ABBYY FineReader OCR Professional description
An intelligent and easy-to-use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and PDF conversion software

ABBYY FineReader Professional Edition is an ideal optical character recognition (OCR) software for those who demand the highest level of recognition accuracy and format retention.

An excellent time-saving solution, FineReader allows you to convert and edit a variety of paper and electronic files, including magazines, newspapers, books, faxes, copies, and PDF files.

Here are some key features of "ABBYY FineReader OCR Professional":

Recognition and Accuracy

· Superior Recognition Accuracy
ABBYY FineReader 9.0 delivers highest recognition accuracy and layout retention, even on difficult-to-read and low-quality images such as faxes and digital photographs. The program allows uses to convert scanned images, digital photos and PDFs into editable and searchable electronic documents with literally no retyping and reformatting. In the 9.0 version, the overall accuracy has been increased by as much as 35 percent*, especially on documents containing tables, legal documents, multilingual documents, and images from digital cameras.

· Multilingual Recognition
ABBYY continues to lead in the OCR language support. With ABBYY FineReader, users can process documents in 179 languages including Armenian, Cyrillic, Greek, and Latin. FineReader also recognizes scripting languages and simple chemical formulas. The software includes dictionaries with spell-checking capabilities for 36 languages allowing verification of recognized text directly in the FineReader Editor.

· Automatic Language Detection
FineReader cuts an additional step in the OCR process by automatically detecting the appropriate document recognition language.

· Text within Graphics
FineReader allows users to manually draw text areas inside the graphics areas of document images. This feature is useful when users want to output documents that contain graphics, charts and screenshots into searchable PDFs. This way, FineReader uses the text zoning to create underlying text for search-ability.

· Processing Documents with Signatures, Company Stamps, and Line Numbering
FineReader 9.0 automatically identifies the specialized elements and formatting found typically in legal documents. For example, the program automatically locates and preserves signatures or company stamps in contracts and recognizes and reproduces line numbers in pleading documents.

· Fast Mode Recognition
When processing good quality images with simple layout, a user can use the Fast Mode Recognition option to increase recognition speed up to 2.5 times*.

· Intelligent Background Filtering
FineReader’s background filtering system employs dynamic threshold technology to automatically adjust contrast when converting grayscale and color document images to black and white prior to OCR recognition. This feature optimizes recognition even when processing low-contrast images and documents.

· Vertical, Colored and Inverted Text Recognition
ABBYY FineReader is the only OCR application that reads vertical text. It recognizes text that is colored or inverted and retains those attributes in the output document.

· Barcode Recognition
ABBYY FineReader reads both 1-D and 2-D barcodes. It also offers the option to treat barcodes as images (default) or recognize a barcode and display its value. User can change the defoult setting to allow FineReader automatically analyze and recognize barcodes.

· Special Recognition Mode for Dot Matrix and Type-written Documents
With its special mode for recognizing dot-matrix print and type-written documents, ABBYY FineReader is useful if a user need to convert legacy documents. The program allows you to specify document’s “print type” and applies that type to the entire document, selected blocks, or table cells for best recognition result.

Custom Dictionaries:
· Integrated Microsoft Word Custom Dictionary
ABBYY FineReader enables users to create their own customized word list for processing industry specific texts or professional documents.
· Creation of Morphological User Dictionaries
FineReader allows users to add words and create custom dictionaries. When adding new words, FineReader will prompt them to enter additional word forms that stem from the same root.

Format Retention/Editability

Key Technology Breakthrough: Adaptive Document Recognition Technology (ADRT)
ABBYY’s ADRT, the newest Adaptive Document Recognition Technology, treats an entire document as a single entity, rather than the more error prone and time consuming method used by previous generations of OCR technology which process each page individually. With ADRT, ABBYY FineReader recognizes not just the text and basic layout, but the logical structure of a document across multiple pages producing an improvement in layout retention by up to 32 percent*. ABBYY's ADRT provides:
· Re-creation of Document Logical Structure and Formatting
ADRT makes converting paper documents, images and PDF files to the Microsoft Word format more accurate than ever. The program, by intelligently “seeing” the document in its entirety, identifies various parts of document structure such as heading, body text, columns, tables, graphics, and page numbers. After the processing, documents contain accurately digitized text, while retaining the document’s logical structure, layout and formatting.
· FineReader produces output documents in native Microsoft Office formatting elements that are easy to edit and change. It can determine how certain formatting elements should be treated when sending to Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. As a result, the headers and footers, page numbering, footnotes, fonts and styles of the original are retained.
· Text Flow Consistency
With ADRT, ABBYY FineReader maintains even the most complex layouts, whether single or multi-column. By detecting document formatting elements and reconstructing them as native Microsoft Office formatting elements, the software provides truly editable documents with consistent text flow between pages and columns.
· Retention of Fonts and Font Styles
ADRT enables FineReader to re-create font styles of the original document. By analyzing the whole document with all its pages at once, FineReader gathers information about the font styles of the original document and then accurately re-creates them.

