OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
Getting a printed document off paper and onto the computer requires OCR technology. Before OCR can be used, source material is scanned using an optical scanner and software is used to processes the scans to differentiate between images and text and determine what letters are represented in the light and dark strokes of the text. If a software programmer wants to build a software program to recognize text then there are components available that give a programmer prewritten code to add OCR technology into his application quickly and easily. OCR software can recognize a wide variety of fonts in different languages but handwriting and script fonts that mimic handwriting are still problematic. That is where ICR comes in.
ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition)
ICR can convert handwritten text and numbers into machine readable strings and
documents. For example, an application using ICR technology can convert handwritten
reports into PDF files or Word Doc files. ICR can be used in the same fashion
and mixed on the same image as OCR. Programmers who need to add ICR technology
into their software applications with support for hand written text in nearly
100 languages can choose excellent third party components to help them program
this advanced technology into their software applications.
OMR (Optical Mark Recognition)
OMR is used for recognizing optical marks (checkmarks). Typical applications of OMR technology include the processing of questionnaires, ballots, educational tests and reporting, and ordering sheets, where the documents to be processed are form-like and filled in by hand by respondents. Programmers who need to add OMR technology into their software applications can purchase components to make the task easy.
Whether you need components to perform OCR, ICR, OMR, or a variety of other advanced document imaging features, you will want to look for components that offer your software application the speed and flexibility it will need when working with scanned documents containing text, handwriting and other images.