As used in the book and publishing industry, OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. This basic technology completely transforms the physical book and the physical document into text readable by machine. OCR software reads the characters in scanned images or printed materials, converting them into tags and editable and searchable text.
OCR technology has also dramatically altered the landscape of the book and publishing world. Old ways in which books were digitalized required time-consuming and error-prone manual typing out of every word. OCR has simplified this procedure, making it possible to speedily and reliably transform printed materials into electronic form.
The part played by OCR in the publishing industry is crucial. Not only does it allow physical books to be turned into e-books, but it also makes electronic reading and distribution possible. Using OCR software, publishers can scan printed books or manuscripts and make digital copies that preserve the original text but are as convenient to access electronically as a novel on your bookshelf. This digitization process greatly helps increase dispersion, enabling the rapid dissemination of e-books over the web and via electronic equipment.
OCR technology also increases the availability of books for readers with visual impairments or print disabilities. By changing printed text into digital-media format, OCR allows text-to-speech software or Braille displays, enabling visually impaired persons to receive information in a way that suits them.
Also, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is an indispensable archive tool for the book and publishing industry. Rare or fragile books can be transferred into digital form by archives, libraries, and universities and preserved so that they are not destroyed and can be seen by those in the future.
