Cursive to text
Upload a photo of cursive writing and get it back as typed, editable text. Joined-up letters, loops and slants included.
Files are processed and immediately discarded. We don't keep them.
Why cursive is hard to read, and how this helps
In cursive the letters join, so there are no clean gaps for software to split on. Older text-recognition tools read one character at a time and fall apart on joined writing. DocVolta reads whole lines in context, the way a person does, which is why it copes with loops, ligatures and slanted script.
Tips for the best result
- Photograph one page at a time, straight on if you can. A slight tilt is fine.
- Use daylight or an even lamp. Shadows are handled, but glare on glossy paper hides ink.
- Fill the frame with the writing rather than the table around it.
Questions
Can it read joined-up handwriting?
Yes. It reads each line as a whole, so joined letters aren't a problem the way they are for character-by-character OCR.
What about very old cursive, like letters from the 1800s?
It handles it well. On a test set of 18th and 19th century English manuscripts it read about 95% of characters correctly. Faded ink and heavy crossings-out are harder, so check names and dates against the original. See also old letters to text.
Is it free?
3 pages a day are free with no signup. Plans start at $5 a month for 50 pages.
More handwriting tools
Handwriting to text · Handwritten notes to text · Handwriting to Word · Old letters to text · Handwritten PDF to text