At Acro Photo Print Inc., we often get a lot of questions about what OCR scanning is, how to get the best results, and if businesses should buy their own software. Below, we’ll address these common questions with easy-to-understand answers.
What Is OCR Scanning?
“OCR” stands for Optical Character Recognition. It’s a technology that converts scanned text into an editable document. Without OCR technology, scanning a document simply means creating an image of the document. OCR scanning goes a step beyond to make that file something that you can interact with by inputting new information, changing existing information, and searching for information that was scanned from the original document.
How Do I Get the Best Results from OCR Scanning?
OCR scanning is at its most effective when the scanner is set to black and white (not grayscale or color) at a 300dpi resolution. This doesn’t mean you can’t scan things in color if you want OCR to work, just that using black and white makes it easier for OCR software to discern characters. Scanning at a resolution of greater than 300dpi is really only effective if you’re dealing with small print.
Does OCR Work on Existing PDFs & Image Files?
It can. Running PDFs and image files with text on them through an OCR program can create files with editable text. This can be a faster way to create these dynamic documents if you don’t want to scan the original documents again or have already disposed of them.
Is OCR Software Expensive?
It often is, especially because most software these days is sold on a subscription basis. OCR software subscriptions can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month to purchase.
Even if you get a subscription, you’ll be limited to a certain number of pages that you can scan per pay period and the number of computers you can install the software on. Limitations like these are completely superficial and serve only to frustrate you into purchasing the next most expensive plan.
Is There a More Cost-Effective Alternative to Purchasing OCR Software!
Yes! By working with Acro Photo Print Inc., you can access all of the benefits of OCR technology without affording the costly overhead of purchasing the software yourself. We can scan your documents and create editable text files from them for a fraction of the cost of what you would pay a software company.
Plus, by choosing us, you aren’t committing yourself to a monthly or annual subscription. This is can really save you money if you don’t really know how long you’ll need access to OCR technology. When you work with us on a per-job basis, you won’t have to worry about spending money that’s just going to waste – you can rest assured that every dime is sensibly spent on getting you the service you need.
For more information about our OCR scanning services, contact Acro Photo Print Inc. online or call us at (929) 244-4322.