diff --git a/docling_pk/__init__.py b/docling_pk/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/docling_pk/preprocessor.py b/docling_pk/preprocessor.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..087f99f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docling_pk/preprocessor.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+"""
+Image preprocessing for docling-pk.
+
+Prepares a document photo for OCR. Order: grayscale, then blur check,
+then deskew, then denoise. Adaptive thresholding was tested directly
+(A/B test comparing thresholded output against plain grayscale on real
+CNIC and certificate samples) and removed: it consistently lowered
+EasyOCR's own confidence on every sample tested (CNIC 0.551 vs 0.759,
+Matric 0.485 vs 0.660, Intermediate 0.481 vs 0.675, all worse with
+thresholding). EasyOCR's detector is trained on natural photos, not
+pre-binarized ones, so feeding it our own black-and-white conversion
+worked against it rather than for it. This also matches the earlier
+finding on the blurry sample, where thresholding turned soft edges into
+hollow, unreadable outlines.
+"""
+
+import cv2
+import numpy as np
+from pathlib import Path
+
+BLUR_VARIANCE_THRESHOLD = 35.0
+
+
+class TooBlurryError(ValueError):
+    """Raised when an image is too blurry to reliably OCR."""
+
+
+def preprocess(image_path: str) -> np.ndarray:
+    """
+    Prepares a document image for OCR.
+
+    Steps:
+    1. Load and validate
+    2. Grayscale
+    3. Blur check
+    4. Deskew
+    5. Denoise
+
+    Args:
+        image_path: path to the input image file.
+
+    Returns:
+        A single-channel numpy array ready for OCR.
+
+    Raises:
+        FileNotFoundError: if image_path does not exist.
+        ValueError: if the file cannot be read as an image.
+        TooBlurryError: if the image is too blurry to reliably OCR.
+    """
+    path = Path(image_path)
+    if not path.exists():
+        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Image not found: {image_path}")
+
+    img = cv2.imread(str(path))
+    if img is None:
+        raise ValueError(f"Could not read image: {image_path}. Check the file is a valid PNG/JPG.")
+
+    gray = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)
+    _check_blur(gray)
+
+    deskewed = _deskew(gray)
+    denoised = cv2.fastNlMeansDenoising(deskewed, h=10)
+    return denoised
+
+
+def _check_blur(gray: np.ndarray) -> None:
+    """
+    Measures sharpness using the variance of the Laplacian. Threshold of
+    35 picked from 4 real samples: two failing blurry images scored 12.9
+    and 27.1, two working images scored 48.2 and 54.9. Small sample,
+    should be recalibrated as more images are tested.
+    """
+    variance = cv2.Laplacian(gray, cv2.CV_64F).var()
+    if variance < BLUR_VARIANCE_THRESHOLD:
+        raise TooBlurryError(
+            f"Image too blurry to process (sharpness score {variance:.1f}, "
+            f"minimum {BLUR_VARIANCE_THRESHOLD}). Please retake the photo."
+        )
+
+
+def _deskew(gray: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
+    """
+    Estimates and corrects rotation using the minimum-area bounding box
+    of dark pixels. Known limitation, confirmed by direct testing: this
+    fails against cluttered or textured backgrounds (fabric, patterned
+    surfaces), since the angle is estimated from every dark pixel in the
+    frame, not the document specifically. v1 assumes a plain background.
+    """
+    inverted = cv2.bitwise_not(gray)
+    _, binary = cv2.threshold(inverted, 0, 255, cv2.THRESH_BINARY | cv2.THRESH_OTSU)
+    coords = np.column_stack(np.where(binary > 0))
+
+    if coords.shape[0] < 50:
+        return gray
+
+    angle = cv2.minAreaRect(coords)[-1]
+    if angle < -45:
+        angle = -(90 + angle)
+    else:
+        angle = -angle
+
+    (h, w) = gray.shape
+    center = (w // 2, h // 2)
+    matrix = cv2.getRotationMatrix2D(center, angle, 1.0)
+    rotated = cv2.warpAffine(gray, matrix, (w, h), flags=cv2.INTER_CUBIC, borderMode=cv2.BORDER_REPLICATE)
+    return rotated
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diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f543a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+opencv-python
+numpy
+easyocr
+torch
+typer
+pytest
+pytest-cov
\ No newline at end of file