How do I scan a document with OCR so I can edit the text in a word processing program?

  • All Epson Scanners and All-In-One products that are supplied with ABBYY FineReader or Presto! PageManager
  • OCR scanning

You can scan a document and convert the text into data that you can edit with a word processing program. This process is called OCR (Optical Character Recognition). To scan and use OCR, you need to use an OCR program, such as ABBYY® FineReader® Sprint Plus and Presto! PageManager.

OCR software cannot recognise handwritten characters, and certain types of documents or text may be difficult for OCR software to recognise, such as:

  • Items that have been copied from other copies
  • Faxes
  • Text with tightly spaced characters or line pitch
  • Text that is in tables or underlined
  • Cursive or italic fonts, and font sizes less than 8 points

Using ABBYY FineReader

Follow these steps to scan and convert text using ABBYY FineReader.

  1. Place your original document(s) on the scanner glass or in the Automatic Document Feeder.
  2. Do one of the following to start ABBYY FineReader:
    • Windows: Type ABBYY FineReader Sprint in to Start Search bar or click Start > Programs or All Programs > ABBYY FineReader Sprint > ABBYY FineReader Sprint.
    • macOS / Mac OS X: Open the Applications > ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus folders and select the Launch FineReader Sprint icon.

    Once the ABBYY FineReader window opens, click the Scan&Read icon at the top of the window. Epson Scan starts in the last mode you used.

     

    Note:

    For Mac OS X users: If you don't see the Scan & Read icon, choose Select Scanner from the Scan & Read menu, select your Epson product name, and click OK.

     

  3. Depending on your scanning mode, do one of the following:
    • In Office Mode, select Auto Detect, ADF, or Document Table as the Document Source. Then select Colour or Black & White as the Image Type and select 300 dpi as the Resolution. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
    • In Home Mode, select Magazine, Newspaper, or Text/Line Art as the Document Type. Then select Black & White or Color as the Image Type, and choose Printer or Other as your Destination setting. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
    • In Professional Mode, select Reflective as the Document Type, Document Table as the Document Source, and Document as the Auto Exposure Type. Then select Black & White or 24-bit Colour as the Image Type, and 300 dpi as the Resolution. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
  4. Your document is scanned, processed into editable text, and opened in the ABBYY FineReader window.

     

    Note:

    If the characters in your text are not recognised very well, you can improve recognition by adjusting the Threshold setting in Epson Scan.

     

    Follow the instructions in ABBYY FineReader Help to edit and save your document.

Using Presto! PageManager

Place your original document(s) on the scanner glass or in the Automatic Document Feeder.

  1. Do one of the following to start Presto! PageManager:
    • Windows: Type Presto! PageManager in to Start Search bar or click Start > Programs or All Programs > Presto! PageManager > Presto! PageManager.
    • macOS / Mac OS X: Open the Applications > Presto! PageManager folders and select the Launch Presto! PageManager icon.
  2. Once the Presto! PageManager window opens, click the Acquire image data icon at the top of the window. Epson Scan starts in the last mode used.
  3. Depending on your scanning mode, do one of the following:
    • In Office Mode, select Auto Detect, ADF, or Document Table as the Document Source. Then select Colour or Black & White as the Image Type and select 300 dpi as the Resolution. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
    • In Home Mode, select Magazine, Newspaper, or Text/Line Art as the Document Type. Then select Black & White or Color as the Image Type, and choose Printer or Other as your Destination setting. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
    • In Professional Mode, select Reflective as the Document Type, Document Table as the Document Source, and Document as the Auto Exposure Type. Then select Black & White or 24-bit Colour as the Image Type, and 300 dpi as the Resolution. Preview and adjust the scan area, if necessary, then click Scan.
  4. The document is scanned and a preview is displayed on the main screen of the PageManager software. Select the image then click File > Send to file. A list of applications is shown here; choose the application you want this to open in, for example Microsoft Word, and the scanned document now opens in the application in an editable text format.

     

    Note:

    If you have multiple scanning devices installed on the computer you may need to select your Epson scanner before being able to scan into PageManager. To do this click File > Select Source. A list of installed scanners is now shown, select the Epson scanner and click OK. This will now allow you to scan.