The output given by OCR software is never immaculate. Companies need to fix the errors in spelling and imperfections in page layout. There may be dots, black borders and speckles. However you can improve the output by applying certain techniques. Few of the most operative ones that most of the companies offering OCR conversion services advice are explained below.
Scanning resolution
300dpi is the recommended resolution for getting OCR work at its best. When scanning is done at high resolutions and in case of colour scanning, time taken significantly increases. However, for old newspapers, ledgers and spreadsheets, 400dpi can be helpful. Only in case if there are small fonts, this process needs to be done at 600dpi.
Color Scanning
Waned documents may be totally untidy and unreadable if scanning is done in B&W mode. In such situations to increase the readability of faded, yellowed, wrinkled or stained documents, grayscale and color processing helps in improving recognition rates when it comes to OCR to word conversion. The main worry in doing so is the increased size of files. Compression technology can come handy in such a situation.
De-skew
Crooked images are automatically corrected in 2 ways- by using the edge of documents or by scrutinizing the image contents. Straightening pages is important so as to assure precise image conversions. De-skewing is done during scanning in commercial scanners. But sometimes rescanning or correction is needed for images with higher skew.
Noise Removal
Accuracy rates are elevated with noise removal. With de-speckle function, specks, dots and all other types of noise can be cleaned for enhanced level of character recognition. In formats like fax or tiff, de-speckle is restricted to bi-tonal images.
Image enhancement
Poor quality images are bettered using various image enhancement techniques. It is applied most effectively to sharp edges and repair incisions on unfinished characters. B&W characters can also be thinned or thickened for refining recognition.
Removal of black border
Black edges that surround the scanned pages are to be removed. By this, processing time is reduced and ability to zoom pictures and text for the duration of batch recognition is improved. Options included are variance, white noise length and border percent. You have to select the borders that needs to be removed.
Documents as a result of OCR conversion have complete text search competences and are also editable. This is a really cheap option when compared with data entry. Most of the time accuracy doesn’t pops up as a concern when the documents are text-only. If it is not perfect for your requirement and proofing required is exceeding spell checks, data entry is preferred. However, the best thing to check whether OCR fits your needs is to carry out a test using a sample.
If you are in quest of best quality OCR services, PGBS is the destination you can confidently outsource to. The company specializes in OCR Scanning Services. There are the best people working who are backed by most sophisticated technologies. Discounted rates are offered for huge projects and the turnaround time is very low. Contact the company directly to get more details.