Contents Reviewer's Guide Photo Gallery Recent Press Releases In the News Brochures Reviewer's Guide Overview SoftWriting is the only software product that enables users to convert handwritten notes from paper to an MS-Word document. All that is required is an ordinary scanner and a PC with Windows 95/98/2000/NT. Users need to write non-connected letters, where characters should not touch each other. Audience SoftWriting is a useful tool for people who write notes and wish to convert them to Word documents. The software can be used for notes that are taken during meetings, interviews, and lectures, or when the users are studying in a library. Features Non-connected handwriting: SoftWriting can recognize almost any handwriting, as long as the characters are not connected to each other. Every person's handwriting is unique. SoftWriting requires only a brief learning period to learn and remember a new user's handwriting. In addition, SoftWriting goes the additional step, learning each user's vocabulary as well, ensuring optimal recognition by all means. Use abbreviations: SoftWriting enables users to 'teach' the system abbreviations, which are automatically converted by the system. Thus for example, defining 'ex' as 'example' enables the user to write using shorthand writing, with the confidence that the system will recognize the abbreviation and convert it correctly. Add diagrams: Occasionally, handwritten documents also include sketches and diagrams. By highlighting the area of the diagram, the user enables SoftWriting to easily insert the diagrams into the correct area in the computer document. Save in text & MS-Word format: The final document can be saved as a text document, or in the MS-Word file format. Use any scanner: In order to scan the handwritten document, any scanner can be used, as long as the scanner is TWAIN-compatible, and that it can create gray or color images. Easy editing: The portions of text that have not been recognized appear in the same page as the translated document. The user can then easily compare the original to the results, and correct any errors or unrecognized characters on the fly. Easy to learn & user friendly: The system is easy to learn and simple to use. A four-minute demo is all that is required to get you going. Speed: Shortly after having scanned your handwritten notes, SoftWriting displays the translated text for your approval and editing. Minimal system requirements Operating system Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT 4.0 or greater platform Hardware Intel 486 or greater 20 MB free disk space 32 MB RAM (recommended: 64 MB) TWAIN compliant scanner that can scan Color or Gray images Internet connection Working with SoftWriting Please follow the following steps: 1. Download SoftWriting installation program. 2. Install SoftWriting by following the installation instructions. 3. Run SoftWriting. 4. Run the software Demo. The demo serves also as a tutorial and demonstrates how to work with SoftWriting. 5. Make sure that the first document that you scan contains around 300 words. You can have a first document that contains 150-300 words, but in this case the initial results may be degragated. Anyhow, the system keeps learning your writing and the optimal results will be achieved in the next documents. 6. You can obtain statistics about the recognition rate using the Statistics button. Additional comments SoftWriting keeps learning your handwriting while you are working with it. You can expect a recognition rate of around 98% per character after feeding documents with around 500 words of your non-connected handwriting. For additional information on how to improve recognition rates, please click on the 'SoftWriting' menu, under Help/How to improve recognition rates. Photo Gallery CharacTell's logo JPG 32 KB SoftWriting 3.2 box shot, 300 dpi JPG 95 KB Screen Shot 1: SoftWriting Correction Mode GIF 30 KB Screen Shot 2: Recognition in Progress Mode GIF 21 KB Screen Shot 3: Incorporation of Graphics GIF 28 KB