(I don't know where the state of the art is at and whether a scanner OCR can recognize handwriting.)
I have an HP scanjet II (vintage 1990) and an HP 5415 (I think--vintage 2001)
OCR software has worked great since '89 with printed material. Newer software works even better. OCR recognition is very high these days--particularly with printed material.
My old HP still works but after 13 years I am having trouble with the rubber on the feeder rollers. Other than that, it worked pretty well for 12 years (when the input was good).
My newish HP works much much better--but only from a mechanical point of view. It does great scans of images and negatives and has great controls.
The problem is the sheet feeder. The sheet feeder is a mechanical wonder. The new HP is a USB and even though it is supposedly twain compliant the sheet feeder doesn't work right with the twain settings. If I just scan to a file, it scans a dozen pages (or so) to a folder--each an individual document--and then later I can use some OCR software to look at the folder and translate the batch--sometimes.
I bought the new READIris a couple of months ago and they said it would work---but it doesn't work with the feeder. The buttons on the feeder dialogue box are all grayed out. I may be missing something--but maybe I am not. The old 1998 xerox software I have only works when I scan to a folder and then the xerox software reads the stuff in the folder. As you can imagine, this technique leaves a lot to be desired. (the recognition rate of either of these packages is great).
It boggles my mind that someone would want OCR without a sheet feeder. You might as well just retype the page--it would be faster.
(Now: why would anyone want a sheet feeder without OCR? For faxes only?)
But apparently people buy OCR without the feeder, and because of that , you need to find out right off the bat if the software works with the sheet feeder.
Now here's the next thing you need to know: Here's how you tell the computer salesman is lying to you: His lips are moving. (Maybe I should say his emoticon is smiling ; )
By the way, HP is famous for abandoning purchasers of its peripherials with drivers and so forth--and its even worse for Wintelers. (My 1990 HP driver still works in classic though--even without upgrading.) So here is my advice---if you can see it work right in front of you--that is the only way you will know it works. (hey, I'm not bitter. )
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