An Evaluation of PC-based Optical Character Recognition Systems

Optical character recognition (OCR) systems are able to convert various types of print material into an electronic form that can be accessed via adaptive equipment. In this review, we examined six PCbased OCR systems that were designed for use by blind and visually impaired people: the PC/KPR by Xerox Imaging Systems; the Arkenstone Reader by Arkenstone, Inc.; the OsCaR by TeleSensory Corporation; the IRIS by Visuaide 2000; and the DocuRead Expert and the Boxer Reader by Adhoc Reading Systems. We excluded a review of the Xerox/Kurzweil Personal Reader (KPR) because it is not comparable to PC-based systems. The KPR is a stand-alone system designed from the ground up as an OCR reading system for the blind or visually impaired user. All the systems we reviewed include taken-off-the-shelf OCR components that have modified or adapted software interfaces for use by blind and visually impaired people. The Arkenstone Reader, IRIS, OsCaR, and both Adhoc systems rely on Calera Recognition System's TrueScan OCR card, and the PC/KPR uses Xerox Imaging Systems' Discover OCR card. The user interfaces of these "special" OCR systems are easy to use and can be used with adaptive equipment, and their cost may be lower than commercial systems.