Are you looking to create a digital version of any hardcopy document? OCR, abbreviation for optical character recognition technology, is what you need. OCR is widely used in digital replication such as in PDF editors like Wondershare PDFelement. OCR technology is used for digital replication. It can read the fonts of scanned documents and digitally captured images, but it can also recognize line breaks, divide up columns, make images into graphics, search text by keyword, edit the document, and more. It is simple to use and takes only a few seconds.
OCR before Paperless Concept
One goal was to convert paper documents into electronic files that could be stored electronically.
These are the top 5 benefits of turning physical documents into digital libraries:
Data retrieval is easier: Anyone with the right credentials can access the information via computer networks or internet. There are no more trips to the archive and no need to waste time looking for the exact paper document.
More space: Paper can take up a lot of space. However, digital documents can fit onto one hard drive with plenty of room once you've converted image to text.
Management is easier: Electronic folders and digital file organization are infinitely more efficient that dealing with paper.
Increased security: Digital documents are easily backed up on multiple drives. They are also more resistant to natural disasters. Administrators can also encrypt data and deny files access with just a few mouse clicks.
Simplified sharing and viewing: Electronic documents can easily be shared and viewed unlimited times without leaving the office. Businesses were able to significantly cut operating costs and time by using OCR pdf scanning devices.
However, there was a growing need for technology to convert those image-based, scannable documents into searchable, reusable files. This was in an effort to improve office efficiency. OCR was born and has forever changed how we handle documents.
OCR: From the Desk to the Desktop: How Does OCR Work?
It doesn't matter if a document is scanned, image-based or another digital format. We can understand numbers, letters, symbols and images if we can see them. It's more complicated for computers. OCR technology allows computers to break down a document's structure and make it easier for them to decode. An OCR program breaks down a document's structure into lines, words, and then individual characters. What started as a block is separated from any formatting features. After scanning is complete, the OCR algorithm copies each character one-by-one and then reassembles all the documents with one important difference: the text is now extracted and editable.
OCR technology has improved a lot since its inception, but errors still happen. The machine may have trouble "reading" the original document and translating it into an electronic version. Advanced OCR software is now reliable and affordable and reduces the likelihood of errors in conversion. OCR software offers the flexibility and speed required in professional work environments when it comes to scanning text and image documentation.
OCR Technology's Advantages
OCR software is the best option if you need to convert a document to a digital format. OCR software is a reliable and fast alternative to manually typing. When creating a digital copy of a document, the Optical Character Recognition process is able to save time and effort. OCR software can convert any document into many electronic formats such as Microsoft Word, Text (and Rich Text), Excel, or scanned PDF files.
OCR programs allow you to edit all documents and make changes as needed. OCR is much cheaper than manual data entry if you compare its cost. OCR is an essential part of large companies' office equipment. It is also valuable in industries that scan a lot of documentation such as legal departments, law offices, financial and healthcare companies, government agencies and healthcare institutions, human resource departments, law firms and real estate companies, and other areas where scanning is a common practice.
OCR has made it possible to improve every aspect of paperless, such as making documents searchable and editable, and accessible.