Optical Character Recognition

/ˈɒptɪkəl ˈkɛrɪktə ˌrɛkəgˈnɪʃən/

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technology that converts different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDFs, or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data. It works by analyzing the shapes of characters in the document and translating them into machine-encoded text. OCR is widely used in various applications, including digitizing printed documents for editing, automating data entry processes, and enabling text-to-speech for visually impaired users. The main characteristics of OCR include its ability to recognize multiple fonts and languages, as well as its integration with machine learning techniques to improve accuracy and efficiency over time.