If OmniPage mixes lines from two columns, inspect the page zones and reading order before editing the exported document. A page can contain accurately recognized words in an incorrect sequence. Fixing only spelling will not restore the intended paragraph flow.
This checklist follows OmniPage Ultimate 19.2 documentation. Use a representative copy and preserve the original page image. Choose a sample with recognizable column beginnings, endings and any full-width heading so you can identify the intended sequence without guessing.
Write the expected reading path
Identify whether the page should be read down the left column and then down the right, across rows, or through several independent text areas. A newsletter, price table and academic page may look columnar while requiring different reading logic.
Record where a heading, caption or footnote belongs in the flow. If the source layout is genuinely ambiguous, ask the document owner to confirm the intended order. The recognition software cannot resolve an editorial ambiguity simply by producing text confidently.
Inspect the detected zones
The zone-type reference describes how process, text, table and other zones are treated. Check whether each column has an appropriate boundary and whether neighboring material was grouped together. One zone covering two unrelated columns can lead to a different result from separate text zones.
Separate tables from newspaper-style columns
A table may need values associated across a row; prose columns usually need continuous paragraph reading. Do not change every multi-column area to the same zone type. Choose according to the content's structure and the intended output.
Keep full-width headings distinct
A title spanning both columns should not automatically become the first line of each column or interrupt the middle of a paragraph. Inspect its zone and position in the sequence. Include captions and sidebars in the review, especially when the export will be read without the original page layout.
| Page element | Reading-order question |
|---|---|
| Left column | Where does its final paragraph continue? |
| Right column | Does it begin after the left column or another section? |
| Full-width heading | Does it precede the intended body text? |
| Sidebar | Is it independent or part of the main narrative? |
Review the reading-order controls
The official zone documentation describes changing reading order in the Text Editor's True Page view. Use the controls in the installed version and inspect the resulting sequence on the sample. Do not assume that moving a visible box necessarily produces the same effect as changing its reading order.
Make one adjustment and reread the transition between affected sections. Keep the source image visible for comparison. If re-recognition is needed, preserve the prior working state so you can tell which operation changed the result.
Choose the export formatting deliberately
Tungsten's formatting-level guide explains the distinction between decolumnized text and page-layout output. A format that preserves columns visually can still be unsuitable when the recipient needs a simple continuous document. Define which representation the downstream task requires.
Check the export setting rather than relying only on the editor's current view. Save a short output and open it in the intended target application. Review actual paragraph order, not merely the appearance of text boxes on a familiar page.
Validate transitions, not just isolated words
Read the last sentence of each column and the first sentence of the next intended section. Look for duplicated headings, inserted footnotes and sentences joined from unrelated areas. These errors can survive a spelling check because every individual word is valid.
If the text will support search, accessibility or later editing, inspect its usable sequence in that context too. A visually faithful page is not automatically a well-ordered text representation. Do not claim accessibility conformance from this single check.
Group recurring layouts carefully
For a collection of similar pages, test several examples before reusing the same approach. A second page with a full-width table or changed column width may require a different setup. Keep exceptional layouts in a separate review group rather than forcing one zoning pattern across everything.
Record the chosen zone approach and output format with one accepted sample. This small note is enough to help another operator reproduce the decision without storing multiple unnecessary intermediate exports.
Our PDF conversion workflow guide discusses output requirements more broadly. For a two-column OmniPage page, the acceptance test is specific: the saved text follows the intended reading path, transitions make sense and the chosen representation serves the recipient's actual task.
For tabular areas that need row relationships rather than prose flow, review OmniPage table zones and dividers.
