Described is a method for checking a value document having a polymer substrate and at least one see-through window, in which a digital transmission image of the value document is captured, the transmission image comprising pixels, in the image an edge brightness value for the brightness of an edge of the at least one see-through window is ascertained, using the edge brightness value, a threshold value for the recognition of a print removal is ascertained which is smaller than the edge brightness value but greater than the minimal brightness in the image, it is checked whether pixels which lie in at least one specified portion of the image and outside the at least one see-through window and its edge have a brightness which lies above the threshold value.