· Saves Non-Rectangular Pictures and Text Flow in Microsoft Word
FineReader recognizes non-rectangular pictures and text flow around pictures, preserving the original document layout in Microsoft Word.
The software maintains even the most complex layouts, whether single or multi-column.

· Retains Table Structure
FineReader accurately recognizes and recreates true Word- or Excel-generated tables and spreadsheets including multi-page tables. As a result, tables created by FineReader are fully editable within Word or Excel.

· Pictures within Table Cells
Many magazine articles include tables that use icons or graphics in the header row/column. With ABBYY FineReader, converting these types of tables is easy - the program accurately preserves their original look.

· Retains Bullets and Numbering
With the new ADRT, FineReader recognizes and reconstructs bullets and numbered lists with original styles and logic (as native Microsoft Word elements).

Results-Driven Interface — Less Clicks, Greater Efficiency

The FineReader's Results-Driven interface simplifies and shortens the recognition process and automatically highlights the best strategies for optimizing OCR results. The new interface reduces the number of mouse clicks needed for popular document conversion tasks by as much as 40 percent*. In FineReader 9.0, key functions are more easily accessible at the “top-level” with less need to search through detailed “drop down menus.” Key functionality is grouped together in special dialog boxes to make it easier to perform key tasks.

· QuickTasks
ABBYY FineReader 9.0 interface comes with pre-programmed QuickTasks for the most common document processing routines such as “Scan to PDF”, “Scan to Microsoft Word”, or “Convert PDF/ Images to Microsoft Word”. The FineReader’s new QuickTasks window automatically appears once the program is launched. QuickTasks can also be launched directly from the Window’s Start menu. Users can also create customized QuickTasks by using the Automation Manager.

· One-click Access within Microsoft Office
FineReader seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Office applications. From Microsoft Word, Excel and Microsoft Outlook, users can easily open, process and import images directly into their applications.

· Right-Click Access from Windows Explorer
From Windows Explorer, users can use the right mouse button to select images or PDF files to convert (and send results directly to application, or save as documents).

· QuickPreview window makes it easier to select the pages or documents a user needs when opening files to be processed. Users now have a visual preview of documents before opening.

· QuickTips
FineReader 9.0 offers intelligent and interactive tips to guide users toward improving results throughout the OCR process. Not only will FineReader identify areas in which accuracy can be enhanced, but it offers “actionable buttons” such as “re-scan” that lets users quickly take correction measures.

· Enhanced Text Editor
A newly enhanced Text Editor allows for easy review while the enhanced editing toolbar supports quick font and font style adjustments and adds additional editing capabilities Users can preview in real time and then choose from four output preferences (exact copy, editable copy, formatted text and plain text).

· Easy Image Enhancements
All image pre-processing functions, such as Rotate, Deskew, Crop, and Invert Image, can be quickly accessed from a single “Edit Image” window. Users can easily apply changes made to a single image page to all pages of a document with one click.

Ease-of-Use and Productivity

· Automatic Recognition and Background Processing
FineReader 9.0 automatically performs OCR as soon as the document is scanned in or opened (without the need for users to click “Read”). The default background processing allows users to start working on the first recognized pages while FineReader continues processing. (Power users have the option to turn this function off.)

· Optimized Performance on Multi-core Processors
Intelligent algorithms effectively divides document processing steps for parallel execution for 1.6 times* faster processing on systems with dual core processors such as Intel and AMD and 3.2 times* faster on systems using quad-core technology (based on internal ABBYY testing).

· ABBYY Screenshot Reader
This simple utility captures screen shots and the text they contain. It allows users to conveniently and quickly pull text, tables, or images from Windows Explorer file menus, error messages, Web browser pages, or Flash presentations.

· Sending Results Directly to Applications and Clipboard
FineReader allows users to send recognition results directly to applications with one click of a button without having to save the files first including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat/Reader. FineReader also supports export to e-mail applications, Web browsers and Clipboard.

· Microsoft Windows Vista Certified, Support for Windows XP 64-bit Edition
ABBYY FineReader 9.0 is certified for previous as well as latest versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

· Microsoft Office 2007 Support
FineReader 9.0 supports new DOCX and XLSX saving formats using compression and based on the XML language for small file sizes and more secure documents that can be easily accessed by a variety of information systems.

· XPS Support
FineReader 9.0 supports input of images in XPS (XML Paper Specification), a new format for archiving and storage purposes developed by Microsoft. Full list of the supported input and output formats is available here.

· Printing Directly from FineReader
This shortcut enables users to quickly make minor changes using FineReader’s text editor and print without having to first export the OCR results to another application.

· Changing Interface Language On-the-Fly
Multi-lingual users can change FineReader’s interface language on-the-fly.

· Automation Manager
Along with pre-defined QuickTasks, FineReader offers a special tool for creating your own custom automated tasks.

· Output to Database
FineReader supports output to DBF and CSV.

· Full-text Search
ABBYY FineReader provides a tool for searching words or phrases in documents. Open a document in FineReader, launch the search function and get the required information without the need to first save the recognized document to an external application.

