Inovatic International SA, based in Chatenay-Malabry, near Paris, claims its new EasyReader 1.2 software is the first optical character recognition package for Windows to incorporate neural network technology. This gives it the ability to read and analyse difficult forms such as facsimile copies and folded or smudged paper, and to learn. It does not have to re-analyse characters once they have been identified, which helps to speed up the processing of long documents. The system works by first analysing a page to identify column numbers and to mark out graphics and images that cannot be processed. An integrated dictionary is also supplied to help increase recognition speed. Once the text has been analysed it can be edited and spell-checked, as required, and then exported to Word, Word for Windows, WordPerfect and WordStar word processors. It identifies various types of fonts and page layouts and can cope with imperfections like smudges and fractures. It can also differentiate between similar characters such as the digit 0 and letter O. It is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. It runs on 80386 personal computers under Windows 3.0, on Apple Computer Inc Macintoshes and on Sun Microsystems Inc workstations and needs 4Mb RAM. It costs around UKP500 and is available direct from Inovatic.
