Evernote OCR is a great feature that can help you completely revamp how you jot things down, as well as how you find and store them afterward.. If you have ever had to search through images or handwritten notes to find the info, you are about to be set free.
In this article, I’d like to share with you 4 brilliant tricks that use the magic of OCR technology to make your Evernote images searchable.
Time to take a step back and let Evernote’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR) do the legwork and do some things for you instead. These OCR tricks will help you get the most out of this fantastic Evernote feature, whether you’re using scanned documents, handwritten notes or screenshots.
Here’s a quick summary of what we’ll cover:
- Optimizing your scans for better OCR accuracy
- Recognizing handwritten notes with Evernote OCR
- Extracting text from images in the Evernote mobile app
- Combining Evernote OCR with advanced search techniques
Let’s dive in and discover how to unlock the full potential of Evernote OCR!
Table of Contents
1. Optimizing Your Scans for Better OCR Accuracy
The first important thing to do to learn how performs OCR in Evernote is to ensure your scanned document is optimal. Doing a simple tweak here and there will enable you to skew the accuracy of text recognition in your scanned images greatly.
Tips for Improving OCR Accuracy:
- Use high contrast: Ensure your document has dark text on a light background.
- Scan at the right resolution: Aim for 300 DPI for best results.
- Keep it straight: Align your document properly when scanning.
- Clean your scanner: Dust and smudges can interfere with OCR.
- Use the right file format: PNG or TIFF formats work best for OCR.
Here’s a table summarizing the optimal settings for document scanning:
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 DPI |
| Color Mode | Black & White or Grayscale |
| File Format | PNG or TIFF |
| Contrast | High |
| Alignment | Straight |
Using these guidelines will help you get up and running and turn your images into text with Evernote.
Want to supercharge your productivity beyond just note-taking? Check out our guide on the “7 Best Productivity Apps to Supercharge Your Day” for more tools to complement your Evernote workflow.
2. Using Evernote OCR for Handwritten Notes Recognition

What is great is that it can recognize written text. This can be a game changer for people who don’t want their notes digital, but still want the ability to search them.
Tips for Improving Handwritten Note Recognition:
- Write clearly: Use legible handwriting with distinct letters.
- Use dark ink: Black or blue pens work best for OCR.
- Write on lined paper: This helps keep your writing straight.
- Avoid cursive: Print-style writing is easier for OCR to recognize.
- Leave space between words: This helps the OCR distinguish separate words.
Here’s a comparison of handwriting styles and their OCR-friendliness:
| Handwriting Style | OCR-Friendliness |
|---|---|
| Printed letters | Excellent |
| Cursive | Poor |
| All caps | Good |
| Mixed case | Fair |
| Spaced out | Very good |
And, while it is great, it isn’t perfect. This might still be a little difficult for the system to recognize some of the handwriting.
Curious about other hidden Evernote features? Discover “5 Hidden Gems: Unlock Evernote’s Potential Now” to take your note-taking to the next level.
3. Extracting Text from Images in the Evernote Mobile App

A powerful information tool in itself, the Evernote mobile app is ideal for capturing notes and information on the go. OCR comes built in so you can quickly extract text straight from an image taken with your phone camera.
Steps to Extract Text from Images on Mobile:
- Open the Evernote app on your mobile device.
- Create a new note or open an existing one.
- Tap the camera icon to add an image.
- Take a photo of the text you want to extract.
- Wait for Evernote to process the image (this may take a few moments).
- Once processed, the text in the image will be searchable.
Here’s a comparison of image to text extraction methods:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Evernote Mobile OCR | Integrated, automatic | Requires Evernote subscription |
| Third-party OCR apps | May offer more features | Requires additional app, may not integrate with Evernote |
| Manual transcription | 100% accurate | Time-consuming |
Most users are happy with OCR, the OCR feature of the Evernote mobile app offers the right balance of convenience and accuracy.
Want to streamline your research process even further? Learn how “3 Ways Evernote Web Clipper Boosts Research” can help you capture and organize information from the web more efficiently.
4. Combining Evernote OCR with Search Functionality

