing date, so that the generated results can be distinguished from the original PDFs. After the settings are complete, continue to "Start processing" and start the task according to the prompts in the software interface.

The value of batch processing is most obvious at this step: the color mode and PPI need to be set only once, and the software can then process the files continuously according to the file list, without repeating the same operations separately for 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. The more files there are, the more obvious the savings in repeated clicking and waiting management time.

Purpose: Determine the storage scope of the output files and formally execute the batch conversion.

Expected result: All selected PDFs generate scanned-document effect files according to the unified parameters and are saved to the designated location.

5. How to choose an appropriate combination of color mode and clarity

Combination 1: Pure black and pure white plus 200 PPI

Suitable for the text handouts, notices, exam papers, and ordinary black-and-white materials in the example in this article. The pages will present an obvious black-and-white photocopy appearance, and 200 PPI can usually balance body text readability and batch processing efficiency.

Combination 2: Grayscale plus 200 PPI

Suitable for office materials containing light-colored tables, shadows, photos, or gray backgrounds. It does not retain color, but it is easier than pure black-and-white to present light and dark levels, reducing the risk that light-colored content disappears completely.

Combination 3: Color plus 300 PPI

Suitable for materials that need to retain color charts and pay attention to detail. However, higher clarity may result in larger output files, so the actual generated effect and file size should be tested first before deciding whether to use it for the entire batch.

Combination 4: Ordinary preview parameters

If the purpose is only to verify whether the scanned-document effect meets expectations, a small number of files can first be tested with 96 or 150 PPI. After the parameters and color mode are determined, import all PDFs for formal processing, which can reduce the need to redo the whole batch due to unsuitable settings.

6. Checklist after batch processing

1. Check the number of output files and confirm that it matches the number of imported records.
2. Check the file names to avoid confusing the original files with the processed files.
3. Open the first page, middle page, and last page to confirm that no pages are missing.
4. Zoom in to check whether small-font text, page numbers, table lines, and footers are clear.
5. Check whether light-colored text, images, and backgrounds are still recognizable in pure black-and-white mode.
6. If printing is needed, first print one representative file as a trial and then decide whether to adjust the PPI.
7. Keep the original text-based PDF for later searching, copying, or reprocessing.

7. Common questions and precautions

After converting a PDF to the scanned-document effect, will the content change?

This feature is used to change the presentation of PDF pages. Under normal circumstances, the focus should be on whether the page structure and content are complete. Because different PDFs may have different fonts, transparency effects, layers, and page compositions, sample checks should still be performed after processing, rather than only looking at whether the task was completed.

What should I do if the text in the black-and-white scanned version is too thick or light-colored content disappears?

The pure black and pure white mode emphasizes black-and-white contrast, and light shading and subtle levels may be insufficiently represented. In this case, you can switch to grayscale mode for testing; if the color itself has business significance, choose color mode.

Should I choose 200 PPI or 300 PPI?

200 PPI is suitable for most ordinary text-based office materials and is also the parameter used in the example. 300 PPI is more oriented toward high-detail requirements, but may increase file size and processing time. The most reliable method is to test the same sample separately with each setting, and then choose according to reading, printing, and transmission requirements.

Why is it recommended to use a new save folder?

An independent output directory makes it easier to check the number of generated files and reduces the risk of overwriting, sending the wrong files, or confusing them with the originals. The original text-based PDF often still has retention value and should not be deleted before the effect has been confirmed.

Can many PDFs be imported directly from a folder?

Yes. The operation page in the screenshot provides "Import Files from Folder", which is suitable when the files to be processed are stored centrally. After importing, it is still necessary to check the record count and paths, and exclude PDFs in the folder that do not need to be converted.

8. Summary

When uniformly converting multiple electronic PDFs into black-and-white scanned versions, the truly time-consuming part is often not a single conversion, but the constant repetition of adding files, selecting parameters, saving results, and checking output. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a tool oriented toward batch processing of office files. Through the "Convert PDF to scanned-document effect" feature, it can import multiple PDFs at once and uniformly set pure black and pure white, grayscale, or color mode, as well as clarity parameters such as 96, 150, 200, and 300 PPI.

If your materials are mainly text-based and you want to achieve a photocopy-scan style close to the example in this article, you can first add one representative PDF and test it with "Pure black and pure white" and "Clear (200 PPI)". After confirming that the text, tables, and page numbers all meet the requirements, import all PDFs from the folder to perform batch processing. By testing first, then batch processing, and then spot-checking afterward, you can significantly reduce repetitive office operations while ensuring reliable results.