PURPOSE: To perform easily correction processing by printing once an original after scanning it and printing an specific character at a pace near a character that could not be recognized.

CONSTITUTION: The character data on an original read out of a line image sensor 4 is supplied to a character segmenting circuit 21 via a buffer 20. Then the character data processed for each character by the circuit 21 is applied every character to a character recognizing circuit 22. Then the character code of the characters which could be recognized are given to a text buffer 23. While the undecided character code signals are applied to an undecided character identification code generating circuit 24 for the characters that could not be recognized. The circuit 24 produces discrimination codes, e.g., underlines, etc. and the undecided character production numbers for identification of undecided characters. These discrimination codes are added to the undecided character codes and led to a text buffer 23.