retyped

Retyped is a term used to describe the act of transcribing or rewriting text that has already been produced in a written form. This can involve physically retyping a document, or it can refer to the digital process of inputting existing text into a new format or system. The purpose of retyping can vary, ranging from correcting errors, updating information, changing the layout, or converting between different file formats.

In a historical context, retyping was a common task for typists and administrative staff who would manually reproduce documents. With the advent of digital technology, the process has become more streamlined, but the fundamental action of inputting existing text remains. Retyping is often contrasted with optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which attempts to automatically convert scanned images of text into editable digital text. While OCR has improved significantly, manual retyping is still sometimes preferred for its accuracy, especially when dealing with complex or poorly preserved documents.

The necessity for retyping can arise in various scenarios. For instance, an organization might retype old paper records into a digital database for easier searching and management. Students might retype lecture notes to organize them or to create study guides. In some cases, retyping might be done to modernize the appearance of a document, such as converting a legacy document into a modern word processing format. The effort involved in retyping can be substantial, making it a task that is often outsourced or automated where possible.