Do you want to make a digital format out of the hard copy of any document? If you do, OCR (abbreviation for “Optical Character Recognition”) technology can be the right option. Optical Character Recognition is a modern technology used for digital replication. The OCR program software does more than simply reading the fonts - it can recognize line breaks in the document. The process is quite simple, easy to manage, and can take just a few seconds. Some even say that OCR program software can replace Data Entry service. However, there are advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of OCR

If you only want to convert a document into an editable digital format, the OCR program software is the best choice. The Optical Character Recognition process can save both time and effort when developing a digital replica of the document. It provides a fast and reliable alternative to typing manually. All you need to do is scan the hard copy of the document and get the digital format. Always remember to enable the “scan to OCR” option before scanning. The OCR program software can convert a document in several electronic formats, like Microsoft Word, Text (and Rich Text), Excel, and PDF formats.

All documents created through OCR program software are editable and allow you to modify the content as you see fit. If you compare the cost of OCR with the cost of manual data entry, OCR is a lot cheaper. OCR program software proved to be better than data entry service for organizations specializing in developing electronic copy out of printed books.

Disadvantages of OCR Service

The main disadvantage of the OCR program software is the number of errors. Correcting the errors counts more cost than preparing a digital format of the document. However, even a human makes mistakes. High accuracy OCR program software is able to read approximately 400 characters per second, generating less errors compared to the average OCR program software.

Also, OCR program software has difficulties in recognizing the handwriting and the fonts, which are quite similar to handwriting. OCR does not perform very well when it comes to extracting handwritten text. When you deal with this situation, manual typing is better than the OCR process.

How efficient is Data Entry Service than OCR?

Compared to the ordinary OCR program software, conversion life cycle cost is less in data entry service, while providing complete flexibility to data entry operators preparing digital documents from multiple formats (hard copy or audio files). If you need to transcribe some audio files, OCR is not up to it. OCR program software does not know how to output a digital document by simply scanning the audio files. In this case, data entry is proven to be better than the OCR program software.

The OCR program software is the best at inserting raw data in a document. However, it will not provide an error free document. While it is efficient during the initial level of data entry service, studies show that OCR program software cannot be a substitute of the data entry service. However, if you don’t need perfect copy, or have the time and staff to correct spelling errors, OCR is perfect for you!