If you like to write by hand or often work with documents, lectures and other paper texts, you often wonder how to transfer these manuscripts from the sheet to the computer quickly. If it was a problem ten years ago, now everything is accessible and straightforward. In this text, we will tell you what devices will help you to write by hand and digitize the reader at once, and we will also present several programs that recognize the finished handwritten text.
Do you need help converting handwritten text into printed text?
Ours overlaps quite a bit with the online space. If you are interested in betstarexch withdrawal time or the best payout in slots, we go to the Internet and look for the best information about it. But if you need to translate a written document into a digital one, say, at work or for study, the processes become more complicated, but it is still accurate.
Suppose you have the necessary equipment or software – straightforward! But first, it’s worth clarifying what exactly you need: to convert already written text (on a page or in the format of an electronic image) into print or to digitize handwritten text right in the process of writing. Let’s start by covering the second case – here, we can only do with a suitable gadget.
Devices for converting a manuscript into printed text
- Tablet – Probably the most convenient device for those who want to write regularly by hand but get a printed text is a tablet. The widescreen does not constrain the user in the space available for writing and allows you to write words even with your finger. Most modern tablets support handwriting recognition and have built-in programs to solve this problem. To make no mistake, you can take any Android-based device.
- Tablet with a stylus – If you prefer “Apple” gadgets ready to work with handwriting, you can safely take any version of the Apple iPad of the latest generations except for the iPad Mini: its 8-inch screen will not be enough for comfortable handwriting. A handwriting-to-print function is available in the built-in Notes app. Global Apple Pen settings can be changed in the corresponding section in the tablet settings. If you want to write with a stylus but in your native language, there is another way out: several Android tablets also support stylus input.
- Smartpen and smart notepad – Finally, it is worth highlighting a more exotic but highly convenient tool for translating handwritten text into electronic format – an intelligent pen. In terms of design, capabilities and principle of operation, such devices occupy an intermediate place between classic ballpoint pens and styluses for smartphones and tablets. Like conventional pens, smart pens can write on paper – standard replaceable rods from the stationery store are used for this purpose. And their form factor is familiar from school. At the same time, such a pen has a unique optical sensor, which fixes everything you write with it and stores it in the device’s internal memory. From there, the filled pages can be transferred to any gadget with iOS or Android operating systems.
Programs for converting handwritten text into printed text
So, we figured out how to write by hand on a tablet or smartphone and get printed text. But what if you already have a picture of handwritten text and must translate it into printed text? Say, a picture of a page, a scan of a document, or a sheet filled out with a smart pen? No problem! We present several popular programs that allow you to do it quickly.
Convertio
It is a conditionally free online tool for converting handwritten text into printed text. It supports English, German, French, Chinese and Dutch. Available in any browser from your computer, smartphone or tablet – you can use it at home or on the road. But you will need an internet connection. To convert a page into printed text, you must upload a file with a handwritten text image and wait for the operation to complete.
The free version has limitations: You can recognize up to 10 pages per day, and the maximum file size is 100 MB. If this service appeals to you, you can purchase recognition of additional pages in bulk: if you buy 500 pages, each will cost you only 2 cents.
Text Scanner
It is a slightly more specialized service with OCR technology. It is ideal when you need to recognize a small piece of handwritten text quickly. The resulting text in printed format is displayed in a box in your browser, from which you can copy and paste it into any document or chat. Fifty-six languages are supported. But it will be more challenging to recognize a large stack of handwritten documents at once with the help of this site: in the free version, you can convert only five pages per day. But there is a version in the form of an application for Android and iOS devices – there, you can recognize fragments of handwritten text on any image saved in the memory of your smartphone or tablet.
ABBYY FineReader
Probably the most popular handwriting recognition program. It has more than 20 million users worldwide! Available on Windows, Linux and MacOS, the ABBYY-branded tool has earned a reputation as a reliable utility: its text recognition quality is higher than that of all online services, and errors are much rarer.
There is a function to recognize characters of old spelling. There is only one problem: the free period of the program is up to 30 days. Then, the creators will offer to choose one of the available subscription plans, the most budget-friendly of which costs 70 euros a year.
PDFelement Pro
Available on Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android, the multiplatform PDFelement Pro program is primarily designed for creating and editing PDF files. But it also has the handwriting recognition feature we are interested in. It can be found in the Tools tab of the main menu.