diff --git a/docling/backend/docling_parse_backend.py b/docling/backend/docling_parse_backend.py
index bb1fe058..89b25ee1 100644
--- a/docling/backend/docling_parse_backend.py
+++ b/docling/backend/docling_parse_backend.py
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def draw_clusters_and_cells():
         return cells
 
     def get_bitmap_rects(self, scale: float = 1) -> Iterable[BoundingBox]:
-        AREA_THRESHOLD = 32 * 32
+        AREA_THRESHOLD = 0  # 32 * 32
 
         for i in range(len(self._dpage["images"])):
             bitmap = self._dpage["images"][i]
diff --git a/docling/backend/docling_parse_v2_backend.py b/docling/backend/docling_parse_v2_backend.py
index 12d7df55..366fa6ac 100644
--- a/docling/backend/docling_parse_v2_backend.py
+++ b/docling/backend/docling_parse_v2_backend.py
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ def draw_clusters_and_cells():
         return cells
 
     def get_bitmap_rects(self, scale: float = 1) -> Iterable[BoundingBox]:
-        AREA_THRESHOLD = 32 * 32
+        AREA_THRESHOLD = 0  # 32 * 32
 
         images = self._dpage["sanitized"]["images"]["data"]
         images_header = self._dpage["sanitized"]["images"]["header"]
diff --git a/docling/backend/pypdfium2_backend.py b/docling/backend/pypdfium2_backend.py
index d24ba608..2566fc18 100644
--- a/docling/backend/pypdfium2_backend.py
+++ b/docling/backend/pypdfium2_backend.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def is_valid(self) -> bool:
         return self.valid
 
     def get_bitmap_rects(self, scale: float = 1) -> Iterable[BoundingBox]:
-        AREA_THRESHOLD = 32 * 32
+        AREA_THRESHOLD = 0  # 32 * 32
         for obj in self._ppage.get_objects(filter=[pdfium_c.FPDF_PAGEOBJ_IMAGE]):
             pos = obj.get_pos()
             cropbox = BoundingBox.from_tuple(
diff --git a/docling/datamodel/pipeline_options.py b/docling/datamodel/pipeline_options.py
index fc78e27c..eeec6bab 100644
--- a/docling/datamodel/pipeline_options.py
+++ b/docling/datamodel/pipeline_options.py
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ class EasyOcrOptions(OcrOptions):
 
     use_gpu: Optional[bool] = None
 
-    confidence_threshold: float = 0.65
+    confidence_threshold: float = 0.5
 
     model_storage_directory: Optional[str] = None
     recog_network: Optional[str] = "standard"
diff --git a/docling/models/base_ocr_model.py b/docling/models/base_ocr_model.py
index 68553c48..9afb7dde 100644
--- a/docling/models/base_ocr_model.py
+++ b/docling/models/base_ocr_model.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from docling_core.types.doc import BoundingBox, CoordOrigin
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw
 from rtree import index
-from scipy.ndimage import find_objects, label
+from scipy.ndimage import binary_dilation, find_objects, label
 
 from docling.datamodel.base_models import Cell, OcrCell, Page
 from docling.datamodel.document import ConversionResult
@@ -43,6 +43,12 @@ def find_ocr_rects(size, bitmap_rects):
 
             np_image = np.array(image)
 
+            # Dilate the image by 10 pixels to merge nearby bitmap rectangles
+            structure = np.ones(
+                (20, 20)
+            )  # Create a 20x20 structure element (10 pixels in all directions)
+            np_image = binary_dilation(np_image > 0, structure=structure)
+
             # Find the connected components
             labeled_image, num_features = label(
                 np_image > 0
@@ -72,7 +78,7 @@ def find_ocr_rects(size, bitmap_rects):
             bitmap_rects = []
         coverage, ocr_rects = find_ocr_rects(page.size, bitmap_rects)
 
-        # return full-page rectangle if sufficiently covered with bitmaps
+        # return full-page rectangle if page is dominantly covered with bitmaps
         if self.options.force_full_page_ocr or coverage > max(
             BITMAP_COVERAGE_TRESHOLD, self.options.bitmap_area_threshold
         ):
@@ -85,17 +91,11 @@ def find_ocr_rects(size, bitmap_rects):
                     coord_origin=CoordOrigin.TOPLEFT,
                 )
             ]
-        # return individual rectangles if the bitmap coverage is smaller
-        else:  # coverage <= BITMAP_COVERAGE_TRESHOLD:
-
-            # skip OCR if the bitmap area on the page is smaller than the options threshold
-            ocr_rects = [
-                rect
-                for rect in ocr_rects
-                if rect.area() / (page.size.width * page.size.height)
-                > self.options.bitmap_area_threshold
-            ]
+        # return individual rectangles if the bitmap coverage is above the threshold
+        elif coverage > self.options.bitmap_area_threshold:
             return ocr_rects
+        else:  # overall coverage of bitmaps is too low, drop all bitmap rectangles.
+            return []
 
     # Filters OCR cells by dropping any OCR cell that intersects with an existing programmatic cell.
     def _filter_ocr_cells(self, ocr_cells, programmatic_cells):
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ def draw_ocr_rects_and_cells(self, conv_res, page, ocr_rects, show: bool = False
             x0 *= scale_x
             x1 *= scale_x
 
+            if y1 <= y0:
+                y1, y0 = y0, y1
+
             color = "gray"
             if isinstance(tc, OcrCell):
                 color = "magenta"