Scanner apps are a convenient way to convert documents and images into digital files. These apps can automatically remove messy backgrounds, crop photos, and convert them to PDFs, JPGs, and more.
They also have excellent text recognition, making editing your scans easier. Some also can add signatures, watermarks, and other features.
AI
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into document scanning apps has changed the world of work. It helps streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and reduce human errors. It also allows you to access your documents on any device and at any time, which makes it relevant in today’s digital and mobile-savvy workplace.
AI has entered many industries, including e-commerce, finance, healthcare, and logistics. These technologies use neural networks to automate tasks like personalizing the user experience and fraud detection.
Optical character recognition (OCR) is an essential feature in the best document scanning apps because it allows users to extract text from scanned files and convert them into digital formats. This feature uses pattern-matching technology to identify individual characters within a scan.
OCR can be applied to different kinds of text, from scanned PDFs to printed paper pages. It also lets you save documents in a variety of file formats.
Another essential feature in document scanning software is a search function, which enables you to search through scanned images and rename or copy them to a specific keyword. It helps you quickly find related documents and share them with other people.
This feature also reduces the need to manually index scanned documents, increasing the process’s efficiency. You can even use this feature to sort scanned images into folders and subfolders based on their content.
It also reduces the size of scanned documents, saving you a lot of space on your hard drive and other storage devices. This function can also be customized to keep a certain amount of data in a specified time frame.
Security
Document scanning apps play an essential role in ensuring the security of scanned documents. They provide that unauthorized individuals cannot access or change data stored in the app, which is especially important for businesses dealing with sensitive information like banking and healthcare.
The best document scanning apps have various features that allow users to store and share their files. These include automatic file naming, syncing to cloud services, secure password-protected uploads, and more.
Skewed images can negatively impact the accuracy of an OCR engine, which is why it’s essential to ensure that all scanned documents are appropriately aligned before they’re saved. The OCR process is designed to correct skew, but eliminating it can take time and effort.
Scanner apps should also be able to resize and crop images for faster scanning. As a result, it can reduce the number of images needed to make a scanned document and save you time during the processing phase.
Some specialized OCR programs will be able to recognize different shapes and sizes of characters, including slanted, diagonal lines or curves. They can also detect and remove creases, tears, and other imperfections that may occur during the scanning process.
The user interface of a successful document scanning program should make it simple for users to produce, edit, manage, and archive their scanned documents. The application should also have several document-creation templates and workflow automation tools to help users streamline processes and increase productivity.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Optical character recognition (OCR) is the technology that allows a computer to read and translate physical documents into digital files. This process is essential because it can help businesses save money and time. It also ensures that important information is stored and organized correctly.
The first step in document scanning is to capture the document with a scanner or camera and convert it into an image. This process is similar to photo editing, as it involves pre-processing the scanned image to make it more accurate.
Next, OCR uses artificial intelligence to analyze the image for features that might indicate text, a process called feature extraction. Then, it compares the text pixel-by-pixel with a database of characters to determine the most likely match.
OCR can also use machine learning to identify characters by applying rules based on the characteristics of specific letters, numbers, and symbols. It is a more recent form of OCR that improves recognition accuracy.
It is an excellent tool for businesses that need to capture large amounts of information quickly and efficiently. For example, it can scan a business card, a passport, or a label on a bottle cap and then automatically extract data.
Another typical OCR use case is in financial institutions, where it can automatically convert paper invoices into electronic records. Again, it saves time and money by eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Understanding the different types of OCR technology is essential before deciding which suits you.
Other forms of OCR are more advanced and require machine learning. These technologies use a neural network to process and recognize images. As a result, it is much more efficient and reliable than traditional image modification techniques.
OCR is essential to any document scanning app, as it helps modern companies utilize their data and information. It allows businesses to reduce their storage and shipping costs, streamline their workflows, and improve the security of their sensitive information. It can also be integrated with other document management systems and desktop publishing programs to simplify sharing and editing files.
Automation
A document scanning app can reduce the number of employees required to process, retrieve, and store documents. It can result in a decrease in the cost of office space and an increase in productivity for the staff.
The best document-scanning apps also provide various other functions that can help you organize your data and make it more accessible. These features include cloud storage, automatic document sorting, and advanced editing functionality.
Using a document scanning app has several advantages, but the most significant is that it can help you save time and money. For example, a good scanning app can save up to 90% of your document processing costs.
Automation is an essential feature of a document scanning app because it eliminates manual steps. As a result, it helps reduce employee time wasted on tedious tasks and the number of errors that occur when human workers are involved in the process.
