What is the difference between OMR and OCR?

OMR stands for optical mark recognition, and OCR stands for optical character recognition. These are the two approaches to getting information from paper into a digital format. The purpose of OCR is to change a PDF into a word document so that you can edit and then save as a PDF again. OMR is used for tests and forms that have a mark filled in a circle.

In OMR, a light is shone on to the preset spaces, and if a mark is present, the paper would have less reflected light, and the computer with the appropriate software sees the answer.

OCR and OMR are types of data recognition. OMR stands for optical mark recognition. OCR stands for optical character recognition. They are both used to transfer data from paper to a format that is digital. Though both are used for the same purpose, there are differences between them.

One of those differences is in regards to marks. OMRs have the ability to tell that a mark is present, while OCRs feel it is necessary to tell what the mark is. Another difference between them comes when a user may use the type of data recognition. OMRS are mainly used when tabulating, while OCRS is used to covert documents that have been printed.

OCR or Optical Character Recognition is used majorly to get the content of a printed document into a new document without necessarily having to retype the printed document. OCR works by recognizing every single character on a page and put them into another document, which can also be edited as well. Although the new document is still editable, there might not be any need to further edit the new document in some cases, because it will also look like the original document. On the other hand, OMR or Optical Mark Recognition is used majorly to evaluate or tabulate data from a list of documents.

Most times, data from surveys are evaluated and tabulated using OCR. Another difference is that OMR works faster than OCR. Before OCR can duplicate a printed document into a new editable document, it will first take the image of a printed document and then check the shapes of all the characters on the page. In contrast, OMR will just check if a mark is present.