PURPOSE: To simplify the correcting work of characters, by scanning a form by flying spot scanner, and if an undiscriminated character is generated in a character read out by a photomultiplier, displaying a video pattern and the discriminated result while making them correspond each other.

CONSTITUTION: The flying spot scanner FSS2 scans a character on an optional position by an instruction from a CPU6 and the photomultiplier 3 photoelectrically converts reflected light and sends the converted signal to the CPU6 through a scanner controlling device 4. The CPU6 sends the received signal and a video signal to a discriminating device 7 and receives the discriminated result. If an unreadable character is detected in the discriminated result, the CPU6 combines a video signal 12 received from a scanner controlling device 4, a scanning position signal and a signal 13 received from the discriminating device 7 and displays the combined result on a display device 8. Subsequently, "2" (in case of the shown example) corresponding to the unreadable character 10 is inputted through a keyboard 9. Thus, the unreadable character is easily corrected.