What I love most about it is the way it plays nicely with the app’s search functionality.. This combination makes it easy for you to dig superficial information out from the images and scanned document.
Advanced Search Techniques with OCR:
- Use quotation marks for exact phrases: “project timeline”
- Combine search terms with AND, OR: budget AND 2023
- Exclude terms with a minus sign: meeting -cancelled
- Use wildcards for partial matches: proj*
- Search within specific notebooks: notebook:Work project
Here’s a table of search operators you can use:
| Operator | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ” “ | Exact phrase | “quarterly report” |
| AND | Both terms | budget AND forecast |
| OR | Either term | meeting OR conference |
| – | Exclude term | project -cancelled |
| * | Wildcard | 202* |
| notebook: | Search specific notebook | notebook:Personal vacation |
Evernote OCR and search techniques combined give you a way of locating information even fast from large collections of notes.
Looking to organize your notes more effectively? Check out our guide on “5 Steps to Master Evernote Tags Effortlessly” to create a powerful organizational system.
5. Improving OCR Accuracy in Evernote Scans

Evernote OCR works really well, and sometimes it isn’t even necessary, but there are a few steps you can take to make it even better. If you pay attention to a few key items, you will make sure your scanned documents are as OCR friendly as possible.
Tips for Maximizing OCR Accuracy:
- Use a high-quality scanner or camera
- Ensure good lighting when capturing images
- Clean your scanner or camera lens regularly
- Adjust contrast and brightness settings if needed
- Consider using OCR-specific scanning apps for pre-processing
Here’s a comparison of different scanning methods and their impact on OCR accuracy:
| Scanning Method | OCR Accuracy | Convenience |
|---|---|---|
| Flatbed Scanner | Very High | Moderate |
| Smartphone Camera | High | Very High |
| Dedicated Scanner App | High | High |
| Photocopier | Moderate | Low |
| Low-quality Camera | Low | High |
Using the right scanning method and best practices can increase the accuracy of it by many fold.
Want to collaborate more effectively with your team using Evernote? Don’t miss our guide on “6 Collaborative Features in Evernote Teams” to learn how to leverage OCR for group projects.
6. Evernote OCR vs. Other OCR Tools Comparison

It is a great tool, but you should consider what other OCR solutions there are to determine what makes it a good one and what doesn’t. Using this comparison, you can decide whether or not Evernote’s built in OCR is enough for what you need, or whether you should consider other tools.
Comparison of Popular OCR Tools:
| Tool | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Evernote OCR | Integrated with notes, automatic | Limited to Evernote ecosystem |
| Google Drive OCR | Free, works with Google Docs | Requires manual upload |
| Adobe Acrobat OCR | High accuracy, PDF integration | Expensive, complex |
| Microsoft OneNote OCR | Free, integrated with Office | Limited to OneNote |
| ABBYY FineReader | Very high accuracy, many languages | Expensive, separate application |
While it doesn’t have the most powerful OCR on the market, its automation and integration with automatically scanned notes is a great fit for most users.
Curious about how Evernote stacks up against other note-taking apps? Check out our comparison “Evernote vs OneNote: 7 Key Differences” to see which tool might be best for you.
7. Using Evernote OCR for Business Card Scanning

Another frequently overlooked use of OCR with Evernote is for its speedily digitizing business cards. It can be a game changer in networking, contact management.
Steps to Scan Business Cards with Evernote:
- Open the Evernote app on your mobile device
- Tap the camera icon and select “Business Card”
- Position the card in the frame and take the photo
- Evernote will automatically extract contact information
- Review and edit the extracted information if needed
- Save the contact to your Evernote and device contacts
Here’s a comparison of business card scanning methods:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Evernote OCR | Integrated with notes, saves to contacts | Requires Evernote subscription |
| Dedicated business card apps | High accuracy, additional features | Separate app, may not integrate with notes |
| Manual entry | 100% accurate | Time-consuming |
| LinkedIn QR code | Digital, always up-to-date | Requires both parties to use LinkedIn |
It’s business card scanning feature provides the best of both worlds in convenience and integration to your existing note taking system.
8. Troubleshooting Common Evernote OCR Issues

Even if it is pretty good, but of course, not perfect — sometimes there will be issues.. Let’s look at some common problems and solutions to make the most out of this amazing feature.
Common OCR Issues and Solutions:
- Poor recognition accuracy: Improve image quality or rescan
- Text not searchable: Ensure OCR processing is complete
- Handwriting not recognized: Use clearer handwriting or type important information
- OCR not working on mobile: Check internet connection and app permissions
- Slow OCR processing: Reduce image size or use Wi-Fi for syncing
Here’s a troubleshooting table for quick reference:
| Issue | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Low accuracy | Poor image quality | Rescan at higher resolution |
| Text not searchable | OCR not complete | Wait for sync, check OCR status |
| Handwriting issues | Illegible writing | Improve handwriting or type key info |
| Mobile OCR failure | Connection issues | Check internet and app permissions |
| Slow processing | Large image size | Reduce image size, use Wi-Fi |
Addressing these common issues will help you set up its function so that it works nicely for everything you scan.
9. Leveraging Evernote OCR for Research and Study

