How Intelligent Character Recognition can improve your business

Intelligent Character Recognition

Businesses that process thousands of documents in the form of invoices, packing lists, purchase orders, and more, are understandably interested in automating these processes. With so much document processing still being performed manually, organizations are finally turning to hyperautomation to improve their organization. The concept of hyperautomation is simple — it’s the idea that everything that can be automated, should be automated.

This kind of complete automation means that businesses will use Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and various other technologies to automate business processes. One of the best ways to start automating your business is to implement OCR technology for document processing.

In the most basic sense, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a service that can read and capture data from documents, both digital and physical — so that humans do not have to. OCR software can make data capture from all documents fast and simple. 

In OCR, full form refers to a technology or software that can read text from a document and convert it into digitally-readable text.

There are two other important technologies that are closely related to OCR: the first is Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) and Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). OMR is a service that specifically reads marks, such as filled-in bubbles or boxes, on specially formatted documents. ICR is a tool that can learn to read handwriting and fonts instead of text. 

Intelligent Document Recognition (IDR) combines AI and different variations of OCR to process data from documents. IDR takes Optical Character Recognition a step further, since IDR classifies information from documents rather than just reading and converting data into a usable format. 

At Rossum, our software can automate document processing using these AI-powered technologies, so your employees can take a break from repetitive document processing tasks.

Handwritten character recognition

One reason why humans are often required to manually process documents is because of the possibility of coming across handwritten documents. But even humans have difficulty reading other people’s handwriting — and it might seem that technology would not be any better. However, handwritten character recognition technologies are already being proven to be an effective alternative to manual processing.

Businesses that are interested in handwritten character recognition can find several handwriting recognition GitHub programs available online that provide an easy way to test the technology. Building a handwriting recognition project from code is another option for more tech-savvy businesses. 

The most comprehensive and reliable tools can recognize handwriting using machine learning, which is a form of AI that makes it possible for computers to perform tasks without specific programming.

Another useful tool in handwritten character recognition is the use of deep learning. Deep learning uses artificial neural networks to essentially mimic human learning — this allows computers to read handwritten information, making inferences and learning along the way. If you  want to start using this kind of technology quickly, it is best to look for a pre-trained service to perform handwriting recognition.

That’s where Rossum comes in. With deep learning technology, Rossum offers OCR software that can read handwritten information through an AI-powered program.

Intelligent Character Recognition online

Plenty of businesses that need to process handwritten information find software for Intelligent Character Recognition online. There are some simple ICR software options available online that can be a helpful way to test your ICR technology. It is important to note, however, that free programs will not offer the same kind of capabilities and security that paid software can provide.

If you are interested in testing a program to see how Intelligent Character Recognition works, plenty of publicly available websites allow you to upload documents with handwritten characters, to approximate handwriting into digital text. 

Intelligent Character Recognition is also sometimes called Intelligent OCR. That’s why, when you’re looking for an ICR program, it’s also worth searching for a program for Optical Character Recognition online. Google offers a basic OCR program called Vision API, which can read and detect handwritten information from images.

It’s important to note that online programs like Google’s often require extensive coding knowledge to implement and are therefore not easy to set up. On the other hand, some ICR programs require very little setup and can be used nearly right away — like Rossum.

Intelligent Character Recognition app

Small businesses may be especially interested in an Intelligent Character Recognition app. An app can be an easier way to get started with using ICR tools — and apps can also be cheaper to implement than software. But it can be difficult to find a suitable app for ICR, so many businesses will choose to use a program instead. 

With so many people creating new programs with GitHub, Optical Character Recognition GitHub programs are quite easy to find. The best OCR GitHub programs will have positive customer reviews and a proven track record. 

Intelligent Character Recognition GitHub programs are deployed in code, so they require a programmer to implement — but they are usually free to use. Scene text detection and recognition GitHub programs are more complex, using deep learning methods to recognize complex handwriting scripts.

Some text recognition models can read and extract information from handwritten documents using built-in OCR capabilities — without having to learn from scratch. These programs are a good choice for beginners, compared to a program that would have to learn how to read handwritten information. Developing any of these programs would require coding, however, and that can cost valuable time and money.

At Rossum, we offer software that does not require extensive coding knowledge — so your employees can start reading handwritten information quickly and automatically.

Best ICR software for handwriting recognition

As an alternative to finding a coding-intensive program for Intelligent Character Recognition, there is plenty of ICR software available. The best ICR software for handwriting recognition is one that has the ability to read handwritten information in multiple languages, font styles, and levels of complexity.

Handwriting recognition software can detect and convert handwritten information into digitally-readable text for readability and data entry. Using comprehensive handwriting recognition software, businesses can automate data capture processes with one less area of tedious work.

For Microsoft-based businesses, OneNote is perhaps the most famous handwriting recognition software option for Windows 10. OneNote can convert handwritten notes into digital text, but this does not mean that it can convert handwritten documents into digital text. This kind of software is more convenient when individuals are interested in converting their handwritten information into a usable, digital text file.

ICR software price can vary greatly depending on the features of the software — and if it has AI capabilities. A software like OneNote might be cheaper than more business-focused software, but handwriting recognition software designed specifically for businesses — like Rossum — offers an investment that pays dividends with fast and easy document processing. 

Optical Character Recognition software

Often, documents that have handwritten information will also have printed text that needs to be extracted. For mixed types of text, businesses need Optical Character Recognition software. 

OCR software for Windows 10 is available online, but finding an OCR software that can work on any system poses more of a challenge. An open-source OCR software may not have the security or automated capabilities that your business needs.

Effective OCR software will be able to detect both digital and physical text, as well as handwritten characters. The best OCR software for handwriting recognition is one that uses AI so that, over time, less human involvement is required in the data capture process. It is not enough for software to read and convert the information — software must understand and format it correctly, making data entry easier.

With Rossum, OCR software can continually learn how to process the data in documents, whether in text or handwritten form. Rossum offers a comprehensive OCR software that can read handwritten information and interpret it — so that humans do not have to.

Intelligent Character Recognition advantages and disadvantages

Before investing in Intelligent Recognition, it is important for any business to understand some of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing ICR technology.

A key consideration is ICR software price.This can be one of the disadvantages of using handwriting recognition software. However, it is possible to find Intelligent Character Recognition software at a good price — just ask Rossum. Plus, if the software comes with a free trial period, then you can test out the program before making the purchase.

Optical Character Recognition advantages and disadvantages can vary depending on the software. Common Optical Character Recognition disadvantages include a lack of AI capabilities, which can lead to slower processing times or difficulty processing handwriting.

In the field of Optical Mark Recognition, the advantages and disadvantages of OMR software are just as numerous. OMR tools can be accurate, but they often require time-consuming template-based documentation. To avoid template-based processing, Rossum’s AI-powered ICR software can effectively capture handwritten information without a single template — for automated document processing from start to finish.