Optical Character Recognition(OCR)
OCR is the most common type of recognition and is the process by which the image of text on a page in read by a computer program make the text editable. The OCR process can be classified two ways: zonal and full-text. Zonal OCR is typically used on forms, where only specific fields on the form are of interest. Full-text OCR is used on free-form documents, such as legal briefs, to read the entire document and then prepare a searchable, full-text index of the document.
OCR can also be generalized in two forms: text-over and text-under. Text-over is when the OCR data is placed over the image and the text becomes very clean and no longer appears as the original print. Text-under is when the OCR data is placed underneath an image and that data is placed on the same x-y coordinates as the original text. Text-under is used when keeping the original look of a document is required.
Image cleanup is also performed in the recognition step. Techniques include:
- Deskewing, despeckling, deshading, streak removal, and other basic cleanup functions
- Line removal and character reconstruction for use on forms
- Edge enhancement, which sharpens character edges to increase OCR accuracy
The purpose of image cleanup is to remove unwanted noise that can decrease the accuracy of automated recognition.
Enhance your collection of images and PDFs to allow for keyword searches with OCR technology!