Free OCR software?

[CZroe]

OK, when I take my timed online tests, I always waste all my time trying to get page numbers to back up my answers (they are open-book tests).

I believe OCR would solve this and satiate my obsessive compulsive nature, but I'm broke. Also, I use OpenOffice.org and so the Office-centric offerings aren't for me.

Are there any free OCR applications that are OOo compatible with no expirations? For today, I'll deal with just scanning every page but I'm interested in a better way.

Does anyone remember a hand-held scanner that you roll over the page making multiple passes as necessary? The thing would automatically piece the passes back together as needed. If only I could remember what it was called! A little help here too? Also, are there any better solutions?

CTRL+F is so much better than wasting time in an index that has nothing in the chapter you are studying.

 

[corkyg]

Yeah - I remember the old handheld scanner. There were a couple of good ones - DFI and Logitech. But - they were not very efficient. I soon learned that I could type copy the material faster than scanning it.

There are not many OCR freewares out there - but you might take a look at this one:

OCR

 

[CZroe]

Thanks! I used it with poor results but thanks to OpenOffice's "Find Similar" option, it ended up being invaluable. :thumbsup:

 

[Rottie]

I think Textbridge OCR version is freeware.

 

[Pretty Cool]

ABBYY FineReader 4.0 was offered for free for readers of an Italian magazine. I think this link still works. Current version is 8, so the software is dated though it still might be of some use for your purpose. Below is the page offering the software. Because the page is in Italian, I included a translated link. You need to register with an email address. They will send you a code.

Italian Offer Page
Translated Offer Page

Software Download - 55MB

Italian Registration Page
Translated Registration Page

 

[corkyg]

IMHO, good OCR ware is a worthwhile investment. Cheapies usually require so much editing that you can copy-type it faster to start with.

But - this may do the job:

OCR

 

[thescreensavers]

a program for my Scanner n there website you can downalod the driver, and it comes wiht abbyy. My scanner is a Microtek scan maker 5950

see it may work

 

[nova2]

another possible choice:

"Google releases open-source OCR tool with HP special sauce"
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060905-7664.html

 

[corkyg]

An added thought - if you can open the HTML document in Internet Explorer, you can then SAVE AS a text file.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Thank you for posting this, guys... I really needed that ABBYY software, and having it as totally free and legit was an added bonus.