FAQS

Which programming languages are supported?

Microsoft Visual Basic and C++. However, provided you convert the "declares" and "structures" correctly, there is no reason that the routines cannot be called from any language capable of calling standard Windows API functions. Please note that whilst we have included Delphi sample source code, we do not offer technical support for Delphi, see here for more information.

Is there a .NET interface?

No. But we have sample code that demonstrates an interface to .NET (visit our sample downloads section).

Where is the documentation on the API?

This is supplied when you buy a licence.

Which formats can TOCR support?

TOCR can read bitmap (.bmp) and TIFF (.TIFF) images, and will convert these to text (.txt) files. If you wish to process any other formats, you will need to convert them either on input or output. TOCR doesn't currently support PDF files, but these will be supported in version 4.

Which languages are supported?

TOCR can read and convert English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish and Portuguese. The vast majority of dialects for these languages are also supported, for example the various European and North and South American dialects of Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. TOCR is language independent, so there is no need to select a language before processing. We're constantly looking to improve TOCR, including adding further languages in future.

Which characters can TOCR recognise?

The character map can be downloaded here. For users still using version 1.4, the character map can be downloaded here.

Why won't TOCR recognise my image?

There are many reasons why TOCR may not be able to process a particular image that are common to all OCR engines, and are an ongoing challenge for OCR in general. In particular, noise, faint or broken characters, overly bold or black characters, merged characters, and text embedded within a picture can decrease accuracy. Whilst TOCR is an extremely accurate OCR engine, it will not get everything right. See our OCR Tips page for more information, and advice on improving results.

How does the lexicon work?

Lex processing is Transym's unique technique for correcting common OCR mistakes. It does not use standard dictionaries; it uses character frequency/probability tables. This allows TOCR to cope with new words and common misspellings. Setting Lex on improves accuracy by using the context of the character and those around it. TOCR 3.3 for the first time allows TOCR to automatically decide whether to use lex when processing an image.

What do the speed options do?

In Version 3.3 we have introduced a speed option facility. Speed options can be 0 (default), 1, 2, or 3, from slowest (0) to fastest (3). The options tell TOCR how exhaustive it should be in looking for improvements. There is a small loss in accuracy with increases in speed options. For more detailed information on speed settings please visit our speed versus accuracy page.

Will TOCR perform 'zonal' OCR?

TOCR does not currently support OCRing of zones (regions of a page); it will always OCR the whole image. If you wish to OCR zones then you should either:

a) OCR the whole image and extract characters based on the positional information returned or
b) Copy the zones to a new image and OCR the new image.

Accuracy is usually much improved if all the zones are OCR'd at once rather than OCRing the zones individually. To do this copy the zones to a clean image and separate them vertically, with lots of white space.

What are the system requirements?

All TOCR versions will run on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP. Only TOCR 3.3 is compliant with Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and 2008. You'll need a PC with a 1GHz or higher processor, 512MB RAM (to run one engine), 250 MB hard disk space, with an optional TWAIN- or WIA- compliant scanner or digital camera.

Do you have a 64-bit version of TOCR?

Not at this time. However TOCR 3.3 is fully compatible with 64-bit Windows operating systems. We are currently working on Version 4.0 which will include a 64-bit variant. Internal tests have shown that we do not expect any performance improvement with 64-bits. If you are looking to build a 64-bit application that includes TOCR, there are ways of doing this. Please contact us for more information.

Do you have a version of TOCR for Apple, or Linux and Unix systems?

It is a long term goal for us to develop a TOCR variant for these operating systems, but we have nothing in development at present. We've had some success running TOCR on Ubuntu under WINE, and it's likely TOCR will work under WINE in other Linux distributions, but we cannot offer any technical support for this.

Is TOCR compatible with any mobile phone or tablet devices?

Again, we have no compatible versions for these, and nothing in development at present. In the long run it is our goal to make TOCR as universally available as possible, but for now see above for the Windows systems we do support.

Can TOCR be used for my small business/home office?

Yes. While we make great effort to make TOCR easily scalable for integrators and large businesses, TOCR is also ideal for smaller enterprises – offering unbeatable accuracy and a simple to use interface.

My free trial has expired – how do I purchase a full version?

You can process up to 50 documents for free with our TOCR 3.3 trial. Once this limit has been reached, you can purchase a full licence here.

How do I install my licence?

In order to have a fully working version of TOCR, you will need to have downloaded and installed the correct version. Only Version 3.3 is now available to download. Once you have purchased a copy of TOCR, you will then receive an e-mail from our vendor, SWReg, containing your licence key and a download link for the TOCR licence pack. You will need to install the licence pack over TOCR, and input your licence key. If you do not receive an e-mail from SWReg, please check your spam and junk e-mail folders.

What are the licensing restrictions?

A standard TOCR licence allows you to run one TOCR engine on one machine. This means TOCR will run on one CPU core of any given machine, unless you purchase additional licences for additional cores.

Why do you have different product licences available?

Our latest version, TOCR 3.3, is the only one now available to download. If you are a new user looking to buy a licence, you will need one or more TOCR Version 3 Pro licences.

It is still possible to buy licences for our older versions. Older users who still have these versions are able to continue buying licences for them if they need to. If you downloaded TOCR after October 2011, you will have Version 3 and need a Version 3 Pro licence. If you downloaded TOCR before then you may have an older version, and will need to check what version you have to check what licence you need. You can also buy an upgrade licence if you are still using an older version.

All licences are available here.

I purchased an earlier version of TOCR, how do I upgrade it?

If you have purchased versions 1 or 2 of TOCR and wish to upgrade to 3.3, you may purchase an upgrade licence from our purchase page.

If you have purchased version 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 you may upgrade to version 3.3 free of charge. Simply download version 3.3 from our download page, and install it over your licensed copy of 3.0 or 3.1.

Where can I find sample code for TOCR?

You can download free sample code for all TOCR versions here.

I'm having problems with my PC/scanner/output...

If you're getting persistent problems with your processed batches, check our tips for successful OCR to see if the problem can be easily resolved. If you have a more complex issue, please contact us.

Can I freely distribute your software with mine?

No. You must first purchase a licence for each OCR engine that runs on any machine.

Do you have a royalty-free licensing model?

Not at this time, however we do have a reseller licensing model that is intended for bulk users.

How can I contact you?

Our main office line is +44 1483 538 330 for sales and marketing, or +44 1481 234424 for post-sales and technical enquiries. Contact us on these numbers or visit our contact page. We aim to respond to every query within one working day.

We constantly strive to improve the accuracy and reliability of TOCR and believe that our customers are the most important part of our business and  the right people to speak to regarding improvements.  Why not visit our forum at http://www.transym.com/forum and let us have your feedback and any suggestions for the future development of our TOCR Software.

Your feedback is extremely valuable to us and will be used to further develop TOCR.