How to Use a Scanner to Capture Text
OCR (optical character recognition) software, used with your scanner, converts a printed page into an editable computer text file almost as accurately as if you typed it. The specifics of these instructions will vary from one OCR program to another.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Place the printed page on scanner with the text facing the glass. Make sure it's straight.
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2
Open your OCR program.
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3
Select Acquire (or something similar) from the File menu.
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4
Choose your scanner as the source.
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5
Set resolution to between 200 and 400 dpi (dots per inch).
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6
Select Line Art as image type or scan mode.
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7
Click Prescan.
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8
Evaluate the text quality on screen. If it looks too jagged, increase the resolution.
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9
Drag the frame in the pre-scan window to select desired blocks of text.
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10
Click Scan.
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11
Repeat the process for additional pages of the same document.
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12
If the OCR program does not automatically convert document to text, click Recognize or Convert.
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13
Save the text file.
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14
Open the file in a word-processing application.
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15
Immediately run the spell checker.
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16
Check the text for other errors.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Try adjusting the scanner's brightness and contrast controls if results are unsatisfactory.
Most scanners come with an abridged edition of a popular OCR program. If you aren't satisfied with it, consider upgrading to the full version or a more sophisticated OCR program.
OCR programs frequently have trouble distinguishing between "m" and "n," "cl" and "d," and other similar-looking characters, depending on the font. Expect at least 90 percent accuracy with easily readable originals, however.
Basic OCR programs cannot handle forms or tables.
