The binary picture processing and recognizing stages of an optical character recognition (OCR) system have been designed using both flexibility of available microprocessors and speed of peripheral custom-designed integrated circuits. A dedicated large-scale integrated (LSI) processor performs edge detection and thinning of a 32 × 24 digitized one-piece pattern. The output signal–a set of 3 bit vectors describing the skeletonized character contour–feeds a microprocessor which controls the character recognition algorithm including pattern segmentation, filtering, feature extraction, and classification decision. This low-cost equipment is especiaUy suitable for hand-carried OCR systems where well-formed printed alphanumerics are to be read. However, continously deformed patterns like carefully handprinted characters are recognized as well. A system reading speed of 100 characters/s (or 30 cm/s) can be achieved.