optical character recognition

In computing, a technique for inputting text to a computer by means of a document reader. First, a scanner produces a digital image of the text; then character-recognition software makes use of stored knowledge about the shapes of individual characters to convert the digital image to a set of internal codes that can be stored and processed by a computer.

OCR originally required specially designed characters but current devices can recognize most standard typefaces and even handwriting. OCR is used, for example, by gas and electricity companies to input data collected on meter-reading cards, and by personal digital assistants to recognize users' handwriting.