Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!truett
From: truett@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Optical Character Recognition software?
Message-ID: <6408@cup.portal.com>
Date: 11 Jun 88 07:41:06 GMT
References: <367@msn006.misemi> <542@etn-rad.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 30
XPortal-User-Id: 1.1001.2190

Everyvody is doing a good job of not answering the question that was originally
asked.  The question was:  Given the image of an 8.5 x 11" page in Sun raster-
file format (presumably on a Sun), is their software that will perform OCR on
that file, producing a text file as output.

Many respondents mention the Dest products.  I am aware of the PC oriented
products from Dest, but do not know if they sell a version that interfaces to
a Sun.  Even at that, it is easy to choke a Dest scanner, though they do fine
for clean typewritten copy.

Also, at 300 dpi, you have a useful limit of about 6 pt for type size (even
though the human eye can read clean 4 pt with a 300 dpi image).  Basically, the
OCR algorithm runs into a two-dimensional Nyquist problem.

If the file can be converted into something like a TIFF file on an MS-DOS
machine, then there are several standalone software packages that can do the
job requested, though with varying degrees of accuracy and speed.  The copanies
selling such software include a company in Boca Raton, FL (I keep thinking of
the name Solution Technology but I may be confusing that with something else),
OCR Systems of Bensalem, PA, and another company called TNTI in Fremont, CA
(hard to find).  If there is interest, I can get the exact data out of my files
at work on Monday and post them.  The packages range in price from about $400
to $750.

An interesting solution if you have lots of OCR to do is the OCR processor from
Palantir which can be connected to a network.  At $15K it is expensive but very
powerful, on a par with the Kurzweil machines.

Truett Lee Smith, Sunnyvale, CA
UUCP:  truett@cup.portal.com