Have you ever heard of OCR? OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It's a must-have part of any PDF solution you have. Chances are, you've already used this technology in the past without knowing what it is.
This blog will explain what OCR is and when you might need to use it.
Understanding OCR
So, what is Optical Character Recognition anyways?
Essentially, this technology is about reaching text inside images. It's been around since the early 1920s. Back then, it was predominantly utilized for converting characters into telegraphic code. However, applications quickly expanded to reading data from microfilm, digitizing old documents, and creating aids for blind people.
OCR technology converts images with written words or numbers into machine-readable text. That means it can pull from photos, handwritten notes, and anything else that's not a product of computer code.
Why Do You Need OCR?
There are many ways to utilize OCR. One of the most common is to digitize documents. Without OCR, the only way to digitize handwritten documents would be to type everything out in a word document. For a while, that was the only choice companies had!
Luckily, OCR came around and became a game-changer. Now, all you have to do is scan the document. OCR processing identifies individual characters and puts them in a digital form you can edit. Many PDF solution software has OCR technology built right in, making it a must for businesses, schools, and even private individuals.
Believe it or not, OCR plays a big part in your daily life, too. Ever wonder how those quick scans of your passport authenticate your identity at the airport? Or what about the car that tells you what the speed limit is on the dash? How about the historical documents you can search for on Google with keywords?
You have OCR to thank for all of it!
OCR is an invaluable tool that's only getting better. It's already pretty accurate, but the introduction of AI and high-resolution scanners make it easier than ever to turn non-digital writing into text that you can manipulate as you please.
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