OCR technology has distinct advantages in the ability to scan typed written document. It has made it possible for documents to be scannable and searchable when that was not possible before.

OCR technology has even worked with documents that pre-date current technology. Take historical newspaper articles.

With OCR technology, historical newspapers and articles can now be scanned. The documents are then searchable online. This technology in a lot of ways has helped preserved historical documents and make them easier to access.

Prior to OCR technology, microfiche was the way lots of historical newspapers and articles were saved. Now, you do not have to go to a library to find this information on a microfiche machine.

One limitation of OCR technology, however, is the inability to scan and read documents that are handwritten. The technology is still not there for OCR technology to read and scan handwritten documents. This is because everybody’s handwriting is different.

Newspapers and articles that are particularly faded can also be hard to scan and read. Faded newspapers can have spots and blemishes on them. Photocopies can also be taken at angles. This can make it hard for OCR technology to work in some instances.

While OCR technology certainly can be helpful, there are still some limitations with faded newspapers and documents that have been handwritten.