The String Reader tool is based on a sophisticated technique that uses geometric features to quickly locate and read text made up of solid characters in images where these characters are well separated from the background and from one another. The tool handles text strings with a known or unknown number of evenly or proportionally spaced characters. It accommodates changes in character angle with respect to the string, aspect ratio, scale, and skew, as well as contrast reversal. Strings can be located across multiple lines and at a slight angle. The tool reads from multiple pre-defined (TrueType™ and Postscript™) or user-defined Latin-based fonts. Also included are ready-made Latin-based unified contexts for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and machine print. In addition, strings can be subject to user-defined constraints, overall and at specific character positions, to further increase recognition rates. The tool is designed for ease-of-use and includes String Expert, a utility to help fine-tune settings and troubleshoot poor results.