I have a paper copy of something I typed awhile back, but lost the
disk the document was saved on.  I am lazy and the document is kind of
long so I don't want to have to type it all into Word again to be able
to edit it and save it on disk or hard drive.  I have Microsoft Word
2002 and an HP scanner.  The scanner allows me to put scanned images
into Word documents, but only as pictures.  Is there a way to scan the
paper, put it into Word, and
then be able to edit the text and save it as if I had typed it in?
Microsoft's and HP's websites are utterly confusing and unhelpful on
this question.  I am guessing there is some way to do that, it sounds
like something people who work in certian office settings might do all
the time, but maybe not with the software I have at home.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the term used for software that
converts scanned images to machine text. Scans may be converted to
Microsoft documents where you will be able to edit and save the text.


 ?OCR (Optical Charactor Recognition) is the process of turning a
picture of words (such as a scan of a typed letter) into an editable
document that you can open and use in your desktop publishing
software, word processor, or other text editor.?

Read more here:
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/ocr/a/ocr.htm



Scanners sometimes come with OCR software; however you can download
trial versions of OCR software from www.download.com


SimpleOCR 3.0

License: Free; $1,250.00 to buy 
Minimum requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP 
Uninstaller included?: Yes

 ?SimpleOCR is a free OCR application and royalty-free API for
converting scanned images to editable formats like MS Word. ?

CNET
http://www.download.com/SimpleOCR/3000-2070-10152129.html?tag=lst-0-7


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ABBYY FineReader OCR Professional 7.0

License: Free to try; $299.99 to buy 
Minimum requirements: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP 
Limitations: 15-day trial 

?ABBYY FineReader 7.0 Professional Edition is the latest and most
accurate version of ABBYY OCR software. It is an ideal optical
character recognition (OCR) application for users who demand the
highest level of recognition accuracy and format retention. An
excellent timesaving solution, FineReader allows you to convert, edit,
and reuse a variety of paper and electronic files, including
magazines, newspapers, faxes, copies, and PDF files. ?

CNET
http://www.download.com/ABBYY-FineReader-OCR-Professional/3000-2079-10228095.html?tag=lst-0-1


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DocScan Pro OCR 5.0

License: Free to try; $295.00 to buy 
Minimum requirements: Windows (all) 
Uninstaller included?: Yes 
Limitations: 60-day trial

"DocScan Pro OCR is a document scanning, archiving and retrieval
solution that is optimised for business use. The software presents a
familiar Windows Explorer style interface and is easy for anyone to
use with little or no training. Paper documents are scanned into
standard folders and can be stored alongside your existing office
documents.?

CNET
http://www.download.com/DocScan-Pro-OCR/3000-2064-10114502.html?tag=lst-0-2


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Cuneiform Pro OCR 6.0 
License: Free to try; $69.00 to buy 
Minimum requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP 
Uninstaller included?: Yes 
Limitations: 10-page trial

?This is a fast, accurate and easy to use OCR (optical character
recognition). Cuneiform Pro 6.0 is loaded with many features. You can
select the OCR results and then export OCR results directly into
Microsoft Word.?

CNET
http://www.download.com/Cuneiform-Pro-OCR/3000-2079-10204662.html?tag=lst-0-5


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Top 4 OCR Software for Windows

You will find a short description of the top four OCR Software for
Windows and a link to the publisher?s website here:
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/win/tp/ocr_win.htm


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Search criteria:
OCR software

I hope this helps!

Best regards,
Bobbie7

Thank you very much!  I had no idea there was such a thing as OCR
software.  There is no way I could have figured all that out in the
time it took you to answer!

Thank you for the five star rating and tip! I'm glad I could help.
--Bobbie7

PS  I downloaded Cunieform 6.0 (the least expensive version of OCR in
your answer) and used it without any problems or glitches.  I even
expirimented with some old and demented photocopies of text and it
performed very well.  Your thorough answer probably saved me more
money than what I paid for the answer, and definitely saved a lot of
time.  Thanks again to Bobbie7.

Thanks for the update. It's nice to know that everything worked out so well!
--Bobbie7