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Forensic check

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN appears on 1.0% of modified results in our corpus. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it.

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Marker profile

Content Stream Analysis

Signs of text added over existing page content.

Share of modified results
1.0%
Frequency rank
#24
Among the 56 markers seen in modified results
Certain confidence
19.8%
Of results with this marker rated certain rather than high
Fires alone
63.5%
Results where it is the only marker found

Marker profile

What HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN tells you

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN is one of the named findings returned in modification_markers when a PDF is reported as modified. It belongs to the Content Stream Analysis group of checks. These checks look at the content of the pages themselves for signs of edits made after the document was authored.

On 63.5% of the modified results that carry HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN it is the only marker. A result with this marker carries 1.8 markers on average. It is most often found together with HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE, on 15.4% of these results.

Example API response

How it appears in a result

When a PDF is reported as modified, HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN is listed in modification_markers next to the verdict and its confidence. Each marker is a named, actionable finding – not a score.

GET /api/v1/result/{id}
{
  "id": "9f3a2c1d-8b47-4e6f-a012-3d5e7f890123",
  "status": "modified",
  "modification_confidence": "high",
  "modification_markers": [
    "HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN"
  ],
  "creator": "Adobe Acrobat Pro DC",
  "has_incremental_updates": true,
  "page_count": 3
}

Full schema in the API reference →

Distributions

What ships alongside HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN

The tools, formats and document traits that appear on the modified results carrying this marker. Shares are of those results.

Common Producers

iLovePDF writes 31.7% of these results – and 4.9% of all modified results naming it carry this marker.

iLovePDF4.9% of its modified31.7%
iText1.0% of its modified9.6%
Microsoft Print to PDF5.7% of its modified5.8%
Microsoft Word0.7% of its modified4.8%
Canva8.7% of its modified3.8%
Crystal Reports40.0% of its modified3.8%
PDFium1.3% of its modified2.9%

Common Creators

JasperReports is the Creator on 12.5% of these results.

JasperReports10.2% of its modified12.5%
Microsoft Word0.5% of its modified4.8%
Canva6.7% of its modified3.8%
Crystal Reports25.0% of its modified3.8%
Scanner TOSHIBA26.7% of its modified3.8%
PDFium1.2% of its modified2.9%

Often found together with

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE sits next to HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN more often than any other marker.

Document origin

Online editor32.7%
Institutional26.0%
Consumer software25.0%
Scanned7.7%
Unknown7.7%

Creator → Producer pairs

Microsoft Word → Microsoft Word4.8%
Canva → Canva3.8%
Crystal Reports → Crystal Reports3.8%
JasperReports → iText2.9%
PDFium → PDFium2.9%

Detected origin software

iLovePDF31.7%
Microsoft Print to PDF5.8%
Microsoft Word4.8%
Canva3.8%

Confidence of the verdict

Certain15.4%
High62.5%

When these results were checked

March 202622.1%
April 202642.3%
May 202615.4%
June 20261.0%
July 20261.0%
August 202610.6%
September 20264.8%
October 20261.9%
November 20261.0%

Document length

1 page58.7%
2–5 pages12.5%
6–20 pages4.8%
21–100 pages1.9%

File size

Under 100 KB21.2%
100 KB – 1 MB68.3%
1 – 5 MB9.6%
Over 5 MB1.0%

PDF versions

PDF 1.759.6%
PDF 1.410.6%
PDF 1.32.9%
PDF 1.62.9%

Year the document says it was created

20212.9%
202653.8%

Long tail

Notable observations

Smaller cuts of the results carrying HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN – useful context, but treat each row as a single data point rather than a strong signal.

Digitally signed
0%

Of files carry at least one digital signature

Saved revisions
12.5%

Of files contain earlier saved revisions

Embedded JavaScript
0%

Of files contain JavaScript code

Embedded files
0%

Of files have attachments inside

Avg pages per document
2.5
Markers per result
1.8

Average number of markers on these results

Related checks

Other Content Stream Analysis checks

Checks from the same group. Each card links to its own reference page.

HTPBE_CONTENT_STREAM_EDITING_MARKERSEditing traces within the document’s pages
Share of modified10.7%
Seen together3.8%
HTPBE_DRAWING_OPS_INCONSISTENTPage drawing evidence consistent with editing
Share of modified2.3%
HTPBE_PRINTED_OUT_OF_PDF_READERDocument printed to a new PDF after its original creationHTPBE_INVISIBLE_DUPLICATE_TEXTHidden text on the page that does not add up
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_CHARACTER_OVERLAY_EDITLocalised edits placed over the original page text
Share of modified0.3%
HTPBE_GLYPH_LEVEL_EDITIndividual characters that appear replaced after authoring
Share of modified0.2%
HTPBE_MIXED_FONT_EMBEDDINGFont usage on a page that points to text added after authoring
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_PARTIAL_FONT_REPLACEMENTOriginal fonts that appear partly replaced after authoring
Share of modified0.8%
HTPBE_BURNED_IN_ANNOTATIONSAnnotations that appear merged into the page content
Share of modified<0.1%
HTPBE_WIDGET_APPEARANCE_MISMATCHA form field showing signs of alteration
Share of modified<0.1%
HTPBE_INCOMPLETE_REDACTIONA redaction that did not fully conceal its content
Share of modified0.2%
HTPBE_PAGE_REGION_SUBSTITUTEDSigns that part of a page was replaced after creation
Share of modified<0.1%

FAQ

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN: common questions

What does HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN mean?

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN is a named finding in an HTPBE? result: signs of text added over existing page content. It is returned in the modification_markers list of a modified result and belongs to the Content Stream Analysis group of checks.

Does HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN mean the document is fake?

No. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it. It records that the file shows this pattern; it does not say why, and it does not assess what the document states. Read it together with the verdict and any other markers on the same result.

What should I do when a result contains HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN?

Ask the sender for the original file straight from the issuing system, or request a fresh copy from the issuer. Check whether the document went through a later step such as re-saving, merging or converting, and verify it with the issuer before relying on it for a decision.

How common is HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN?

HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN appears on 1.0% of the modified results in the HTPBE? corpus. The corpus consists of PDFs people chose to submit for checking, so it skews towards documents someone had a reason to doubt and is not a sample of all PDFs.

Where do I see HTPBE_TEXT_OVERLAY_ON_SCAN?

In the modification_markers list of the result returned by the HTPBE? API, and on the result page of a modified document. Other checks in the Content Stream Analysis group are listed below on this page; all 63 checks are listed on the how-it-works page.

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