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Introduction:
============
PyTesser is an Optical Character Recognition module for Python. It takes 
as input an image or image file and outputs a string.

PyTesser uses the Tesseract OCR engine (an Open Source project at Google), 
converting images to an accepted format and calling the Tesseract 
executable as an external script. A Windows executable is provided 
along with the Python scripts. The scripts should work in Linux as well. 

PyTesser:
http://code.google.com/p/pytesser/
Tesseract:
http://code.google.com/p/tesseract-ocr/


Dependencies:
=============
PIL is required to work with images in memory. PyTesser has been tested with Python 2.4 in Windows XP. 
http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/


Installation:
==============
PyTesser has no installation functionality in this release.  Extract pytesser.zip
into directory with other scripts.  Necessary files are listed in File Dependencies below.  


Usage:
================================
>>> from pytesser import *
>>> im = Image.open('phototest.tif')
>>> text = image_to_string(im)
>>> print text
This is a lot of 12 point text to test the
ocr code and see if it works on all types
of file format.
The quick brown dog jumped over the
lazy fox. The quick brown dog jumped
over the lazy fox. The quick brown dog
jumped over the lazy fox. The quick
brown dog jumped over the lazy fox.

>>> try:
... 	text = image_file_to_string('fnord.tif', graceful_errors=False)
... except errors.Tesser_General_Exception, value:
... 	print "fnord.tif is incompatible filetype.  Try graceful_errors=True"
... 	print value
... 	
fnord.tif is incompatible filetype.  Try graceful_errors=True
Tesseract Open Source OCR Engine
read_tif_image:Error:Illegal image format:Compression
Tessedit:Error:Read of file failed:fnord.tif
Signal_exit 31 ABORT. LocCode: 3  AbortCode: 3

>>> text = image_file_to_string('fnord.tif', graceful_errors=True)
>>> print "fnord.tif contents:", text
fnord.tif contents: fnord

>>> text = image_file_to_string('fonts_test.png', graceful_errors=True)
>>> print text
12 pt
And Arnazwngw few dwscotheques provwde jukeboxes
Tames Amazmgly few dnscotheques pmvxde Jukeboxes
24 pt:
Arial: Amazingly few discotheques
provide jul<ebo><es.
Courier: Ama zimgly few
discotheque S provide
j u k e b ox e S .
Times: Amazingly few discotheques provide
jukeboxes.


File Dependencies:
============================================
pytesser.py	Main module for importing
util.py		Utility functions used by pytesser.py
errors.py	Interprets exceptions thrown by Tesseract
tesseract.exe	Executable called by pytesser.py
tessdata/	Resources used by tesseract.exe