The Fascinating Process of Reading Handwritten Mail with OCR Technology

📬Almost all letters in the United States are processed automatically using OCR technology, including handwritten letters.

🤔The Remote Encoding Centers (RECs) in the United States are responsible for deciphering difficult-to-read handwriting and blurry ink on envelopes.

⌨️Keyers at the REC type in the missing information from handwritten mail, allowing the mail to continue through the automated processing system.

🔢The 3+1 rule is used for keying addresses, where three characters are entered for the city and state and one character for the zip code.

💡OCR technology has significantly improved the accuracy of reading mail, with approximately 99% of letters being accurately read by machines.

How does OCR technology work?

—OCR technology captures images of the front of envelopes, reads the address using optical character recognition, and processes the information through a database of known-good addresses.

What happens if the handwriting is illegible?

—Illegible handwriting or blurry ink on envelopes is sent to the REC, where keyers manually type in the missing information to ensure accurate delivery.

What is the purpose of the Remote Encoding Centers?

—The RECs are responsible for deciphering difficult-to-read handwriting and processing mail that cannot be read by machines, ensuring accurate delivery.

How are addresses keyed in the REC?

—Addresses are keyed using the 3+1 rule, where three characters are entered for the city and state and one character for the zip code.

What percentage of mail is accurately read by machines?

—Approximately 99% of letters are accurately read by machines using OCR technology, significantly improving processing efficiency.

00:00Almost all letters in the United States are processed automatically using OCR technology.

01:12The Remote Encoding Centers (RECs) in the United States are responsible for deciphering difficult-to-read handwriting and blurry ink on envelopes.

03:12Keyers at the REC type in the missing information from handwritten mail to ensure accurate processing.

05:41Addresses are keyed using the 3+1 rule, where three characters are entered for the city and state and one character for the zip code.

07:40OCR technology has significantly improved the accuracy of reading mail, with approximately 99% of letters being accurately read by machines.