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How To

Scan Documents to convert to text data (OCR)

Improving character recognition
Potential text recognition problems

You can scan and convert documents to text. The converted text can be saved or sent to a word processing application. The technology that allows computers to "read" text from physical objects calls OCR. OCR requires a graphical representation of text to interpret, which usually comes from a scanned image.

Improving character recognition

Use the Threshold slider to change the threshold value, monitoring the results of your changes in the Preview window. Adjusting the threshold value can make it easier for OCR to recognize characters.

Note:

The Threshold setting is available only when Image Type is set to Black & White in Home or Professional Mode.

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Potential text recognition problems

The quality of the text in your original document greatly affects OCR results.

The following types of originals can make recognition difficult and should be avoided if possible:

Items that have been copied from other copies

Faxes

Text with tightly-spaced characters or line pitch

Text that is in tables or underlined

Cursive or italic fonts, and font sizes less than 8 points

Remember that OCR software cannot recognize handwritten characters.

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