Students and researchers can find it a valuable addition to their arsenal of text to speech applications. It can take the step of making handwritten notes and scanned documents searchable which makes the research and study process much easy and smooth.
Tips for Using Evernote OCR in Research:
- Scan and OCR research papers for easy reference
- Digitize and search handwritten lecture notes
- Create searchable archives of textbook pages
- Capture and OCR whiteboards and presentations
- Build a searchable database of academic journal articles
Here’s a comparison of study methods using Evernote OCR:
| Study Method | Benefits of OCR |
|---|---|
| Textbook reading | Searchable excerpts and key concepts |
| Lecture notes | Find specific topics quickly |
| Research papers | Easy reference and citation |
| Group study | Share and search collaborative notes |
| Exam preparation | Quickly locate relevant information |
It helps you turn your study routine into a powerful, searchable knowledge base that improves your learning and research speed.
10. The Future of Evernote OCR and Image Recognition

While OCR technology will only continue to further develop and expand in future versions of Evernote OCR, the additional tools and features will be offered separately.
We can’t predict exactly what changes will occur, but we can guess at some possible ways to improve the image to text experience.
Potential Future Developments:
- Improved handwriting recognition accuracy
- Real-time OCR in the mobile app camera view
- Enhanced language support for multilingual documents
- Integration with AI for content summarization
- Automatic tagging based on recognized text content
Here’s a speculative comparison of current and future OCR features:
| Feature | Current Evernote OCR | Potential Future OCR |
|---|---|---|
| Handwriting Recognition | Good | Excellent |
| Real-time Processing | No | Yes |
| Language Support | Limited | Extensive |
| AI Integration | No | Yes |
| Automatic Tagging | No | Yes |
These features are speculative, but nothing the science of OCR can’t accomplish in the coming years for Evernote users.
Conclusion
Overall, Evernote OCR is a great tool that really helps out your note taking and information management efforts. Using Evernote Images can be an effective and useful way to scan and markup your text, but by using four simple tricks, you can bring the OCR into Evernote images and turn them into searchable text.
Since Evernote OCR has to be doing something really clever, the key here is consistency and practice. Don’t be afraid to play around with different ways of presenting your exhibition for your particular brand.
With time and experience, you’ll be able to simply convert any image or document into searchable text for your digital note taking, to make it the most efficient and powerful note taking you’ve ever done.
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FAQ
What is Evernote OCR?
Evernote OCRÂ (Optical Character Recognition) is a feature that allows Evernote to recognize and extract text from images and scanned documents, making them searchable.
How accurate is Evernote OCR?
Evernote OCRÂ is generally quite accurate, especially for typed text. Its accuracy for handwritten text varies depending on the clarity of the handwriting.
Can Evernote OCR recognize handwriting?
Yes, Evernote OCR can recognize handwriting, although its accuracy may be lower than for typed text. Clear, print-style handwriting works best.
How do I use OCR in the Evernote mobile app?
Simply take a photo of a document or text within the Evernote app, and OCR will automatically process the image, making the text searchable.
Does Evernote OCR work on all types of images?
Evernote OCRÂ works best on clear, high-contrast images. It may struggle with low-quality images, handwritten notes, or images with complex backgrounds.
Can I extract the OCR text from an image in Evernote?
While Evernote OCR makes text in images searchable, it doesn’t currently offer a feature to extract the recognized text into editable form within the note.
How long does it take for Evernote OCR to process an image?
The processing time for Evernote OCR can vary depending on the image size and complexity, but it typically takes a few minutes. Larger documents may take longer.
Is Evernote OCR available in all Evernote plans?
Evernote OCRÂ is available in all paid plans (Personal, Professional, and Teams). The free Basic plan has limited OCR capabilities.
Can Evernote OCR recognize text in languages other than English?
Yes, Evernote OCR supports multiple languages. However, the accuracy may vary depending on the language and character set.
How can I improve the OCR accuracy in Evernote?
To improve OCR accuracy, ensure your scans are high-quality, well-lit, and properly aligned. Using a resolution of 300 DPI and saving in PNG or TIFF format can also help.
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