How to Transcribe Handwriting to Computers

Advances in computer technology have replaced the need for note taking by hand with portable devices, but there are still instances in which handwritten notes must be transcribed to computers. With improvements to optical character recognition in software, large amounts of handwritten documents can be converted to digital format for easier storage and retrieval.

• 1

  Download an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program. You can download Image to OCR for free from the Internet.

• 2

  Install the OCR program. Simply double click on the setup file that was downloaded from the Internet and follow the instructions to install the software to your hard drive.

• 3

  Run the OCR program. Double click the icon on your desktop or run the program from the "Start" menu by selecting the appropriate application name.

• 4

  Scan your handwritten document from within the program. Clicking the "Scan Image" button on the left-hand side of the program screen will open up a dialogue box where you can change the image resolution, format and bit depth to your liking as well as select your scanner type. Once you are satisfied with these settings, click the "Scan" button.

• 5

  Select your output file format. You will be able to choose from a searchable PDF, Word document, text file, HTML file or text-only PDF. Select the option you prefer by clicking the check box next to the name of the format. You can select multiple format as indicated by the check mark in the box next to the format name.

• 6

  Select the language of the handwriting. Image to OCR allows you to select from 40 different languages, but depending on what OCR software you use you may be able to choose from more or less. Select the language by clicking the drop-down box underneath "Select Language In Input File" and scrolling through the options until you find the correct language.

• 7

  Select an output folder. The default output folder where the converted document will be stored is displayed at the bottom of the program window. If you want to change it, click the "Set Different Output Folder" button and select where you want to store the file.

• 8

  Save the file. Click the "Save File" option to begin the conversion process. A progress bar will indicate how far along the conversion is and what format it is being converted to. Once this is completed, the new document will open automatically.