Digital Camera OCR

ABBYY FineReader 9.0 incorporates second-generation Digital Camera OCR technology. Not only does FineReader 9.0 automatically identify an image taken with a camera, but it applies necessary image pre-processing and recognition operations with a single step process:
· Convert Photo to Microsoft Word
The new FineReader interface offers a special option (QuickTask) to get quick and accurate results processing images captured by a digital camera.
· Enhanced Image Processing
The program also offers enhanced image processing for digital photo images including better line straightening, image distortion correction, and automatic resolution calculation and correction. FineReader detects the page curve in photographs of book or magazine pages and automatically straightens lines on the image to boost accuracy.

PDF Creation and Conversion

· Creation of searchable PDF files
ABBYY FineReader converts scanned images and PDFs to searchble PDF files keeping the text information as a separate layer from the image (text under image) and making it available for search and retrieval purposes.

· PDF/A Output
ABBYY FineReader 9.0 supports output to PDF/A, an archiving format recommended as a standard for long-term preservation of documents.

· PDF Security Settings and Encryption Support
To protect valuable data, a user can set document Open and Permissions passwords and restrict printing, contents extraction, editing, adding comments or adding/removing pages. ABBYY FineReader supports various encryption levels including 128-bit encryption.

· Creation of Tagged PDF
Tagged PDF are optimized for handheld and screen-reader devices. In this format, the text is automatically reformatted and “reflows” to the current screen size.

· Creation of Accessible PDF Files
Making documents accessible for people with visual impairments, ABBYY FineReader allows creation of accessible PDF files.

· Linearized PDF
All PDF documents created by FineReader are in linearized PDF format optimized for web publishing.

· Extraction of Document Properties
ABBYY FineReader can extract the following type of metadata: title, subject, author, and key words from PDF files. A user can edit this information in FineReader prior to saving or can change it later. This data can also be transferred to a similar location when outputting to DOC/DOCX, RTF, XLS/XLSX, HTML, and PDF formats.

· Detection of Internal Links and Hyperlinks in PDF
ABBYY FineReader captures and re-creates internal links and hyperlinks in PDF files. Users can easily edit, remove the detected hyperlinks or create new ones directly in the FineReader text editor.

· Editing PDF files
ABBYY FineReader makes it easy to perform minor editing of a PDF file. Just open it, make necessary changes directly in FineReader text editor and save back into any type of PDF format supported by FineReader.

Networking Features in Corporate Edition and Site License Edition

· Network Installation
FineReader Corporate and Site License Editions allow administrators to remotely install the software from the server onto workstations using Active Directory, Microsoft Systems Management Server or the command line.

· Concurrent Licensing (Available in Corporate Edition only)
The utility for managing licenses in a network environment allows the administrator to monitor the use of ABBYY FineReader Corporate Edition on workstations, assign licenses to particular workstations, and add new licenses. In addition, with concurrent licensing, users can install FineReader on as many workstations as necessary. The FineReader’s License Manager enables monitoring of concurrent licenses in use.

· Distributed Document Processing
Businesses with multiple licenses and multiple workstations can share OCR processes allowing multiple users on a network to scan, recognize, and proofread the same batch of documents simultaneously - essentially creating an OCR production line.

· Support for Network Multifunction Peripherals
Ideal for work groups sharing MFPs and digital copiers, ABBYY FineReader Corporate and Site License Editions allow administrators to connect the software with networked scanning devices using hot folders or command lines to automatically process incoming images.

· Hot Folder and Scheduling
FineReader offers fully automated batch processing of images for work groups using networked scanning devices like digital copiers or fax servers. The Hot Folder & Scheduling function allows users to designate a folder location on a local drive, network drive or FTP server to be monitored or "watched" by FineReader. FineReader will automatically process files background using the pre-defined settings. Users who need to process large volumes of documents during off hours can use the scheduler function to define the processing task and processing time. For example, a company may wish to schedule processing for large volumes of documents during after-office hours when the computer is not overloaded by other tasks.

· Mailbox Watching
FineReader Corporate and Site License Editions allow users to monitor input folders or schedule OCR processing with the new Mailbox Watching function. The program automatically recognizes attachments received by email, like those sent automatically by many multifunction printers (MFPs).

· Shared Languages and Dictionaries
ABBYY FineReader Corporate Edition allows multiple users to simultaneously access the same set of user languages and dictionaries available on the network. In addition, Corporate Edition enables users to add words like names, acronyms, and industry lingo to shared dictionaries. The added words help expand the spell check capabilities and also increase the recognition quality, since FineReader uses the dictionaries during the OCR process.


Requirements:

· PC with 1GHz processor or higher
· 512 MB of RAM, plus 512 MB of RAM for each additional processor core
· 250 MB of hard-disk space for typical installation and 512 MB of hard-disk space for program operation
· TWAIN or WIA-compliant scanner, digital camera or fax-modem (optional)
· XGA (1024x768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
· Keyboard, mouse or other windows-compatible pointing device


Limitations:

· 15 days trial
· Processing of up to 50 pages
· Export or saving to an external application via 1 page at a time