Abstract: The method of the present invention, in its broadest aspect, comprises the steps of generating a character mask or template of each of the printed characters to be machine read from the printed document which is to be machine read; providing with the template, in a machine readable format, labels in association with and identifying each of the character masks or templates; interrogating one line at a time of the printed document with the respective ones of the character masks or templates, to identify matches between the character masks or templates and the printed characters on that line of the printed document; and recording the label associated with and identifying a character mask or template each time a match is identified.