Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technology that converts scanned documents and images into editable text. OCR works by identifying character shapes through image processing and noise removal techniques, then converts the recognized characters into binary encodings like Unicode. The history of OCR began in 1914 with Emanuel Goldberg's machine for translating characters into telegraph code. Major advances included Ray Kurzweil's reading machine for the blind in the 1970s and the commercialization of OCR software in the late 20th century. OCR has many advantages, allowing text from paper documents and images to be easily searched, edited and reused digitally. Recommended OCR software includes Google Drive, Nuance OmniPage, and Abbyy

1. Optical Character Recognition
Prepared By: Ghufran Ataie, Aria University
/ghufranataie

2. Overview
• Introduction to OCR – Optical Character Recognition
• History of OCR
• Input Devices and OCR Conversion Applications
• Logic of How Does OCR Works
• Advantage and Usage of OCR
• Best OCR Computer converters
• Question ????

3. Introduction of OCR
• OCR, is a technology that enables you to convert different types
of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files or
images captured by a digital camera into editable and
searchable data.
• The identification of printed characters using photoelectric
devices and computer software.
• It is the Translation of character image into character code such
as Unicode and ASCII which commonly use in data processing

4. History of OCR
• In 1914, Emanuel Goldberg developed a machine that read
characters and converted them into standard telegraph code.
• In the late 1920s and into the 1930s Emanuel Goldberg developed
what he called a "Statistical Machine" for searching microfilm
archives using an optical code recognition system.
• In the late 1960s and 1970s Ray Kurzweil create a reading machine
for the blind, which would allow blind people to have a computer
read text to them out loud. This device required the invention of two
enabling technologies – the CCD flatbed scanner and the text-to-
speech. And this product finish on January 13, 1976

5. History of OCR ……
• In 1978, Ray Kurzweil Computer Products began selling a
commercial version of the optical character recognition computer
program.
• In the 2000s, OCR was made available online as a service (WebOCR),
in a cloud computing environment, and in mobile applications like
real-time translation of foreign-language signs on a smartphone.
• Various commercial and open source OCR systems are available for
most common writing systems, including Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic,
Hebrew, Indic, Bengali (Bangla), Devanagari, Tamil, Chinese,
Japanese, and Korean characters.

6. OCR – Input Device
Optical Character Recognition uses photo, or scanned
document to convert and the devices can be,
• Scanner
• Camera
• Bar code reader - Datalogic
• Portable scanners
• IRISPen – The Digital Highlighter

8. How Does the Optical Recognition Works
• First process in OCR is the image noise removal techniques
• Programmers uses colors dotted methods to specify each character
symbols in their application or OCR converters
• Optical Character Recognition identifies the shapes and convert it
into character symbols to their binary Unicode or ASSCI value to
make it in editable format.
• During these activities advanced OCR converters are having spell
checking facility, Accuracy and auto correct options

9. OCR Advantage and Usage
• Optical Character Recognition is best option for office
employees, students or printing press to save their time.
• After converting, it allow us to bring any kind of changes in text
such as copy, paste, edit and search specific word in whole
document.
• OCR Barcode method is so useful in super stores to get detail of
every product just in nanoseconds.

10. OCR Recommended Software for PC
1. Google online drive is the best option of OCR converting. Free
2. Nuance OmniPage
3. Nuance PaperPort Professional
4. Abbyy FineReader
5. Soda PDF
6. Adobe Acrobat DC

11. Questions?