What is Handwriting Recognition?

Handwriting recognition, also known as handwriting OCR or handwriting text recognition, is a technology that converts handwritten text into digital formats, offering speed and efficiency by reducing manual data entry. While similar to optical character recognition (OCR), which primarily deals with printed text, handwriting recognition faces unique challenges due to the variability in human handwriting styles. This technology has significant applications in document processing, retail, logistics, and education, where it aids in tasks such as digitizing notes, processing checks, and converting handwritten forms into machine-readable text. The field has evolved with advancements in deep learning, machine learning, and the use of transformers, making deep learning models the state of the art in handwriting recognition. Various solutions exist for implementing handwriting recognition, including large multimodal models, cloud-based API providers, and open-source software, each offering different advantages. An example use case involves extracting information from bank checks using object detection models, demonstrating how the technology can be tailored to specific needs.