Dev tools · September 21, 2016
Python program to clean up handwritten notes
I wrote a program to clean up scans of handwritten notes while simultaneously reducing file size.
Python program to clean up handwritten notes launched on September 21, 2016 with 80 votes, #552 of 3,744 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 10 years on.
In plain words
This Python program cleans up scans of handwritten notes and reduces file size simultaneously. It processes images at standard resolution while dramatically shrinking file sizes—the example output shows a 7.2MB PNG compressed to 121KB. The tool is designed for anyone who needs to digitize and optimize handwritten documents, using image processing techniques similar to existing mobile apps.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Why do it by hand if you can code it in just quadruple the time? I wrote a program to clean up scans of handwritten notes while simultaneously reducing file size. Left: input scan @ 300 DPI, 7.2MB PNG / 790KB JPG. Right: output @ same resolution, 121KB PNG. 1 Disclaimer: the process described here is more or less what the Office Lens app does already, and there’s probably any number of other tools that do similar things. I’m not claiming to have come up with a radical new invention – just my own implementation of a useful tool. If you’re in a hurry, just check out the github repo, or jump down to the results section, where you can play with interactive 3D diagrams of color clusters. Some of…from mzucker.github.io
Does a similar job
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- SAScanning+Archiving Program For Going Paperless/Saving Notes (Linux)2011 · code.google.com · ▲14
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