Abstract: An optical recognition method and system utilizes a scanner to digitize a complex document comprising regions of text and graphics. A recognition engine, illustratively in the form of a general purpose computer, separates regions of text and graphics and identifies lines of text. This is accomplished by dividing the digitized image into columns. The columns are then separated into small rectangular units by obtaining a horizontal histogram or shadow thereof. The units are arranged into a two dimensional linking for ease of processing and access. Units which are too short are eliminated as noise and units which are too tall are eliminated or otherwise identified as comprising graphics. The remaining units are organized into lines of text by connecting units horizontally whose shadows on the vertical axis overlap.