What is the difference between Forms-based OCR and Full-Text OCR?
• We are all familiar with standard paper forms. A typical form has a structured page layout that contains both static and variable information. If the variable information on the form has been filled in using machine printed characters, the form is a candidate for Forms-based OCR. If each page you want to OCR always has the same Form (i.e., the layout of text on the every page is the same), you can create a zone “template” that OCR can use to extract the data you are looking for. Full-Text OCR just means that you intend to OCR the entire page, without prior zoning. In affect, the entire page is treated as a single zone. There are cases, however, when zoning is valuable even in a full-text environment (see below).
